A new report from Black & Veatch recommends a holistic approach to today's water issues -- one that embraces education, communication and collaboration.

"It is clear that the water industry needs to reframe its thinking and embrace innovation at all levels," said Cindy Wallis-Lage, president of Black & Veatch's global water business. "To solve our cities' future water challenges, we need to be smarter about how we create policies and then plan and deliver infrastructure."

Part of this change in mindset includes understanding end user needs and demands to realize more advanced, larger scale forms of resource portfolio planning. The focus shift in the wastewater sector is to resource recovery, particularly at individual utility levels, including a greater understanding about the economic benefits of water reuse, nutrient recovery and energy recovery.

The report raises the need for collaboration within the water industry and across other sectors, such as private industry, which has a positive effect in driving innovation. Adopting a collaborative approach between governments and private partners enables solution diversification and flexibility to meet water demands in times of crises, the report contends. Further, "economies of scope," or looking holistically at touch points of water within the energy, food and industry sectors, can result in greater integration and synergistic resource planning solutions that will benefit cities in the long term. Unexpected or unmanaged population growth creates challenges for water resource planning that requires higher-level collaboration between city planners and utility providers.

The general public is also an important collaborator where education and two-way communication are critical in addressing key water infrastructure issues. Equal attention should be given to the cost, as well as the value, of water when educating the public and engaging them in the planning and maintenance of decentralized systems, according to the report.

For more:
- see the report

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