Municipal water and wastewater professionals are under constant pressure to meet industry challenges.
Budget constraints require ongoing efforts to reduce both capital and operating costs. Regulatory agencies issue unfunded mandates with increasingly stringent standards and permit limits. In addition, utilities are pressured to improve environmental sustainability by reducing consumption of electricity, fuel, and chemicals. Finding better ways to use system data to improve asset management and prioritize improvements is also imperative.
Aging infrastructure represents another looming problem. In fact, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the nation’s water systems a grade of “D” and wastewater a grade of “D+” on their 2017 Infrastructure Report Card. Per the Report Card, a $1.2 trillion investment is needed over the next 25 years for water utility infrastructure improvements. This will task utility leaders to find funding and solutions to upgrade facilities and optimize operations.
Researching Solutions
All these challenges require water/wastewater leaders to find the best, most cost-effective solutions for their specific projects. The first step to accomplishing this objective involves research. How is this typically accomplished?
Various research methods are often used in conjunction with one another.
Google Search
Many water and wastewater professionals start the process with a Google search. However, Google searches can be frustrating, as millions of potential solutions appear. Most often, the results are descriptions of specific products/services, company highlights and news.
As an example, a wastewater manager may determine the aeration system is inadequate and needs upgrading. A Google search using “wastewater aeration systems” comes up with 3.15 million results. These include aeration equipment manufacturer websites, articles, government websites, YouTube videos, and advertisements. While some valuable information might be in the mix, sifting it out is an arduous task.
Finding industry solutions on Google is like taking a slow back country road to a destination.
Conferences, Seminars and Workshops
Attending educational events may be helpful, especially if they target the specific issue at hand. However, the range of solutions discussed may be limited. Timing may also be a factor, as these events are infrequent. Travel time and cost must be considered as well.
Networking and Site Visits
Professional association meetings offer opportunities to discuss challenges with other experts. Those who’ve solved similar problems are usually generous with their time to discuss solutions. Visiting the site offers visual understanding and the chance to speak with operators about how well the solution is really working. However, finding a local peer with the same specific challenge may be difficult.
Contacting Vendors Directly
Most industry pros already work with many vendors. Vendors often have a great depth of knowledge and are ready to help solve problems. However, their vision is necessarily limited to the company’s products. This limits opportunities to find the best solution.
Literature Search
Industry newsletters, magazines, and online publications often explore problems and challenges and how to solve them. A review of articles, white papers, and case studies may offer some direction. Professionals should monitor these publications regularly and may find helpful information by doing so. Some publications have back issues available online, but this is a tedious way to look for solutions.
Solutions versus Information
While most water/wastewater challenges have been solved by industry vendors, the solutions they provide are not widely known or easy to find.
No matter what the challenge, vast amounts of information can be found. Vendors publish specifications about the equipment they provide. Articles are written about why the problem exists. Research publications delve into the challenge and provide scientific details about it.
While information can be helpful, what water/wastewater pros really need are solutions.
Case Studies as Demonstrated Solutions
Case studies represent verified solutions to water/wastewater challenges.
These are industry success stories, documenting the utility’s background, the challenges they faced, the solution implemented, and results. They are often precedent solutions, paving the way for other professionals who are trying to solve similar problems.
By focusing solely on case studies, water/wastewater pros can quickly determine potential ways to address their specific issue. They can compare solutions and narrow down to those with the best fit.
Information on the subject utility and vendor are provided in the case study. This allows industry pros to easily follow-up to get additional information, make a site visit, or request assistance.
A Case Study Compendium
A virtual library of case studies makes finding industry solutions not only quick, but easy. Access to a platform that aggregates and curates case studies from all vendors saves water/wastewater leaders time and money by:
- Eliminating the long, slow road of Google searching
- Avoiding the cost and time for travel to events, conferences, or non-productive site visits
- Focusing on documented, verified solutions versus information.
Start with Solutions
Challenges are a fact of water industry life, and always will be. The search for the best solution to these challenges shouldn’t be its own problem.
By starting the search with case studies—verified solutions—the path to the perfect solution is accelerated. Industry pros can further refine their search by contacting vendors or visiting success story sites. In addition, water utility professionals can build up a reference bank of solutions for other challenges on the horizon.
A free resource of curated case studies is now available to industry professionals at www.contentree.com
Solution Set for Wastewater Collection and Treatment (Municipal): 2,900 Case Studies
Solution Set for Water Treatment and Supply (Municipal): 2,200 Case Studies
Want to discover more about how to quickly and easily find the BEST SOLUTION to your water or wastewater challenge?
Visit www.contentree.com
About the Author: Donna Kaluzniak is a former water utility director, with over 30 years’ experience in the municipal water/wastewater industry. She’s also a licensed wastewater treatment plant operator and Certified Environmental Professional. She currently owns H2O Writing and is a commercial writer for the water industry.
