Public Water Utilities Research Articles

REVIVING THE NATION'S PUBLIC WATER UTILITIES TO REDUCE PLASTIC POLLUTION IN THE UNITED STATES

Water utilities play a role in reducing plastic waste. However, infrastructure improvements alone are not likely to reduce bottled water consumption if the public perceives a risk in drinking tap. Therefore, researchers, regulators, and distributors must evaluate why consumers elect bottled water over a municipal source. Public water utilities are an essential service that are bound by many legislative constraints, and they face many unique challenges that bottled water distributors do not. Such constraints include water quality standards that are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In contrast, bottled water companies are monitored by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A unique challenge for water utilities is that they have a powerful commercial competitor in the water market.Municipalities must consider strategies that will bolster public relations and outreach in addition to improving taste. Several reports reveal the cost of water distribution, reasons consumers choose bottled water, the effects of plastic waste on the environment, and possible strategies to increase public use of tap water.Many possible combinations of solutions have been evaluated. Such strategies include increased legislative oversight, infrastructure improvements, monitoring stations, district metered areas, Government Performance and Results Act compliance, public outreach campaigns and offering additional services. A holistic look at public water distribution improvements can make a significant impact on revenue and plastic waste reduction.

GUIDEPOSTS OF PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT

GUIDEPOSTS OF PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT

Factors constraining household willingness to pay for piped water tariffs: the case of Ekiti State, Nigeria

Abstract One of the major problems confronting public water utilities in Nigeria is how to realise effective piped water tariff revenues collection. This study was therefore conducted to identify the major factors constraining household willingness to pay for piped water tariffs in Nigeria, using Ekiti State as a case study, and possible interventions which might help to improve the situation from the perspective of piped water customers. A tested survey has been used through a representative sampling process. The research findings were checked with additional data from relevant literature and legal documents. Findings revealed that political promise, availability of other water sources, lack of recognition of drinking water as a human right, inadequate method of collecting tariff revenues, and poor response to complaints were the major factors constraining household willingness to pay for piped water tariffs in the studied case in Nigeria. The suggested major possible interventions which might help to improve the situation include the installation of water meters, instituting a customer consultative forum, as well as putting in place improved customer relations. To be effective, it is crucial that public water utilities in Nigeria incorporate these factors into piped water supply decision-making and policy measures.

The impact of model specification and environmental variables on measuring the overall technical efficiency of water and sewerage services: Evidence from Chile

The measurement of efficiency of water utilities is a valuable tool for water regulators and managers to provide services in a sustainable way. Understanding the sources of inefficiency could support business decision making process. In this study we employ the most recent advanced panel data stochastic frontier models to estimate the level of overall technical efficiency of water services in Chile. These econometric models allow incorporating heterogeneity across water utilities and different sources of inefficiency, persistent and transient. The results showed that technical efficiency scores were sensitive to model specification. When efficiency is distinguished between persistent and transient efficiency, it is found that industry performed well in its daily operations, i.e., high transient efficiency. However, mean persistent efficiency was low indicating that industry needed structural transformations to improve performance. Thus, inefficiency in the Chilean water industry is a long run issue. Private water utilities appeared to be more efficient than public water utilities.

Water Distribution and Non-Revenue Water Management Scenario in Asian countries: Malaysian Perspective

It is being estimated by the World Bank that the operations and maintenance cost for the basic water and sanitation services (WASH) is expected to increase from 4 to 30 Billion USD per year by 2030 which substantially surpass the capital cost of basic WASH services. Still the local and global funding prioritize the capital investment in the current water infrastructure resulting in the lack or no funding for the operation and maintenance mandates especially in the developing countries of Asia due to insufficient revenue generated from consumers to cover the operational and maintenance costs. This has subsequently caused an adverse impact on the financial utility and services rendered to consumers. Many water utilities are facing difficulties with high amount of Non-Revenue Water (NRW) for the past few years. Water utilities are being forced to consider implementing an efficient NRW reduction strategy due to the rapid population growth and industrialization raise the water demand and put pressure on the water resources. Public water utilities are expected to apprehend the demand by increasing the capacity. On the other hand, to solve the increasing water demand it is not enough to just increase the capacity and production. Combine both Non-Revenue Water and the increasing of capacity is more efficient rather than a single approach plan. In Malaysia, there is 35% of non-revenue water loss and mostly are caused by pipe leakages and breakage. This paper aims to assess the NRW reduction strategies by analysing the factors affecting, and challenges faced by Malaysian water utilities in reducing NRW rates. This paper also evaluates the public perception on Non-Revenue water management to establish a way to develop public participation in Non-Revenue Water reduction program. Finding shows that public participation in Non-Revenue Water reduction management in Malaysia remains lacking as many respondents indicate a lack of knowledge and awareness in non-revenue water. Participation from the community to achieve a sustainable water source management is important to enhance Malaysia’s water safety. The paper will provide an insight to the water distribution in the Southeast Asian countries and will especially emphasize on the crisis of non-revenue water its implications and possible measures and strategies to improve the situation.

