CivicUS Releases Research Notes Highlighting Water As A Critical Government Issue

CivicUS warns government and corporate leaders not to ignore the emerging threat that water presents to the public.

Rockville, MD. /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- CivicUS, the leading continuous advisory service firm for leadership in state and local government, recently released "Water Utilization: Awareness First" and "MS4 Permits: Playing Catch With a Live Hand Grenade." Both Research Notes advise state and local leaders on water as an emerging threat that state and local governments and private enterprise must address.

Due to water's historically low cost and the industry's rate-base model, there is virtually no incentive for utility companies or the public to reduce water consumption. In "Water Utilization: Awareness First", CivicUS warns that cheap clean water will not last and advises governments to work with large water companies to encourage a model that encourages consumption reductions.

"Drinking water as a key environmental issue does not receive the attention it deserves," said Joseph Aamidor, Program Director of the Environmental Quality and Sustainable Practices service at CivicUS. He added "Government and business leaders need to address the issue now before it becomes too dire to develop long-term solutions to protect the public."

In "MS4: Playing with a Live Hand Grenade", CivicUS recommends that "an independent manager and dedicated source of funding will help governments and the business community address the contentious issue of storm water management.

"Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) Permits are among the newest of controversial technical topics facing environmental regulators." According to Joaquin Gonzalez, Senior Vice President and Research Director at CivicUS, "Jurisdiction over stormwater management is shared among several departments, including Public Works, Environment, Transportation and Planning, increasing its complexity and the difficulty in implementing sound policy to solve it."

CivicUS will host a teleconference on September 23rd entitled, "Still the Ones: Air, Water and Land." There is no charge to participate, but attendance is limited. For information, call 301-296-4440 x1271 or email events@civicus.com.

About CivicUS
CivicUS is the leading continuous advisory service firm for executive-level management in state and local government. CivicUS offers government and corporate leaders cost-effective access to best practices, trend analysis and insights gained from interactions with peers and vendors. An annual subscription provides timely, relevant and useful advice about successful strategies, pitfalls to be avoided and vendors with effective solutions.

SOURCE CivicUS