Capital improvement financing remains a top challenge for water utilities, according to a survey of professionals conducted in late 2024. The 2025 State of the Water Industry, an annual report from the American Water Works Association (AWWA), also found infrastructure improvements and long-term supply to be among the top concerns for industry insiders. See more …

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WEFTEC is the largest annual convention and exposition for the water sector. WEFTEC 2025 will take place in Chicago, Illinois from September 27 – October 1 and will offer more than 130 technical sessions, 20 Workshops, 1000 exhibitors, and more than 20,000 water professionals to connect with. Find out more and register at www.weftec.org.

The Exhibit Hall filled with roars and celebrations as water pros competed in several events at the American Water Works Association’s (AWWA) Annual Conference and Exposition (ACE25) in Denver. Former and defending champions as well as newcomers competed fiercely for the 2025 titles and bragging rights for their sections in several crowd-pleasing traditions at ACE. …

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The Transformative Water Leadership Academy (TWLA) is where the next generation of water utility leaders focus on the foundations of sustainable community leadership: how to integrate social, environmental, and financial concerns into important decisions about water utilities. TWLA is a collaborative program between AWWA and WaterNow Alliance. Apply Now.

Operator Essentials is a monthly column in Water Environment & Technology (WE&T) magazine that covers “What Every Operator Needs to Know” about hot topics in the industry. Read Operator Essentials in the latest issue of WE&T or browse the archive of articles on AccessWater.

It is no secret that the U.S. water sector has a recruitment problem. According to Black & Veatch’s (Overland Park, Kansas) 2024 Water Report, a whopping 47% of water-sector survey respondents ranked the difficulty of attracting early-career staff to replace retiring veterans as their top challenge. And with approximately one-third of the entire water workforce due …

Continue reading “The University-to-Utility Pipeline”

Prince William Water in Woodbridge, Virginia, created H2Go Kids to encourage students and educators to protect water resources and to nurture a better water stewardship ethic among the next generation. “For more than a decade, Prince William Water has offered a robust community and educational outreach program,” said Michelle Miranda, community engagement manager at Prince William Water. …

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The flushing of disposable wipes and other products labeled as “flushable” causes serious and costly issues for water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs). After experiencing ongoing issues with unflushables in its wastewater system, regional utility Metro Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada) worked to shift residents’ flushing habits using behavior-change campaigns. Read the full article in the February …

Continue reading “Wrath of the Unflushables: An intrepid utility battled a long-term foe — and influenced flushing behavior— with humorous toilet talk”

Jeff Phillips is chief operations officer for Greenville Water in South Carolina, a role he has held since 2023 after working four years as director of water resources. He was recently appointed to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Drinking Water Advisory Council. He is a past president of the South Carolina Section of AWWA. …

Continue reading “AWWA Water Champion – Jeff Phillips, Greenville, South Carolina”

In the water sector, every drop counts. As the landscape of the water profession shifts to better reflect the communities it serves, organizations that champion diversity, equity, and inclusion are demonstrating that every experience counts, too. Read the full article in the January 2025 issue of Water Environment & Technology.