Risk assessment and water safety planning for rural water supply in Uttarakhand, India.

A water safety plan (WSP) has been developed for rural water supply in Dehradun district, Uttarakhand, India. Four public water utilities were chosen to demonstrate the application of WSP in improving the rural drinking water quality along with improved sanitation. Hazard identification and risk assessment carried out identified 10 hazardous events at all four utilities. Intermittent water supply, poor repair and maintenance of the supply channel machinery, and individual household sanitation practices were the potential sources of contamination. The study showed encouraging results, where the evaluated risks decreased substantially after implementing the control measures, along with improved water quality after WSP implementation which showed statistically significant results (p < .05) for all tested parameters, namely, turbidity (p = .000), total dissolved solids (p = .004), residual-free chlorine (p = .004), total coliforms (p = .000), and fecal coliforms (p = .003). The sanitation condition of water source and households also improved by adopting the suggested measures. The study recommends water safety planning, to empower the rural communities to safeguard their water sources, and for sustainable water supply management.

Organisational Learning Strategies and Employee Performance in Water and Sewerage Companies: Empirical from Nairobi City County, Kenya

Despite organisational learning strategies being focal in enabling employee’s development, Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company is unable to employ organisational learning strategies for sustainable employee performance. Owing to the failures in addressing these concerns. this research accessed the manner in which organisational learning strategies related to employee performance in this company. The objectives of the research were to specifically establish the effect of; acquiring information, distributing information, interpreting information, behavioural and cognitive changes on the performance of public water utilities in Kenya. In its methodology, the research espoused descriptive research design as it used 374 senior officers of Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company as its target population. The sample size drawn from this population was 112 respondents; accounting for 30% of the entire population. The research sought data from primary sources, which was collected through administration of structured questionnaire. Quantitative approach was employed in analysis to obtain descriptive statistics as well as inferential statistics. The inferential statistics were for testing existence of relationship and for predicting a study model. The study found that at 5% significance level, acquiring information there is a strongly positively significant effect on employee performance at Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company, distributing information has a low significant negative effect on employee performance at Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company, practising interpreting information at Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company has a strong significant positive influence on its performance of employees, and behavioural and cognitive changes strongly significantly and positively affect performance of employee at Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company. The study suggested new organizational learning approaches for implementation by Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company to improve their employee efficiency and hence enhance their performance.

Ownership and sustainability of Italian water utilities: The stakeholder role

After several decades, the political and academic debate on water governance is still dominated by arguments about whether private sector involvement increases both efficiency and the level of investment within the industry. These arguments could appear reductive, especially in a context like Italy, which is dominated by public and mixed-ownership water utilities. The aim of this paper is to analyze how the socio-economic context and stakeholders' interests can influence the relationship between ownership structure and water utilities' sustainability performances. Analyzing six case studies, this research shows that the institutional context may influence both the water governance and utilities’ performance. The theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

The Velocity of Crisis: How the Pandemic Creates Opportunities for Change.

The Velocity of Crisis: How the Pandemic Creates Opportunities for Change.

Trust in Providers of Domestic Water: A Comparison of the Public Utility and Informal Vendors in Dar Es Salaam

This article examines factors associated with trust in the public water utility and informal water vendors in the city of Dar es Salaam. We model trust in terms of citizens’ perceptions of what water providers deliver, how well the service fits with their lifestyle and values, the ease with which they can contact and influence the provider, and how well the government handles water issues. Our data come from a survey of the adult population of the four main residential districts of Dar es Salaam, conducted in March 2018. We find that trust in water providers is built on different foundations for the public utility and informal vendors. For the public utility, trust depends mainly on habituation to the service, knowledge of the vernacular and evaluations of government performance. For informal vendors, trust depends mainly on habituation to the service and capacity for engagement with social issues. Our study illustrates the how trust in service providers is an outcome of social accountability at the micro-level.

