The municipal water system in Buffalo, N.Y., faces three challenges: aging infrastructure, a declining customer base, and corporate and private customers who are extremely cost-sensitive. By carefully assessing the system’s weaknesses and focusing resources on problems most likely to affect service — and by establishing an aggressive collection program — the city’s Division of Water has pulled off a delicate balancing act, delivering water more efficiently at a predictable price.Keys to the city’s success were upgrades to the pumping system and other improvements that helped achieve uniform system pressure, and a highly targeted program of replacing sections of water main
