Someone asked me recently what were the hot topics in the municipal water industry. As we start a new year, I thought I might touch on what I view as the significant topics that will influence life in the municipal water/wastewater industry in the near future.
There are some obvious hot topics right now: security, arsenic, the looming threat of an aging infrastructure, and the energy crisis that wasn't. The stagnating economy is also an issue that scares me a bit. Regulations are also a concern, although not quite as immediate as some things.
Of course the hottest topic right now is security. Utilities across the country are scrambling to upgrade their system security and update their emergency preparedness plans. I know from talking to members of the public that a lot of people are worried about the safety of their drinking water. That worry translates into pressure on utilities.
While terrorism is a concern, utility executives are probably more terrorized by the cost of security. Although not a regulatory mandate yet, utilities are certainly seeing a public mandate for increased security. And that security comes with a price, whether it be for increased monitoring or locks and guards.
The new Arsenic Rule is moving ahead. While not impacting the vast majority of systems, it will hurt some small, rural water systems and a few that are not so small. The impression I get from equipment manufacturers is the technology for arsenic removal is not as complex or costly as some might think. Of course that's easy for me to say, given that I don't have to operate a small drinking water utility or pay for the water they produce.
The problem of aging infrastructure in this country is going to get dramatically worse over the next 10 years, in my humble view. And I think we can couple that with a stagnant economy that's going to put a major crimp in utility budgets. Growing expenses and declining income are a bad combination. I don't see any easy answer for the industry. And a federal funding windfall isn't going to happen.
What will happen are more regulations. The Long-Term 1 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule should hit the Federal Register soon (it may already have, since I wrote this in December). It was scheduled for promulgation in late 2001. The Stage 2 Disinfectants/Disinfection By-Products Rule and the Long-Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule have both been delayed, with the proposal dates now expected for mid-2002 and promulgation in mid-2003.
EPA is rumored to be making substantial changes to the Groundwater Rule, but the final rule could be released by mid-2002.
Last, and perhaps least, is the energy crisis. Prices seem to have stabilized and the market is recovering nicely. Unless something untoward happens, we probably can say goodbye to the energy crisis for now. However, and this is a big however, the economical use of energy is a good idea whether there is a crisis or not. With shrinking budgets, city's need to save every penny they can. Energy is a major money waster if used without conservation in mind.
What I see as important topics may not rank on top of your list. I would be interested in hearing what you consider to be hot topics for the industry. I know that I left out some pretty interesting subjects: water scarcity and reuse, population growth, watershed protection, pollution and more. Drop me an e-mail and tell me what issues you see as most important. I would be interested to hear what you have to say.
James Laughlin, Editor
