Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey recently announced a plan to invest $1 billion to secure Arizona’s water future for the next 100 years.
“With resources available in our budget, a relationship with Mexico that we’ve built and strengthened over the last seven years, and the need is clear – what better place to invest more. Instead of just talking about desalination – the technology that made Israel the world’s water superpower – how about we pave the way to make it actually happen,” the governor said during his State of the State Address.
Xylem and Isle Utilities Partner to Help Water Utilities
Xylem Inc. has announced it is sponsoring a new funding mechanism for water utilities to deploy promising new technologies. The partnership with water consultancy Isle Utilities is a new approach to funding and scaling breakthrough water technologies, called the Trial Reservoir. It provides water technology innovators access to capital for pilot projects, with an initial focus on technologies that reduce the carbon emissions of water systems. Technology trials and pilots are generally required in advance of full-scale implementations.
The Trial Reservoir will make a pool of funding available to early-stage technology companies, giving them the capacity to undertake trial deployments with water utilities. The reservoir of funding will be replenished from the proceeds of commercial contracts, when the trials move to full deployments. Xylem is a foundation sponsor of the initiative along with other leading water sector partners.
The Trial Reservoir is open to technology vendors around the world, actively supporting trials in high, medium and low-income countries. The only requirement is that the technology being tested must help reduce the carbon footprint of the water system, be that a municipal utility or an industrial/commercial water user.
For more information, contact Dr Jo Burgess, Head of Trial Reservoir, at jo.burgess@isleutilities.com.
Virginia Governor Reverses Layoffs of 14 Treatment Plant Employees
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is reversing a decision by the state health commissioner to lay off 14 drinking water treatment plant employees across the state, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
The newspaper had reported three days prior about how the layoffs would have ended 180 years of combined experience by six engineers working as field directors in Virginia.
“The Governor has directed the Department of Health and the Department of Planning and Budget to fix the Office of Drinking Water’s budget shortfall now so that no one will lose their positions — this office and these individuals are too important to do otherwise,” Alena Yarmosky, the governor’s press secretary, told the Richmand Times-Dispatch in an email.
Pennsylvania Announces Temporary Low-Income Water Assistance Program
A new temporary program in Pennsylvania called the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program aims to help those who need financial help to pay overdue water bills.
This program, similar to other sates, is federally funded through the American Rescue Plan Act.
LIHWAP can help households that are in emergency situations maintain essential water access. Crisis situations include past-due water bills; termination of water service; or threat of termination of water service in the next 60 days.
