As the coronavirus spread across the globe last year, frontline utility personnel worked heroically to deliver critical water and wastewater services for their communities, navigating unprecedented operational challenges along the way. It was a monumental moment for our industry, and the resilience of utility operators and their teams was truly eye-opening. They rose to the challenge, and stepped up to keep essential services flowing.
One of many examples was operators at the Carlsbad, Calif., seawater desalination facility, who sheltered in place for several days to ensure continuous water supply to the people of San Diego. This kind of dedication in the face of a once in a generation challenge shows how utilities and operators deliver when they need to most, despite the considerable risk and potential cost. As it should, protecting communities and safeguarding public health took precedence.
While water operators continued to combat the virus through sheer force of will and determination, it soon became clear that those who had made systemic investments in digital technologies were at an obvious advantage. Digital tools like advanced metering infrastructure, real-time decision support systems, and asset management helped utilities across the country run large parts of their systems remotely — keeping more people at home, limiting their exposure to the virus, all while maintaining a reliable and safe water supply for their communities.
Remote monitoring and data acquisition technologies also helped managers keep an eye on their assets in real-time, allowing operators to identify and mitigate issues before they happened and reduced the workload for crews already stretched too thin. Teams that hadn’t yet made the switch from pen and paper-based systems and disconnected workflows dealt with far greater struggles, both operationally and financially. Digital transformation proved itself as a way of mitigating vulnerability to unpredicted events.
The pandemic has marked a pivotal point for digital transformation in the water sector. Technologies once considered peripheral to the core business of the utility are becoming a central aspect of resilience planning. The utilities prioritizing these digital tools now are making progress on their biggest business challenges, and increasing their readiness for whatever comes next.
For most utilities, the implementation of digital technologies will be an incremental process. But by prioritizing the journey, they can optimize levels of service, save money, and reduce risk, all while protecting the environment and the communities they serve. We have an extraordinary opportunity to solve water by leveraging digital solutions. The technologies are ready. We need to be bold enough to implement them.
The pandemic has served as a wakeup call to our industry and the general public about the critical importance of having a resilient water infrastructure. Now that we recognize its importance, we must act to fund and fortify our infrastructure and protect it from deteriorating physical components, cyberattacks, climate change, and other challenges. You are urged to become informed and support legislative initiatives related to these issues, including the adoption of smart and innovative technologies that will ultimately result in cost savings for ratepayers and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of water treatment technology assets. WWEMA is a great place to begin that education. Join us in being part of the solution. WW
About the Author: Mark Handzel is Global Vice President, Product Regulatory and Government Affairs at Xylem and a member of the WWEMA Board of Directors and serves on its Legislative & Regulatory Committee. WWEMA is a non-profit trade association that has been working for water and wastewater technology and service providers since 1908. WWEMA’s members supply the most sophisticated leading-edge technologies and services, offering solutions to every water-related environmental problem and need facing today’s society. For more information about WWEMA, visit www.wwema.org.
