When I started working on this magazine some 32 months ago, I expected to deal with many big-city water, sewer and stormwater departments, reporting on their infrastructure management and maintenance programs.

That has happened to a degree, but what surprises me is the number of midsize and smaller communities we feature on these pages. There are various reasons for that. One is that smaller cities and utilities seem more eager to work with us — they are more likely to raise their hands and invite us to look at what they’re doing.

Another is that smaller communities (as a rule) seem more comfortable dealing with the media. I guess when it comes to cities, the bigger you are, the bigger the target you provide for those who want to criticize and rake the muck. Some big-city departments have been burned by negative publicity and hesitate to work even with a magazine like this one, focused on positive stories about worthy achievements.

One big city told us we could write a story about them provided:

1. We would send them a list of questions.

2. They would provide written answers and get them reviewed by their attorney.

3. We would publish those answers verbatim.

That’s what I call skittish. Of course, we never did the article.

Source of innovation

The other and most important reason we write often about smaller entities is that many of them are just as innovative as their bigger cousins.

I mean no disrespect to big cities. We’ve published articles about such great accomplishments as St. Petersburg’s 25-year water pipe rehabilitation program, Atlanta’s exemplary community relations initiatives surrounding sewer system upgrades, San Diego’s comprehensive wastewater flow monitoring, Honolulu’s root-intrusion control program, and lots of others.

But we find many smaller communities and their utilities have great stories to tell, and they aren’t shy about seeking publicity.

What is it about smaller towns? Midsize communities in particular seem to have a knack for devising their own solutions to infrastructure problems. Perhaps it’s because they are big enough to have challenges that demand unique solutions, big enough to have the resources they need to do the job, and bold enough to take a measure of risk to try a new technology or a new application of an old one.

It wouldn’t surprise me if midsize and smaller cities are proving grounds for a number of the new inspection, cleaning, and rehabilitation technologies that emerge every year. They seem unafraid to be, if not outright trendsetters, at least early adopters.

Sharing innovation

This magazine is all about sharing ideas that work for one community with others that might benefit from it. The great thing about the public sector is that there really is no such thing as competition, or at least there doesn’t need to be.

Trade magazines that service private-sector industries often find businesses reluctant to share their successes in print, because by doing so they would tip their hand to competitors. In the municipal and utility environment, one city puts nothing at risk by telling others how it increased pipe inspection efficiency, or streamlined its planned maintenance program, or saved millions by intelligently applying trenchless repair.

Of course, cities that share their successes on our pages benefit from a morale boost for the team members involved. We often hear reports about how happy a mayor or city manager was to see a Municipal Sewer & Water story about his or her city.

So here’s an invitation. Whether you’re a major metropolis, a growing suburb, or a small city or village, the good work you do on your sanitary sewer, water, and storm sewer infrastructure is of interest to others in the field. If you have a good story about how you do it better, more efficiently, more safely, more cleanly, or for less money, this magazine would be glad to tell it for you.

Send your idea to me at editor@mswmag. com, or call me at 877/953-3301. We’ll discuss your idea here at COLE Publishing and consider doing a report in a future issue. Remember, talking about the things you do well can help many others in the business.