The Politics of Building Effective Water Utilities in the Global South: A Case of NWSC Uganda

Although most public water utilities in developing countries perform poorly, some have achieved remarkable turnarounds and now deliver effectively on their mandate. Current analyses of such turnarounds focus on institutional- and organisational-level explanations that ignore the political economy factors that drive public sector performance in developing countries. This study employed the ‘political settlement analysis’ to explain both Uganda’s National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) turnaround that happened between 1998 and 2004 and why its performance has since been uneven. For the turnaround to happen, Uganda’s dominant ruling coalition, struggling to chart a developmental trajectory with limited domestic resources, agreed to a World Bank-inspired programme for building NWSC’s commercial and financial capabilities in 1998. The botched privatisation move helped bring the political elite, key technocrats and donors into a rare coalition that enabled a six-year programme of harmonised and uninterrupted support for NWSC. Meanwhile, the post-turnaround phase happened under different political dynamics, characterised by a fractious ruling coalition, increased political competition and frosty government–donor relations. The ruling elite turned to the newly effective NWSC for rents and for building its urban popularity. The pressures from this incentivised NWSC leadership to prioritise activities with visible and immediate commercial benefits, at the expense of long-term operational sustainability. These findings suggest that external support for institution building can succeed, where it is aligned with the dominant incentives generated by the local power relations. And how leaders of public organisations manage the changing political context within which they operate is as important as their technical capacity.

Revisiting the Comparison of Public and Private Water Service Provision: An Empirical Study in Portugal

The controversy between the performance of public and private ownership of water and wastewater services is common worldwide. In most cases, this discussion is biased due to ideological issues or insufficiency or inconsistency of information. This study aims to compare the performance of private water utilities with that of public water utilities, using rich, robust, and audited information from Portuguese operators. The benchmarking exercise focuses on three distinct areas, namely, the efficiency and effectiveness of the investments made, the quality of service provided, and the tariffs and prices implemented. From the analysis performed, it is concluded that, on average, the performance of private water utilities exceeds that of public water utilities, and prejudice in most cases is unjustified regarding private ownership. Anyway, water, as an essential service, should always be provided, regardless of utility ownership.

Support First‐Responder Training at Closed Sites

Public water utility assets are integrated into the fabric of society. Tanks, structures, and vaults are positioned across communities, doing their part to serve local water needs. These assets are generational and built to last. Yet, like all man‐made structures, they have a life expectancy. When slated for retirement, these assets are demolished or end up as ground‐up rehabilitation projects. Before razing, water utilities should consider a community outreach approach and engage local emergency services for unique training opportunities.

Systems thinking approach for analysing non-revenue water management reform in Malaysia

Abstract High volumes of non-revenue water (NRW) threaten water security in many developing countries. The traditional technocentric water management regime largely neglects social and systemic complexities that need to be addressed for successful reform. This paper explores the challenges of water sector reform and NRW reduction in Malaysia to identify possible drivers that can accelerate the NRW management reform. The analysis uses a system thinking approach, with key systemic relationships represented with causal loop diagrams (CLDs). Findings reveal that the NRW management reform is influenced by technical, environmental, economic, social, institutional, and corporate governance factors. Using the CLDs, leverage points that can accelerate NRW management reform are identified. Policies and strategies that can accelerate the NRW management reform in Malaysia are recommended: (1) water supply security and sustainable development must be emphasised as the main concern for water sector reform; (2) understanding of the socio-economic benefits of water tariff adjustment by stakeholders is necessary to build political alliances for water tariff increments; and (3) the newly privatised water services providers in Malaysia require an integrated NRW reduction plan to optimise the time taken for NRW reduction and at the same time, transforming their current human resources that were inherited from the previous public water utilities.

Possibilities for Improving Energy Efficiency at Water Utility Sector

Energy efficiency plays an important role in all water sectors. Energy is one of the largest operating costs for water system. For water utility systems, energy is needed for transports of raw water, water treatment process, water storage and distribution. Energy usage can vary based on water source, treatment type, facility age, storage capacity, topography, and system size, which encompasses volume produced and service area. Water Companies are well known with importance of reducing energy consumption and costs as a means to optimize overall system performance and to provide a safe water supply. But managing staff of the water system and operators may not be fully aware of the options available to them to manage their energy budget or to identify, prioritize and fund energy improvement projects. By applying energy efficiency, water utility sectors can build a successful energy management program and achieve energy savings. This paper discusses energy issues facing public water utility sector, steps that responsibility personnel can take to understand and reduce their energy use and costs, and funding resources for energy efficiency. Main focus in this paper is to perform possibilities for increasing energy efficiency of the Pumping Station in Milloshevë which supply with raw water Treatment Plant in Shkabaj, Kosovo.

The Possibilities for Improving Energy Efficiency at Water Utility Sector

Energy efficiency plays an important role in all water sectors. Energy is one of the largest operating costs for water system. For water utility systems, energy is needed for transports of raw water, water treatment process, water storage and distribution. Energy usage can vary based on water source, treatment type, facility age, storage capacity, topography, and system size, which encompasses volume produced and service area. Water Companies are well known with importance of reducing energy consumption and costs as a means to optimize overall system performance and to provide a safe water supply. But managing staff of the water system and operators may not be fully aware of the options available to them to manage their energy budget or to identify, prioritize and fund energy improvement projects. By applying energy efficiency, water utility sectors can build a successful energy management program and achieve energy savings. This paper discusses energy issues facing public water utility sector, steps that responsibility personnel can take to understand and reduce their energy use and costs, and funding resources for energy efficiency. Main focus in this paper is to perform possibilities for increasing energy efficiency of the Pumping Station in Milloshevë which supply with raw water Treatment Plant in Shkabaj, Kosovo.

