COLD CASH: Selling Ice In Spartanburg
At Spartanburg Water, ice sales from treated water have supplied over $1.5 million in revenue for much-needed infrastructure improvements. “Our core product is a high-quality water source,” says CEO Sue Schneider. “We just thought we’d deliver it at a different temperature.” The utility operates 12 automated kiosks — or ice houses — throughout the city and surrounding communities, demonstrating an innovative (and lucrative) approach to delivering water to consumers. mswmag.com/featured
OVERHEARD ONLINE
Your comments bring up the issue of how people value water — an issue our industry struggles with all the time … You will continue your quest to help people understand the value of music, while people in my industry will do the same with water.
— Jay-Z Rebuked by Denver Water in Open Letter mswmag.com/featured
TEXAS-SIZED SINKHOLE: Collapsed Culvert Causes Extensive Damage
Heavy rainfall led to the washout of a stormwater culvert in Granburgy, Texas, creating a massive sinkhole — and a $500,000 problem — for the City. After surveying the damage left by the 45-foot-wide, 30-foot-deep crater, it was discovered that sewer lines attached to a nearby pumping station were severed and the lift station itself was a total loss. Learn how city crews helped minimize the discharge of wastewater into local waterways, allowing for repair efforts to begin. mswmag.com/featured
SMALL VICTORY: Wipes Manufacturer Ceases Flushability Claims
You’ve seen it before and you’ll see it again: Clogs in sewer lines caused by those not-so-flushable wipes. It’s no secret that flushable wipes are a huge headache for municipalities. Now one company — under an agreement with the Federal Trade Commission — has agreed to stop advertising moist toilet tissue as “flushable.” Will regulating the marketing claims made by producers be enough to curtail the problem? mswmag.com/featured
