Lessons Learned During a Pandemic Year

Abstract

The COVID‐19 pandemic has affected the water sector in many ways, shifting industry expectations, priorities, workflows, and more. But through it all, the mission of keeping drinking water safe and readily available remained a priority.

At the beginning of 2020, water professionals were busy planning a prosperous future. AWWA was developing its strategic plans for the next several years. AWWA utility and operator members were mapping out long‐range operational and capital plans for their water systems, ever cognizant of their essential mission of providing safe and plentiful drinking water for the public. At the same time, AWWA section winter conferences were being planned, papers and presentations were being prepared, and vendor displays were being spruced up with the latest information on the newest technologies and equipment. AWWA volunteers were busy working with federal and state legislators to find ways to fund infrastructure improvements and old infrastructure replacements. The group was also working closely with regulators to improve water quality and protect public health.

As March Madness came closer, COVID‐19 began to creep into everyone's lives. The spread started slowly, showing up here, then there, taking out random victims and infecting them with the likes of nothing seen before in living memory. Soon, health officials realized this was just the beginning of a potentially lethal pandemic, with all the markings of long‐term consequences of exposure. While health officials scrambled to figure out what would work or not work to contain the virus, government officials realized that additional actions were needed—and quickly. Water professionals immediately realized this was a game changer, and the potential for any disruption in the drinking water supply had to be mitigated.

ADAPTING TO THE NEW NORMAL

Although utilities had emergency response plans in place and ready to be implemented, this situation was unique in that it didn't affect water supplies directly. It did, however, affect operations staff who keep water systems running day to day. Water professionals quickly learned from the health care field what needed to be done to protect utility workers. Protocols on cleaning, handwashing, temperature taking, mask wearing, and more were implemented to protect the safety of all utility team members, the public, and those deemed critical to the overall mission of protecting the water supply.

Many local waterworks groups and AWWA sections immediately formed ad hoc committees to discuss the COVID‐19 outbreak, how to operate water and wastewater systems while minimizing contact between staff members, and best practices for using modern virtual platforms to meet online without having to meet in person. Water professionals quickly became essential employees, as the seriousness of the situation became clear.

The spring of 2020 became an alternate reality where nothing made sense. Working from home wasn't an option for many, as water and wastewater facilities require highly skilled, trained, and licensed professionals to operate their systems. Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems at water and wastewater facilities were put to the test. Some operators controlled their systems remotely from home, while others worked in staggered shifts to limit contact and adjust to the new social distancing rules. Adapting to the “new normal” became a top priority.

Meanwhile, city mayors and managers began to realize the situation would exact serious financial stress on public services. In many cases, they implemented drastic budget cuts—sometimes without realizing the long‐term consequences. Day‐to‐day supplies to maintain operations needed to be ensured. Regular maintenance of equipment couldn't be put off indefinitely without having to deal with potential failures. On the sales side, the need for products and services soon became evident. Similar protocols were quickly established for suppliers to protect utility team members, customers, and the public.

After the initial shock of the COVID shutdown hit, utility managers were able to assess their limitations. Budgets were adapted during the shutdowns to reflect new revenue models. Municipal and utility managers realized water loss control and asset management programs needed to remain in the forefront of everyone's minds. After all, these programs are critical for providing a continuous supply of safe, clean drinking water, without failure, under all operating conditions. The public depends on this commitment to meet a wide variety of daily needs.

Just because COVID shutdowns were being implemented didn't mean the daily challenges of supplying water became easier. Water main breaks and leaks continued to occur, and such events meant that distribution crews still needed to be dispatched quickly to contain water losses. Crews continued to face distribution system valves that may or may not work. It was apparent that asset management was near the top of every utility's priority list. Soon, many of the budget cutbacks proposed at the beginning of the COVID shutdowns were reconsidered to keep utilities from overlooking maintenance priorities.

