Month: September 2024

Everyone needs water. But running a water utility is never easy, and many are now going through a period of change and adaptation. From aging infrastructure, to workforce development changes, to regulatory compliance, we’ll highlight some of the challenges water utilities are facing right now and how you can address them.

1. Aging Infrastructure

Much of our modern drinking water systems in the U.S. were conceived at the start of the 20th century, with our wastewater treatment systems following in the latter half. They are now aging and rapidly causing municipalities across the country to invest heavily in upgrades. 

According to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)’s latest Infrastructure Report Card, the U.S. scored a C+ on drinking water infrastructure and a D+ on wastewater infrastructure. We are currently losing 6 billion gallons of treated water each day through our leaky distribution systems and approximately 81% of our wastewater treatment plants are already at design capacity, with 15% over it. 

While drinking water has improved from our last grade of D in 2017, the grade for wastewater remains the same. Both drinking and wastewater infrastructure have hovered around the D mark since the survey was first formally launched in 1998 (by then our systems were already considered to be aging) and have a long way to go until we reach a healthy and well functioning state. 

In addition to upgrading existing facilities and designing new ones, a successful asset management program can help prioritize maintenance and repairs to keep our infrastructure running better for longer.

2. Technology 

Emerging technology is having a big impact on how our water systems are going to look and function in the future. More modern facilities are implementing smarter metering programs and using AI in digital performance tracking to help anticipate problems before they occur in collaboration with remote expertise to navigate crises with confidence.

With all the technology entering the market, it can be challenging to filter out which products will improve efficiency and which are unsuitable or even a scam. It’s a good idea to verify technologies through pilot testing or simulations before committing to a full-scale installation.

The rate of cyber attacks has also risen over the past year with more than 70% of the systems inspected by EPA in violation of basic cybersecurity requirements, leading to an urgent need for better technological defenses and cyber safety protocols. Implementing information systems with enhanced security protocols can help to protect against external threats, but only by instituting a comprehensive staff training program can utilities ensure that their facilities are truly safe.

3. Workforce Development

Although technology has come a long way, we still need people to run our facilities. 85% of water utilities have less than 4 employees and a third of the current water sector workforce is expected to retire in the next decade. A shrinking workforce means that more tasks are falling behind: leaky pipes may take longer to repair, exhausted operators may make mistakes in treating water, personalized customer service may be replaced by a call robot. The EPA is worried that there won’t be enough individuals entering the water industry to replace them and that valuable water sector knowledge may be lost in the transition. Water companies can and should prioritize recruiting and training a workforce that can take over when the aging workforce retires.

4. Regulatory Compliance

The EPA sets the regulations, states enforce them and local municipalities are in charge of actually running the day-to-day. Moreover, states sometimes enforce additional regulations, leading to a confusing tangle that utilities have to navigate. 

Shifting regulations also result in the potential need for new or upgraded equipment and recalibrating operational procedures. For example, the federal PFAS regulations released in April 2024 have caused a lot of discussion, with utilities scrambling to reach compliance in the 5 year deadline.

If you’re not sure whether your facility is meeting regulations, a comprehensive audit may be useful for identifying which areas are out of compliance and where improvements can be made.

5. Contaminants of emerging concern

As time goes by more contaminants are added to the regulated list including:

Contaminants we did not have the technology to detect beforeNew contaminants being discovered and manufacturedSubstances previously thought harmless are now linked to adverse health effects

The EPA has lists of contaminants that it keeps an eye on and that it thinks are a good candidate for regulation. One group currently being monitored consists of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs). Other contaminants that the EPA is concerned about include perchlorate, surfactants, microorganisms, microplastics and endocrine disrupting chemicals.

Because this list is always changing, it helps to partner with a knowledgeable company that monitors these regulations and works with you to meet compliance, so you can focus on your day to day work.

6. Water source protection

Water quality isn’t the only issue that utilities are facing — water availability is also an increasingly critical challenge. 

Many regions face drought. Moreover, the overuse of aquifers has resulted in groundwater depletion and a lowering water table. Water may become more difficult (and expensive) to pump from wells and more vulnerable to saltwater intrusion. When freshwater is at a higher elevation than seawater, freshwater flows into the ocean; however, when that gradient is reversed, sea water begins to contaminate our freshwater aquifers. As such, recharge programs that return water and treated effluent to aquifers have become increasingly popular and water reuse programs are being considered more seriously in water scarce regions.

