Water utilities need energy, and energy utilities need water, lots of it. But a growing number of water utilities are generating electricity and transportation fuels. And many electric utilities can use wastewater to cool their facilities.
All types of utilities experience the effects of a changing climate but few have explored ways to work together to either mitigate or adapt to these changes. In August, a meeting convened by The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread (Racine, Wis.) brought together a group of experts to discuss ways to foster collaboration among the water, wastewater, and electric-power sectors to develop mutually reinforcing solutions to resource management.
Based on the meeting discussions, the foundation released the report, Building Resilient Utilities: How Water and Electric Utilities Can Co-Create Their Futures. The report describes opportunities at the water–energy nexus, hurdles to cross-sector collaboration, recommended strategies for catalyzing cross-sector collaboration, and visions of the integrated utility of the future.
“WEF members were instrumental in in creating the vision,” said Barry Liner, director of WEF’s Water Science & Engineering Center. Two WEF leaders, Andy Kricun, executive director/chief engineer at Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority; and Chris Peot, civil/environmental engineer, director of resource recovery at DC Water, have been featured on the foundation’s online forum, Inspiring Solutions. The new online dialogue forum offers a place to convene, share ideas, and find innovative solutions with a sustained impact, Liner said.
December 18, 2013
Learning Opps, WEF Resources & Efforts