ACCOUNTING FOR WATER

Every water utility's operating revenue is derived from selling water. Although water sales decreased because of lower demand when COVID shutdowns occurred, managers understood that water accountability was more critical than ever. It's even more important now for utilities to ensure all water used is accurately measured and documented. The best way to gather that information and achieve these goals is for water systems to implement an annual water audit using AWWA's Free Water Audit Software (www.awwa.org/waterlosscontrol) as well as to follow the guidelines in AWWA's Manual of Water Supply Practices M36, Water Audits and Loss Control Programs (www.awwa.org/m36).

Accountability for water supplied to the distribution system is the first step of this process. The testing of production/master water meters ensures all water being introduced into the water distribution system is accurately measured and accounted for. The physical water meter needs to be tested and calibrated to attain a successful outcome. Testing production/master water meters entails just that—conducting tests to determine the accuracy of the physical water meter. Several testing methods are described in AWWA's M33, Flowmeters in Water Supply (www.awwa.org/m33) and M6, Water Meters—Selection, Installation, Testing, and Maintenance (https://bit.ly/33FjCAe), depending on the size and type of water meter.

Utilities need to test meters under normal flow conditions. It's also important to calibrate the meter register to the utility's SCADA or other electronic monitoring systems to ensure the signal sent to the control desk is accurate. Make no mistake, these are two different “tests,” and a utility needs to do both to ensure the accuracy of its meters as well as its water audit.

TRACKING APPARENT AND REAL LOSSES

Tracking apparent losses means continually monitoring customer water meters and conducting testing programs to ensure all water used and sold is being measured properly. In turn, that process ensures correct revenues are collected. It's critical to regularly perform testing programs on commercial and industrial accounts. Although this group of meters represents about 10 percent of total customer accounts, these accounts bill 50 to 60 percent of total water usage, thus accounting for a large portion of a utility's annual revenue. A robust testing program ensures the utility is collecting all the revenues needed for a healthy and vibrant water system—even during a pandemic.

Despite COVID shutdowns and associated revenue reductions, it's important for water utilities to continue distribution system maintenance activities such as meter testing.

Real losses will always occur. Leak detection should be an ongoing process in a utility, and money needs to be allocated to ensure leak detection activities continue. Whether the utility capitalizes its leak detection program or places it in under operations and maintenance expenses, it needs to be a continual practice. Water systems leak continuously, especially as systems age. Whether the utility performs regular acoustic monitoring with different technologies or deploys a crew to “listen” to the system manually, the system needs to be checked and leaks correlated, pinpointed, and repaired. Even in a pandemic, leak detection needs to be part of every water utility's toolkit on an ongoing basis.

ASSET MANAGEMENT

As with water loss, asset management plans need to be on every water manager's mind and on the to‐do list. The ability to control and manage the distribution system is critical to a utility's ability to deliver safe, clean drinking water to its customers. As the pandemic crisis continues, it's more apparent than ever that water utilities must always strive to achieve this mission.

As managers review utility plans, they must also ensure the effective and efficient operation of all utility appurtenances, especially fire hydrants and mainline valves. A utility must work to accurately map and document all its assets. Managers need to prioritize the programs they want to carry out. Fire hydrant maintenance and flow testing should be high priorities. The implications of inoperable fire hydrants are extremely serious and can lead to potential irreparable harm if the hydrants don't operate when needed. Any inoperable fire hydrant can cause catastrophic problems beyond just not having water to put out a fire.

KEEP THE FAITH

This year has brought many changes—some for the better, some for the worse. Everyone has seen drastic transformations at the same time. Just when we think we're seeing light at the end of the tunnel, 2020 says, “Hold my beer.” Keep the faith that we'll survive the pandemic and the water sector as a whole will be better off for the innovative solutions put in place during these trying times. We're confident that water professionals will continue to ensure public health and deliver clean, safe drinking water for all.

Biographies

Michael Simpson is CEO of M.E. Simpson Co. (www.mesimpson.com), Valparaiso, Ind.

John Van Arsdel is vice president of M.E. Simpson Co. (www.mesimpson.com), Valparaiso, Ind.