Pilot study of global endocrine disrupting activity in Iowa public drinking water utilities using cell-based assays

Some anthropogenic substances in drinking water are known or suspected endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), but EDCs are not routinely measured. We conducted a pilot study of 10 public drinking water utilities in Iowa, where common contaminants (e.g., pesticides) are suspected EDCs. Raw (untreated) and finished (treated) drinking water samples were collected in spring and fall and concentrated using solid phase extraction. We assessed multiple endocrine disrupting activities using novel mammalian cell-based assays that express nuclear steroid receptors (aryl hydrocarbon [AhR], androgenic [AR], thyroid [TR], estrogenic [ER] and glucocorticoid [GR]). We quantified each receptor's activation relative to negative controls and compared activity by season and utility/sample characteristics. Among 62 samples, 69% had AhR, 52% AR, 3% TR, 2% ER, and 0% GR activity. AhR and AR activities were detected more frequently in spring (p =0 .002 and < 0.001, respectively). AR activity was more common in samples of raw water (p =0 .02) and from surface water utilities (p =0 .05), especially in fall (p =0 .03). Multivariable analyses suggested spring season, surface water, and nitrate and disinfection byproduct concentrations as determinants of bioactivity. Our results demonstrate that AR and AhR activities are commonly found in Iowa drinking water, and that their detection varies by season and utility/sample characteristics. Screening EDCs with cell-based bioassays holds promise for characterizing population exposure to diverse EDCs mixtures.

Contingent Valuation of Lake Rawapening as a Source of Drinking Water

The aim of this study is to estimate willingness to pay (WTP) of local residents, by applying the contingent valuation method as a surcharge on their water bill, for a given improvement of lake ecosystem for ensuring the sustainability of freshwater supply in term quantity and quality as demanded by public water utility. The survey was conducted in Semarang regency involving 116 respondents in three villages that received clean water services from Lake Rawapening. The mean of WTP was estimated to be 6,055.54 rupiahs (0.433 US$) per month for each household, approximately equivalent to 9.26% of the average monthly water bill of the households. The results revealed that younger and educated respondents, households with higher income and with fewer members were, on average, were willing to pay more. This study also demonstrated that households’ ownership of groundwater wells was a hindering factor for contributing to improving lake’s ecosystem. The results of this study can assist decision-makers to understand the public demand for improved Lake Rawapening ecosystem and to formulate better environmental policies.

Impact of Chlorine and Chloramine on the Detection and Quantification of Legionella pneumophila and Mycobacterium Species.

Potable water can be a source of transmission for legionellosis and nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) infections and diseases. Legionellosis is caused largely by Legionella pneumophila, specifically serogroup 1 (Sg1). Mycobacterium avium, Mycobacterium intracellulare, and Mycobacterium abscessus are three leading species associated with pulmonary NTM disease. The estimated rates of these diseases are increasing in the United States, and the cost of treatment is high. Therefore, a national assessment of water disinfection efficacy for these pathogens was needed. The disinfectant type and total chlorine residual (TClR) were investigated to understand their influence on the detection and concentrations of the five pathogens in potable water. Samples (n = 358) were collected from point-of-use taps (cold or hot) from locations across the United States served by public water utilities that disinfected with chlorine or chloramine. The bacteria were detected and quantified using specific primer and probe quantitative-PCR (qPCR) methods. The total chlorine residual was measured spectrophotometrically. Chlorine was the more potent disinfectant for controlling the three mycobacterial species. Chloramine was effective at controlling L. pneumophila and Sg1. Plotting the TClR associated with positive microbial detection showed that an upward TClR adjustment could reduce the bacterial count in chlorinated water but was not as effective for chloramine. Each species of bacteria responded differently to the disinfection type, concentration, and temperature. There was no unifying condition among the water characteristics studied that achieved microbial control for all. This information will help guide disinfectant decisions aimed at reducing occurrences of these pathogens at consumer taps and as related to the disinfectant type and TClR.IMPORTANCE The primary purpose of tap water disinfection is to control the presence of microbes. This study evaluated the role of disinfectant choice on the presence at the tap of L. pneumophila, its Sg1 serogroup, and three species of mycobacteria in tap water samples collected at points of human exposure at locations across the United States. The study demonstrates that microbial survival varies based on the microbial species, disinfectant, and TClR.

지방상수도 위탁운영의 효율성 추정 및 효과 분석

지방상수도 위탁운영의 효율성 추정 및 효과 분석