7. Climate change

Climate change has intensified weather events, many of which relate to water. Droughts affect water availability, empty or low reservoirs also result in increased contaminant levels. Wildfires release airborne particulates that contaminate nearby water sources. Storms can overtax combined sewer systems leading to the discharge of untreated effluent into waterways. Regions that have not historically experienced winter freezes may have exposed pipes that will burst in sub-zero temperatures. Flooding causes infrastructural damage that puts all of our water systems at risk. 

Moreover, design criteria for water systems traditionally relies on historical climate data projected into the future; our uncertainty about what climate will look like going forward makes this unreliable. Ultimately we need to build resilience into our systems to prevent them from breaking down in unpredictable climate events. 

8. Population dynamics 

Rural areas, with more miles of pipe between each customer, have always been hit harder by population fluctuations. The past few decades have seen migration into cities and urban areas, leaving some rural utilities with a declining user base that no longer covers the cost of operating their systems. On the other hand, in many urban areas despite increasing populations, utilities have been largely successful in implementing water conservation programs and water usage has remained relatively stable.

For smaller utilities with declining populations, consolidation with neighboring utilities can result in economies of scale and more financial resilience; purchased water contracts are also an option when maintaining a treatment plant is too costly. Decentralization is a more novel approach that would localize treatment to cut down on distribution costs and be more flexible to set up and take down in times of population fluctuations.

9. Financing

Municipal utilities face the brunt of the public pressure to keep the costs of essential services low. Water affordability metrics calculate how much the local community can be expected to pay, but the actual cost of water sourcing, treatment and distribution can be very different from what these metrics suggest. 

Increasingly stringent water quality regulations have resulted in upgrades to utilities’ treatment capabilities and aging infrastructure has resulted in escalating maintenance costs. The cost of providing drinking water has increased substantially over the past couple of decades; unfortunately average household income has not increased nearly as much. 

Municipalities may consider contracting out their utility to the private sector, through public-private-partnerships, which could bring private funding and efficiencies of scale to lower operating costs and relieve the burden on the utility.

10. Public trust

Not only do utilities need to evaluate their operations and invest in new or better treatment and distribution technologies, they should also make sure that the public is kept aware of all the steps they are taking to ensure water quality. Clear communication and respect for the public’s right to know what’s going on with their water is the only way to rebuild trust in our water systems. 

Despite all the challenges that utilities are currently facing, both industry and government alike are coming together to help develop new solutions, support utilities and create a modern, resilient water infrastructure system for the future!

Originally published on Aflac Newsroom

For 24 years, team members at 95.5 WSB in Atlanta, the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center and Aflac have poured their hearts into Care-a-Thon, an annual fundraising event benefiting the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. This year, as patients and their families shared heartwarming stories of strength and courage, radio listeners responded resoundingly by calling in pledges and donating online. 

A record-breaking $2.1 million was raised for family support services, research and the Fellowship Program at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. In 24 years of Care-a-Thon, more than $34 million has been contributed.

“Aflac has a long-standing commitment to support children with cancer and blood disorders — and their families and health care teams. The selfless acts of kindness of the WSB team, radio listeners and volunteers, including Aflac employees and agents, extend Aflac’s culture of care and inspire hope for children with cancer and blood disorders,” said Ines Rodriguez Gutzmer, senior vice president and chief communications officer at Aflac. “Volunteering on the phone bank, I was humbled by the generosity of donors and saw firsthand the smiles Care-a-Thon put on the children’s faces.”

Aflac Chairman and CEO Dan Amos and Kathelen Amos made a special Care-a-Thon contribution that exemplifies their unwavering commitment to the cause and to making a difference in the lives of children. Listen to Dan’s conversation with WSB’s Scott Slade: https://vimeo.com/aflac/review/993499606/3451977edc

It’s not too late to support the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center through WSB Care-a-Thon — donate online at CHOA.org/WSB. Also, learn about other ways Aflac gives back to the community at Aflac.com/AboutAflac.

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In the second episode of the ESG Talk Climate Week series, Amelia DeLuca, Delta Air Lines’ chief sustainability officer, speaks with Andie Wood about Delta Air Lines’ strategies for reducing its direct carbon emissions and efforts to increase sustainable aviation fuel production within the airline industry.

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By Page Leggett | illumination Contributor

Unless students have a family member who works at a utility, they may not think of Duke Energy as a viable career path. It’s the sort of thing that motivates Melvin Philpot – both in his 43 years at the company and in his role as community outreach committee chair for the American Association of Black Engineers’ (AABE) Florida chapter.

“When middle schoolers walk down their streets and see lineworkers atop utility poles, we want them to think of the energy industry for potentially high-earnings jobs,” said Philpot, products and services manager in Lake Mary, Fla.

