Infrasync Newsletter #26 - The Hidden Cost of the Status Quo - Why Water Utilities need digital tech now

The Hidden Cost of the Status Quo

Why Water Utilities need digital tech now

Water utility costs are soaring up 24.1% since 2020. How can digital tech help?

The rising costs for water utilities are a growing concern, with an estimated 5.8 to 17.1% of households facing water affordability challenges (Source: EPA Dec 2024). The average American family is pressed on finances all around and they are increasingly concerned with monthly utilities bills.

While the water industry has made strides over the years advocating for the value of water, we are still behind with funding. Since 2012 the combined water and sewer rates are up 53.4% which is pressing into the household affordability.

What will be the eventual resolution when household bills collide with utility needs? We can speculate but I would rather focus on what we can control. Thankfully because of advancements in technology we have more options than ever before to monitor and control costs at utilities.

This is not an exhaustive list, but there are five trends we are seeing more and more utilities utilize to control their system and costs.

Advanced Metering…

We welcomed Tim Braun with BluTerra as Commercial Principal to Infrasync! His utility industry leadership will help us move forward with our commercial approach and bringing innovation to utilities. Help us welcome him with a like a comment to the team!

We welcomed Suzanne Givler, PE as a Smart Utility Engineer. Her experience with the City of Boulder for water quality, water modeling, and advanced analytics over her career will help us drive innovation in engineering and digital programs at utilities. Help us welcome her with a like a comment to the team!

New year new me! Because of the success of 2024 we are moving forward with an updated website better showcasing our offerings and innovation at water utilities.

Overwhelmed by the speed in the water industry?

Check out Water 4.0 by David Sedlak. We enjoyed it as it went back to the roman era about the original smart water programs, then progressed through centralized sewer systems, the first water chlorination, and now modern advancements for water technology. We have had major water challenges before and solved them, this gives us hope for the future of water.

UMC CONFERENCE 2025

Andrew and Tim attended the AWWA / WEF Utility Management Conference in Dallas in February. The main outcomes moving the industry forward?

• Digital is now expected, not just nice to have

• Workforce issues and understaffing is going to continue as a problem.

• Affordability is clashing with eh cost of utility operations, several utilities are suffering from insurance costs and bond downgrades.

TEXAS WATER 2025

Catch us this week at Texas Water including the session Bridging the Data Gap - Data Warehousing and Information Technology for Utility Operators from the IT perspective by Daniel Swirsky