The water and wastewater industry is vast and varied. Many of you have spent your whole careers in public service, working to keep your communities safe and healthy. Some are contractors serving the same mission from the private side. And of course there are those on the product development and manufacturing side, developing the tools to help you be more successful in your mission.
Municipal Sewer & Water has always championed the utilities that are improving their own capabilities and tackling challenges with in-house talent. That said, everyone needs a little help sometimes.
This magazine, as the name clearly denotes, is for municipal sewer, water and storm system operators and managers. But public utility team members aren’t the only ones working on sewer and water systems.
Private contractors play an important role in the construction, maintenance and even operation of these systems. They’re critical contributors to your biggest projects, and often specialize in specific services that your utility may simply not have the resources or expertise to tackle on its own.
As such, it’s difficult to talk about all the work involved with building and maintaining this infrastructure without talking about contractors. That’s why you’ll find Municipal Sewer & Water’s first contractor profile in this issue.
To be clear, this isn’t any sort of seismic shift in MSW’s coverage. It’s more a course correction to more accurately and completely cover this industry. These contractor profiles aren’t aimed at helping you build a business; they’re aimed at giving you a broader and better perspective on the industry as a whole and the people who are driving it forward. The tools, techniques and processes apply no matter who’s using them. Regardless of whether the work is contracted or completed in-house, it’s all relevant to the jobs you do every day.
This issue’s utility profile highlights the incredible work Kansas City Water is doing with its Smart Sewer program right alongside the work CIT Sewer Solutions is doing on complex and challenging rehabilitation projects for utilities of all sizes. And it’s fitting for sure that company founder and CEO Kevin Jacobson began his career as water and wastewater superintendent for the small community of McCallsburg, Iowa.
We’ll still be highlighting the utilities that are making great strides and improving their communities. That’s the soul of this magazine. And I hope you’ll welcome and appreciate the addition of this new perspective to the magazine. It’s all in the name of providing you more perspective and insight.
Enjoy this month’s issue.
