Archives for March 2020

It is clear that water supplies throughout the United States are not a source of real risk for coronavirus transmission. Advanced water treatment processes regularly include chlorination and other steps designed to prevent microbial and viral contamination. While there may be very modest risks for transmission in wastewater, the real threat to the water industry from the global pandemic is the impact on the people who are responsible for maintaining our water systems. Water utility management is labor intensive and many suppliers operate outdated systems that require manual intervention at numerous stages of the procurement, treatment, delivery, and meter-to-cash processes.

[Read more…] about Water Technologies for the Pandemic Era

Cities and states around the country have announced temporary suspensions of all utility service shutoffs due to non-payment. As of this writing more than 90 cities have suspended water shutoffs. San Francisco, Seattle, Detroit, Atlanta, St. Louis, Birmingham, and Pittsburgh are just a few municipalities that have publicly announced shutoff moratoriums for 60 days or more, as well as private water companies such as American Water. Government officials recognize the critical role that water and electric services play in maintaining public health, particularly in light of a global viral pandemic which has already infected hundreds of thousands of people.

[Read more…] about Water Shut-Off Suspensions and the Coronavirus Crisis