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Celebrating Water Sustainability

G. Tracy Mehan III, Interim-President, U.S. Water Alliance | April 14, 2015

This year the US Water Alliance is awarding the 2015 US Water Prize to three outstanding organizations for their outstanding work in promoting the value of water and demonstrating the power of innovation and an integrated approach to “One Water,” i.e., sustainable water management which encompasses the entire water cycle as well as its life cycle from the nation’s headwaters to treatment and reuse.  The event will be held at the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C. on April 13th.  Many of the steering committee members of the Value of Water Coalition, as well as director Radhika Fox, will be in attendance. | More >

Your Dinner Plate is Covered with Water

Keith Zukowski, Value of Water Coalition | April 8, 2015

Steak, brocolli, tomatoes and potatoes. You've got your proteins, your veggies, your fruit and your starches. You also have a plate full of water. When chowing down on our dinner it's rare that we consider how much water it took to produce that food. But the reality is that in California, the infamously water-strapped state, agriculture uses 80% of the state's supply. Keeping the doctor away? That apple will require 19 gallons of water to produce. That glass of wine you're drinking? 32 gallons. And that delicios steak was produced using 1,230 gallons of water.  | More >

Thinking Outside the Box about Water

Eileen O'Neill, Executive Director, Water Environment Federation | April 7, 2015

Accelerated innovation in water technologies and approaches; increased collaboration with traditional and non-traditional partners; and the transformation of wastewater treatment from waste disposal to resource recovery are all contributing to a new and exciting paradigm for water. By capturing valuable resources and useful products for society—such as clean renewable energy, recycled water, fertilizer, nutrients, heat, and even transportation fuel—water utilities are rapidly becoming manufacturing facilities, “green factories,” and “Utilities of the Future” that work to reduce costs and increase revenue while sustaining and improving the world’s increasingly challenged water resources. | More >

Water Reuse: Policy and Potential

Diane VanDe Hei, Executive Director, Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies | April 1, 2015

When water utility executives get together to discuss issues of concern in the industry, adequate and sustainable future supply is always high on the list.  Recently there is a growing interest in potable reuse projects, as they hold an additional alternative for diversifying the portfolio of water sources for America’s water systems. | More >

Making the Business Case for Water

Radhika Fox, CEO, US Water Alliance | March 31, 2015

Value of Water Coalition steering committee member Veolia’s Senior Vice President for Sustainability and Public Affairs of North America, Edwin Piñero, recently spoke at the City Club of Cleveland regarding business and the value of water. Ed noted that demand for water continues to increase as populations grow and sectors like energy and agriculture require massive water use to operate. How we value water - as a sophisticated service that is highly technical, heavily engineered, and capital-intensive- will determine water’s future. | More >

How Do We Value Water?

Keith Zukowski, Value of Water Coalition | March 30, 2015

With drought in the Western states expected to reach more dire levels this year, now more than ever we need to consider how we value and price water. In the most recent The Atlantic, “Finding the Right Price for Water” Bourree Lam investigates the disconnect between water’s status as an essential resource and its pricing that is largely commensurate with an expendable good. The piece takes a timely look at water as it pertains to the classic supply/demand curve. | More >

SF Sewers Rap Video: You Can’t Live a Day Without Me!

Harlan Kelly, General Manager, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission | March 27, 2015

As general manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, I’m always looking for new ways to make visible what’s our largely invisible water and wastewater infrastructure.

This week the SFPUC released “You Can’t Live A Day Without Me”, a rap song about the City’s aging sewer system. The video was filmed and edited by San Francisco’s youth through BAYCAT, a local non-profit empowering underserved City youth through digital media training. | More >

How Will You Celebrate World Water Day?

Keith Zukowski, Value of Water Coalition | March 25, 2015

Since 1993, the United Nations General Assembly has recognized March 22 as World Water Day. It is a chance to celebrate a resource that is essential to life, yet remains undervalued and underappreciated. We at the Value of Water strive to educate the public on water’s value as a pillar of the economy, the community, the environment and much more. Learning about water through the various facts and resources on our page is a great start to your water education, but there are limitless other ways to learn how water impacts your life, in ways both large and small. | More >

Infrastructure Shouldn't be Controversial

Julius Ciaccia, Chief Executive Officer, Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District | March 20, 2015

I recently had the opportunity to hear President Barack Obama speak at the City Club in Cleveland. His remarks covered a range of critical issues facing the nation—the federal budget, growing the middle-class, expanding manufacturing opportunities, and more. I was pleased that infrastructure and environmental regulation both made it into the President's comments as he welcomed questions from the audience after his speech.

"What has surprised me," said President Obama, when asked what has surprised him most since beginning his first term, "even though I had served in the Senate, was the continued difficulties in Congress getting stuff done that shouldn’t be controversial." He continued: “There are some issues that I knew would be controversial. I mean, we know that if there’s a debate in Congress about abortion, that’s going to be controversial.  There are strong-held views on each side. They’re hard to reconcile. We understand that. And that’s part of democracy and it never gets perfectly resolved.” | More >

AWWA Members Educate DC on the Value of Water

David LaFrance, Chief Executive Officer, American Water Works Association | March 18, 2015

Walk the halls of Capitol Hill this week and you’ll encounter more than 130 water utility leaders from throughout the United States, all headed to conversations with their respective members of Congress. By Thursday afternoon, they will have logged more than 400 separate meetings designed to inform elected officials of critical water issues in need of attention.

The utility leaders are part of the Water Matters! Fly-In, an annual event sponsored by the American Water Works Association. Delegates hail from AWWA sections from around the country, and they are armed with information on both national and local water concerns. | More >