WaterWeekly Vol. 12
We’re back again with another edition of #WaterWeekly, your go-to weekly newsletter on all things Water.?
Let’s dive into this week’s stories!?
Making a Splash – Top Story of the Week – a #WaterWeekly special?
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We’re talking about the Biden-Harris administration Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in this week’s issue.??
For those who don’t know, the bill made the groundbreaking decision to provide crucial financing to address water and drought concerns, invest in the United States’ western water and power infrastructure, and rebuild existing projects to survive a changing hydrology. The Bureau of Reclamation's water infrastructure programmes will receive $8.3 billion from the infrastructure law, and initiatives to settle water rights will receive $2.5 billion.??
You may have seen my post earlier in the week, but in case you missed it, through six water storage and conveyance projects, the Department of the Interior announced a $152 million investment from the Infrastructure Law that will provide communities throughout the west with clean, dependable drinking water. It is anticipated that the projects in California, Colorado and Washington will increase water storage capacity by at least 1.7 million acre-feet, providing enough water for 6.8 million people for a whole year. The money will also go towards a feasibility study that, once it is finished, might increase water storage capacity.?
According to Secretary Deb Haaland, "In the wake of the severe drought across the West, the Department is putting funding from President Biden's Investing in America agenda to work to provide families, farmers, and Tribes throughout the West with clean, reliable drinking water." With the funding we're announcing today, we'll speed up crucial water storage projects and give Western towns more water security.?
?"Water is essential to every community -- for feeding families, growing crops, powering agricultural businesses, and sustaining wildlife," said Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton. Our investment in these projects will expand water storage capacity, establish conveyance pipeline to deliver dependable and safe drinking water, and increase resilience for populations who are most affected by drought.?
This announcement will undoubtedly come as a relief for communities in the western United States, especially after it was reported that July was the warmest month ever recorded, according to the EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). ?
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The City of Phoenix in Arizona spent almost the whole of July at a temperature of at least 100F (37C for our non-American readers) and there were wildfires in Rhodes, Greece and multiple parts of Canada too.??
More investment was announced recently as part of the bill in Florida where "635,000 people's access to clean drinking water is in jeopardy due to groundwater shortages. To help transform millions of gallons of brackish water into safe drinking water every day, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing $305 million in WIFIA (Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act) funding, according to EPA Assistant Administrator Radhika Fox. "EPA is addressing water challenges across the nation through WIFIA and $50 billion under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, strengthening communities and advancing the Biden-Harris Administration's vision for investing in America."?
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In other news:?
??In order to speed up the adoption of digital solutions for energy efficiency, resource conservation, and the management of the carbon impact of water cycle management systems, 施耐德电气 and SUEZ , two industry leaders in the digital transformation of energy management and industrial automation, today announced their partnership.?
??Ofwat is soliciting suggestions and ideas as it creates a new £100 million (US$128 million) fund to aid with water conservation. The fund is being established to encourage a quantifiable decrease in water use for both residential and commercial clients throughout England and Wales. The fund will support industry initiatives to reduce leakage by half by 2050 and develop ongoing £18 billion water supply infrastructure projects.?
?? Recent results from the second quarter from Xylem Inc. include the acquisition of Evoqua Water Technologies Corp. (Evoqua) on May 24. The business recorded $1.7 billion in total revenue, with reported growth of 26% and organic growth of 15%.?
?? In M&A, 奔泰 Appointed Tracey Doi to its Board of Directors, Former Australia PM, Malcom Turnbull has been announced as IHA’s new president, congrats to both!?
领英推荐
??In appointments, the RSK Group (who recently acquired environmental consultancy WRc Group ) acquired PD&MS Group &MS and CRH , a global provider of building materials solutions, has announced the acquisition of Hydro International.??
Our special guest this week is Aaron Tartakovsky , CEO of Epic Cleantec . Epic Cleantec manufacture modular reuse systems sold to the commercial sector.
What or who do you think is the greatest threat to water resources?
"The greatest threat to our water resources is not so much any single issue, but rather the convergence of several threats that together pose a perfect storm of challenges to our water security. Widespread pollution of our existing water sources,?increased demands on our water supplies from a growing global population, and an increasingly unpredictable climate are together exacerbating an already challenging situation. All that being said, I am an eternal optimist and firmly believe that we have the tools and the will to build a more resilient, equitable, and water-secure world. It’s time to suit up and get to work!"
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What is the greatest change you want to see in the water industry over the next 5 years?
"In my own decade in this industry, I have witnessed a near universal acceptance among the industry’s leaders that if we continue to do things the way we have, we will simply never be able to keep up with the growing challenges of aging infrastructure, growing populations, and a changing climate. My hope for the industry is that we continue the encouraging trend already underway to embrace change, accelerate innovation, and infuse sustainability and circularity into everything that we do
Some of the key areas I think we’ll need to focus our money, time, and attention on include decentralization, resource recovery, smart water systems, and a heightened focus on the water-energy nexus"
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Why do you choose to be in the water industry? What advice do you have for others looking to join??
?"I often say that we live in a flush-and-forget society, which is to say, we don’t often think about what happens after we flush our toilets or how water magically appears when we turn on our taps. That is a problem, as it means that our younger generations are not being exposed to the amazing opportunities of?this industry.
My own journey into water was by no means an obvious one. As a kid I had wanted to become a veterinarian, then a chef, briefly flirted with becoming a rabbi, entered into federal politics, and finally in 2014 stumbled into the wild world of water. Had I known then just how incredible this industry is and the wild journey I would be on, I would have started sooner.
My advice to anyone contemplating on joining this industry is to do it! There is something for everyone, whether that's engineering, sales, product development, regulatory affairs, or marketing, to name a few. We need to get better at telling our story if we want to recruit the best talent into this work!"
Thanks to Aaron for his collaboration! I hope you all liked this edition and please share it far and wide!