Adaptivity

Abstract

On matters of sustainability, the complement to resilient recovery is adaptive adjustment. Many of the water industry's efforts focus on a system's ability to maintain services and recover from disruptions, but just as important are efforts to understand when and how to change things when situations fall unexpectedly outside of the norm. All things considered, the water industry has proved extremely resilient to the challenges of the latest pandemic, and it has also shown remarkable adaptivity. Even while COVID-19 shut down some sectors, safe water continued to reach the homes and businesses that rely on it. As the pandemic disrupted normal operations, it was great to see how quickly water systems adapted, both accommodating work at home and instituting procedures that protect those who cannot. In many cases, financial accommodations have been made with customers struggling with job loss or diminished business to try to help them, at least in the near term. Even as the pandemic continues, other challenges still face the water industry—floods, droughts, aging infrastructure, communication—so it's important for water professionals to maintain skills that include flexibility and resourcefulness, the foundations of adaptive adjustment. We must ensure that water and wastewater systems respond effectively in the face of potential disruptions, but even more, that the people operating and guiding those systems understand system limits, their personal limits, and when and where to begin exploring potential options when things need to change. Most of the time, changes in the water industry are slow, on the order of years to decades. In some cases, like the phaseout of lead pipe, it can seem to take a lifetime. Adaptability comes to bear on the management side of things, especially in communicating serious issues, because while the pipes in the ground typically stay the same, the mindset of consumers is always in flux—except, that is, their concern for a safe, affordable, and continuous water supply. At the local level, utilities are adaptive systems that need to respond not only to a community's specific needs and concerns, but also to large-scale phenomena and international events. Beyond the challenges of the pandemic, the water industry's adaptivity is also driven by an underlying goal of continuous improvement, the kind made by crews fixing broken mains in the freezing cold, a conservation department managing a smart meter roll-out program, treatment plants minimizing disinfection byproducts and considering potable reuse—the list goes on. Besides reinforcing resilience, water professionals must continue to adapt to an ever-changing world by thinking creatively and considering novel approaches that will improve future flexibility and resilience. This issue of Journal AWWA features articles on diversity and inclusion, disinfection trends, conservation rebates, and more. Please consider sharing your perspectives and experiences, including those related to adaptivity, with water professionals across the globe by writing me at journaleditor@awwa.org.