Water Online

May 2016

Water Innovations gives Water and Wastewater Engineers and end-users a venue to find project solutions and source valuable product information. We aim to educate the engineering and operations community on important issues and trends.

Issue link: http://wateronline.epubxp.com/i/672151

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 9 of 38

Week or World Water Day to talk about the importance of water in all facets of our lives. We can engineer stories about water infrastructure, where we take media below ground to make the case for water infrastructure funding. We can show off innovative technologies that demonstrate how water professionals are forward- thinking and stewards of the environment. There's plenty we can do. It begins with building relationships with media before there's a crisis. I think one of the most important things to remember is that we are often part of the community we serve. Our family, neighbors, and friends are also those that we serve. There are as many opportunities for us to share about the importance of water in our own backyard BBQs as there are for media stories. On Infrastructure Financing: WIFIA And Washington The U.S. Congress enacted the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act in 2014 as an innovative, cost-effective mechanism to help the nation renew, improve, and rehabilitate its aging water and wastewater infrastructures. But WIFIA came with some unnecessary budgetary red tape, specifically a ban on the use of tax-exempt debt in combination with WIFIA loans. About a year ago, AWWA initiated a "free WIFIA" campaign to encourage Congress to lift that restriction. Thanks to the hard work of many members and partner organizations, Congress removed the ban in December of last year. That makes WIFIA a much more attractive financing tool. Still, in the fiscal years 2015 and 2016 omnibus spending bills, Congress provided only $2.2 million for the EPA to stand up the WIFIA program — no money for actual loans. It's time to appropriate money for WIFIA to do its important work. Today, WIFIA loans can only support 49 percent of a project's costs — 100 percent would be better. We're asking Congress to remove that restriction, and we'll continue our longstanding support for funding State Revolving Funds. … One proposal in the Senate related to Flint would actually direct $70 million in funding to WIFIA, which would leverage into at least $700 million in financing for water projects both there and elsewhere. So it's good to see Congress recognizing WIFIA's potential. On Water Security: The Biggest Threat … And Promise For The Future I believe that if we do not make efficient use of the water we have and that if we fail to expand our water portfolios by taking advantage of new technologies, we are in real trouble. We can avoid these pitfalls in a number of ways. For instance, this past March AWWA announced a challenge to its member water utilities and others across the globe to complete 1,000 water audits over the next two years using AWWA's newest Water Audit Software. Simply gaining an understanding of where our water is going will go a long way toward eliminating waste. We also need to begin taking a serious look at new technologies like desalination and reuse. They are expensive and difficult to implement, but I believe they are both critical to long-term sustainability. ... As water sector solutions become more complex, water professionals won't be able to easily fall into drinking water or wastewater categories. Instead, I believe utilities will begin to view water more holistically. In many cases they will need to be looking for new sources and new treatment solutions. It's an exciting time, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it all works out. A new vision indeed, communicated quite well. Great, even. wateronline.com n Water Innovations 7 EDITOR'SLETTER ... if we fail to expand our water portfolios by taking advantage of new technologies, we are in real trouble. Jeanne Bennett-Bailey, president-elect, American Water Works Association (AWWA)

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Water Online - May 2016