wateronline.com
n
Water Innovations
Water Worries
In 2017
And Beyond
EDITOR'S LETTER
By Kevin Westerling
Chief Editor, editor@wateronline.com
6
I
f the drinking water industry is anything, it's consistent. For over a century, at least
since the inception of chlorine treatment in the early 1900s, clean water has been
readily available thanks to the combination of people, technology, and infrastructure
that make it so. And when it comes to utility operators, their outlook is on par with
their performance — that is, remarkably consistent. In recent years, their concerns and
outlook have remained largely the same, typically forecasting better days ahead. That
hopeful attitude is natural, as scientific studies have shown that we humans have an
ingrained "optimism bias."
So it is slightly concerning that in 2017, SOTWI respondents bucked the trend —
and even their human predisposition — by viewing the water industry as pessimistically
as ever.
AWWA asked its members to rate the current health, or "soundness," of the water
industry on a scale of 1 to 7, and to project five years into the future. In both cases, the
scores came in at all-time lows for the SOTWI study, first conducted in 2004. Current
soundness had always been rated between 4.5 and 4.9, but dropped to 4.3 this year.
Likewise, the five-year outlook had always ranged from 4.4 (the previous low, in 2016) to
5.0, yet was also rated 4.3 in 2017 (looking ahead to 2022).
While this downtick does not signal an avalanche of pessimism, it does indicate a general
and uncharacteristic erosion of confidence. So what is it that has these traditionally steady
men and women of water concerned? The survey tells us that as well.
5 Biggest Issues
The issues aren't new. In fact, the top five for 2017 are the same as last year (with some
rejiggering of order):
1. Renewal and replacement of outdated water/wastewater infrastructure (#1 in 2016)
2. Financing for capital improvement projects (#2 in 2016)
3. Long-term availability of water supply (#4 in 2016)
4. Public understanding of the value of water systems/services (#3 in 2016)
5. Public understanding of the value of water resources (#5 in 2016)
The consistency of concerns above is not surprising as they have not been appropriately
addressed since they came to be a problem. Why is this? Because of the incredible scope of
rebuilding needed (see #1), costs can be prohibitive (see #2), especially when there is scant
public and political will (see #4 and #5) to fund improvements. These factors, considered
alongside the natural threat of climate change, coalesce to put water supplies that have
long been taken for granted at risk (see #3).
The shorter answer, however, is that it comes down to money.
The American Water Works Association's annual State of the Water
Industry (SOTWI) study reveals declining confidence compared to
recent years.
101 Gibraltar Road, Suite 100
Horsham, PA 19044
PH: (215) 675-1800
FX: (814) 899-5587
Email: info@wateronline.com
Website: www.wateronline.com
CHIEF EDITOR
Kevin Westerling
(215) 675-1800 ext. 120
kwesterling@vertmarkets.com
PUBLISHER
Travis Kennedy
(215) 675-1800 ext. 122
tkennedy@vertmarkets.com
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Patrick Gallagher
(215) 675-1800 ext. 129
pgallagher@vertmarkets.com
PRODUCT MANAGER
Bill King
(215) 675-1800 ext. 100
bking@vertmarkets.com
MANAGING EDITOR
Angel Clark
(814) 897-9000 ext. 285
aclark@vertmarkets.com
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR
Lynn Netkowicz
(814) 897-9000 ext. 205
lnetkowicz@vertmarkets.com
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Susan Day
(215) 675-1800 ext. 101
sday@vertmarkets.com
DIRECTOR OF AUDIENCE
DEVELOPMENT
Martin Zapolski
(814) 897-9000 ext. 337
mzapolski@vertmarkets.com
DIRECTOR OF
ONLINE DEVELOPMENT
Art Glenn
aglenn@vertmarkets.com
Reprints, Eprints, and NXTprints
The YGS Group (800) 290-5460
VertMarketsReprints@theYGSgroup.com
www.theYGSgroup.com
ADDRESS CORRECTIONS
Send to Water Online at above address,
or email circ@vertmarkets.com.
Please give old and new address,
and enclose or reference your
latest mailing label.
Copyright © 2017, VertMarkets, Inc.