More than a decade ago, Philpot attended an AABE-sponsored youth career forum with Duke Energy Managing Director Malcolm Barnes; they liked the idea of introducing students from diverse neighborhoods to viable, good-paying jobs in the energy sector and wondered if Duke Energy could offer something similar.

Michael Lewis, then-EVP of a Duke Energy predecessor company, encouraged them to add a craft and technical component to the curriculum for students who may not be college-bound. And with a $2,000 donation from AABE to help launch the new initiative, the Youth Energy Academy – YEA, for short – was born.

Through hands-on activities and live demonstrations, YEA proactively gains the interest of an emerging workforce by educating young people about the opportunities that exist. The annual career readiness program also aims to advance diversity, equity and inclusion within the energy sector and related STEM fields by engaging eighth through 12th graders who may not have the same opportunities as other students.

“When you’re 15 and 16, you’re sort of looking for someone to tell you what the future holds. That’s where we come in,” said Chiquita Clark, supervisor of South Coastal Work Management at Duke Energy’s Clearwater Operations Center. “We can turn to our community’s youth and say: We’re people who look like you. Let us show you what we do, and if it looks interesting, we can help get you here.”

So many career paths

Clark, a member of AABE Florida, helped plan the 2024 St. Pete Youth Energy Academy, hosted at a Duke Energy power plant in Bartow, Fla. Close to 60 students – the maximum – attended the two-day event.

They heard, by video, from Erin Jackson, a former STEM student and speed skater from Ocala, Fla., who competed in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Jackson is a former AABE scholarship recipient who became the first Black woman to win a Winter Olympic gold in an individual sport in 2022; before that, she earned an engineering degree from the University of Florida.

Other sessions included a plant tour, “A Day as a Line Tech” workshop, an electric vehicle (EV) demonstration and a career panel that brought together a diverse group of employees at all stages of their careers.

The power of partnerships

YEA started small; the first academy attracted eight students. Vice President of Operations Dave Maxon encouraged Duke Energy’s African American employee resource group (ERG) to help develop the concept. Then Mikel Gordon, supervisor for energy efficiency services, joined the effort.

Bringing in partners to provide financial or in-kind support has helped YEA expand. Duke Energy and other neighboring utilities have signed on to help, as have community colleges, schools and nonprofits across the state.

Now it’s grown geographically to include six regions, including Ocala and Tallahassee. Three years ago, an academy was started in Lake Wales, Fla., at the majority Hispanic McLaughlin Academy of Excellence – the only remaining public middle school in Polk County.

“YEA would not have grown as it has – or been as successful – without its primary funder,” Philpot said. “And that’s the Duke Energy Foundation.”

Since 2016, Duke Energy and its Foundation have provided over $120,000 to AABE to support the academy.

‘Their goals are attainable’

At St. Petersburg College (SPC) – another YEA partner – more than 115 students in eighth through 12th grades have expressed an interest in STEM careers. Most are from underserved or low-income neighborhoods and are part of the College Reach Out Program (CROP), which aims to show these students they are college material, said Program Coordinator Keisha Blue.

That message is reinforced for CROP students who attend the academy. “Our students are meeting people who look like them,” Blue said. “They see themselves reflected back – and they get to see that their goals are attainable.”

Nearly all high school students who participate in CROP will graduate from high school, Blue said, and many will enroll at SPC.

“We’re dedicated to staying at the forefront of technology,” said Professor Chad Mairn, founder of SPC’s Innovation Lab. “We introduce artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, cybersecurity and many other emerging technologies to support and enhance the curriculum, which is relevant to contemporary STEM careers but also anticipates and prepares students for careers of the future – even careers that may not exist yet.”

It’s what you know and who you know

Some of the jobs YEA students may land after high school or college are unheard of now. Virtual reality developers, drone operators and sustainability managers didn’t exist a decade or so ago, and all are in demand today.

Bottom line: Students need to be ready for the STEM jobs that have yet to be created. And they need teachers, mentors, role models.

Philpot knows that mentors matter. As one of seven siblings from a single-parent family, he was going to work on railroad cars until a counselor encouraged him to go to community college. He earned his degree at night while working in customer service – “the one job that gives you a full view of the entire company.

“Working on the Youth Energy Academy has been gratifying because, I guess, I’ve helped to plant some seeds and be an ambassador for a great company,” Philpot said.

Clark, too, likes promoting Duke Energy. She joined the company as a contractor in 2014 and as a full-timer the following year. “From the beginning, it’s been like a big family,” she said. “The company is invested in developing employees. All you really have to do is have a desire to succeed.”

