Water. Some communities are constantly struggling to conserve it; others are fighting off the problems caused by excess volumes. And for some, the focus is on improving inefficient distribution systems.

The profiles in this month’s issue of MSW reflect all three of those perspectives and the ways in which proactive utilities are addressing them. Wichita Falls, Texas, is dealing with severe drought and a limited water supply. Lancaster, Pa., is using green infrastructure to mitigate the effects of rainfall events that frequently overwhelmed its sewer system. And down in Cocoa, Fla., there is a big effort to better manage assets and improve the efficiency of the distribution system.

Wichita Falls is in north central Texas, an area that was part of the 1930s Dust Bowl. Most of the city’s potable water is drawn from nearby lakes, but rainfall has been less than half its normal level since 2011, which has put a major strain on the water supply. The city has combatted the problem by enacting a four-stage Drought Contingency Plan. Water use was reduced by 50 percent during stage 3, and now that they’re in stage 4 and irrigation is banned, the city expects that percentage to rise.

In Lancaster, the combined sewer system was prone to significant overflows. A major treatment plant upgrade provided some relief, but it didn’t solve the problem. In response, the city turned to green stormwater infrastructure. The city’s green infrastructure plan came in at $140 million, less than half of what it would have cost to address the problem with traditional gray infrastructure.

The city is only three years into a 25-year plan, but they’re already seeing very positive results. By the time the full project is complete, Lancaster estimates they’ll be removing a billion gallons per year from their treatment system. They’ve already cut that load by 15 million gallons.

Way down south, in Cocoa, attention is on stronger asset management. The utility is focusing on a proactive strategy that involves fully evaluating the water distribution system’s conditions, systematically setting priorities for repairing or replacing the lines, valves and other assets, and better deploying manpower and technology to get the job done.

The city’s system is large, serving other communities and nearby government installations, and it is starting to show its age. A little over two years ago, the operations staff spent six months planning a full asset assessment and contracted a comprehensive review of valves and hydrants. The assessment identified and prioritized maintenance and repair projects, and the city is now in its second year of a five-year, $100 million capital improvement plan.

It isn’t cheap, but city leaders know it’s an investment they have to make to prevent the even larger expense of reactively making emergency repairs.

Tell us your story

The Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo is still fresh in my mind, along with the conversations I had with many of you. I generate a lot of story ideas out of those conversations, and I wish I had the opportunity to speak with more of you. But since you’re hard at work serving your communities, and I’m behind my desk putting this publication together for you, I’d like to extend the invitation to tell me about your utilities and share recommendations on those that are doing really good work and deserve to be featured in these pages. You can reach me at editor@mswmag.com.

Enjoy this month’s issue.