Time and Water

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Once a society's water issues are resolved, time becomes its most precious resource. However, water issues are never resolved for long because the world keeps changing and society's capabilities and expectations evolve along with it. As the public's understanding of and engagement with water issues expand, the water industry needs to develop approaches that serve customers today yet keep in mind how water systems should work in the future. AWWA's Water 2050 effort seeks a long-term vision for water, and by anticipating the water industry's future needs, it can also learn to do better now. This issue of Journal AWWA is also forward-looking, starting with an examination of the future of the environmental laboratory workforce. Like many specialty careers in water, this month's cover story highlights how the industry needs creative solutions to recruit and retain skilled staff to address current and future needs. Looking critically at water system operations, another article explores the factors that contribute to water system success and the different channels that should be used to improve performance, including better long-term planning and more coordinated support from stakeholders and regulators. Another feature explores how biofiltration will likely become more widely used as the underlying processes and treatment benefits are better understood, especially in the face of future regulatory changes. These authors highlight how sustainability, resilience, and financial issues are considered in future water systems, as well as how the best ideas from industry and academia cross-pollinate and lead to future breakthroughs. Another article this month describes the Public Protection Classification criteria of communities for home insurance purposes, which is based on the fire flow of the local municipal water system, and the factors that describe the fire flow adequacy of a municipal water system are prone to future changes. Focusing on strategic planning for pipe renewal and replacement, another article provides guidance to water systems using proactive capital improvement that involves scenario analysis to provide systemwide forecasts for planning, budgeting, and optimizing utility assets. And a final article describes how strategically designed and targeted conservation programs can help communities reduce overall water use by employing smart controllers and addressing customers with the most conservation potential. No society's water issues are resolved forever, so for water and wastewater systems, the never-ending cycle of operation, regeneration, and improvement is passed between professionals who must understand the wide reach of current and future water issues. Join AWWA's effort to look forward and consider writing an article for Journal AWWA by contacting me at [email protected].