The department you start in, she’ll often tell students, doesn’t have to be the department you stay in.

“At Duke Energy, you can start as an admin or office manager and progress to a community relations manager,” she said. “We want students to understand just how many options they have here.”

When these students see a diverse workforce – and a diverse leadership team – they realize there’s a place for them at Duke Energy, too. Perhaps as a lineworker.

But not necessarily.

“Many students assume a Duke Energy career refers only to lineworkers,” Clark said. “And while we do talk about their indispensable work, we also showcase engineers, arborists, chemists, drone operators, helicopter pilots, the corporate communications team. While lineworkers play an essential role in keeping the lights on, there are so many other functions that help ensure our customers are served and our communities are thriving.”

View original content here.

Originally published by Lilith Hudson on Livingetc

Last summer clover lawns took off as a gardening trend, and if you still want a luscious green feel on your lawn, they really are one of the best alternatives to grass. Besides being a far cheap and more low-maintenance lawn option, they’re also far prettier too.

“Clover plants make good grass alternatives due to their hardy nature, requiring less mowing and water than typical grass species,” explains Jeremy Yamaguchi, lawn expert and owner of Lawn Love. “Clover lawns create thick, lush carpets of green foliage and they also produce white flowers and attract beneficial insects such as bees and butterflies.”

From a practical point of view, these types of lawns can also provide natural nitrogen fixation for your soil, helping other plants in your garden to grow healthily. “To plant clover, sow seeds in spring or fall directly into the soil,” adds Tony. “Clover thrives with regular watering until it’s well-established, after which it can tolerate periods of drought.”

“Clover is also low-maintenance and requires less frequent mowing as it grows low and spreads horizontally,” says Matthew Koch, plant expert and Director of Biotechnology, Genetics, and Seed at Scotts. “Additionally, clover has the ability to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere which enriches the soil and promotes healthier plant growth.”

If you’re looking to add clover to your lawn, Scotts Turf Builder Clover Lawn is a low-maintenance grass alternative that doesn’t require a lot of water and can withstand short-term drought conditions.

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In 2017, Maria Morais started to experience severe abdominal pain before eventually undergoing gall bladder surgery. When the procedure didn’t bring her the relief she hoped for, follow-up tests showed her liver enzyme levels were abnormally high. Being a registered nurse, Maria knew something was wrong.

“I was also constantly tired. No matter how much I rested, it wasn’t enough,” she says.

Maria underwent many more medical tests until a fibroscan conducted in 2018 by a hepatologist revealed that she had a rare autoimmune liver disease called primary biliary cholangitis, or PBC. The National Institutes of Health estimates 130,000 people in the United States – primarily women – are living with this debilitating disease, which if left untreated can lead to chronic liver disease.

“Being diagnosed with PBC was a shocker,” Maria said. “It was ironic, because as a nurse I focus on public health and the prevention of chronic disease.”

At the time of her diagnosis, Maria’s disease was classified as stage 1, but her liver damage progressed rapidly. Not only did she struggle with the uncontrollable itching that PBC can cause, but her immune system was attacking the lining of her bile ducts, causing inflammation and scarring. And as the damage to her liver became more severe, fluids accumulated in her abdomen and had to be drained at a medical facility each week.

“Often liver diseases can be invisible, but I was basically gaining and losing 20 pounds in fluid each week for months. It was like being pregnant over and over again,” recalls Maria.

Between this and the incessant itching, she found herself isolating more and more because people would also wonder if what she had was contagious. Her symptoms slowly became too difficult to manage.

“I was beginning to wonder ‘Is this going to be my life?’” she recalls. “My son was 12 years old, and he would see me on the couch every night despondent and not engaging.”

In Need of a Liver Transplant

By the end of 2020 Maria was referred for a liver transplant, and the next summer she received a portion of a liver from a friend who had lost her husband to colon cancer. The friend donated 60% of her liver to Maria; within three months her liver had regenerated to its normal size.

“She gave me life,” Maria says. She named the donated liver Lola and spent the next several months meditating and talking to it to encourage the new organ’s growth and health.

Maria’s journey from diagnosis to transplant and beyond transformed her into a patient advocate and peer counselor for other people with rare liver diseases. She talks about her “new 100%” and relishes the opportunity to work with the patient advocacy groups to share her story.

“There are big gaps in treatment options for people with PBC,” says Maria. “We need medicines and research to stop the itch, the fatigue, the brain fog and the fluid build-up.”

Until the gaps are filled and there’s a cure for PBC, Maria says, she’s going to continue to raise awareness of the disease and encourage people to “keep fighting the fight.”

Originally published by Gilead Sciences