Water is finally getting the attention it deserves in Europe. In February 2025, the European Commission launched a call for evidence for its first-ever Water Resilience Strategy, a landmark initiative to strengthen long-term water security, drive investment in digital and advanced treatment technologies, and integrate water policy into the EU’s broader climate and industrial strategies.… Continue reading The EU’s Water Resilience Strategy (WRS): An Audacious Goal—Will It Make an Impact?
Category: Our Take
PFAS Put a Spotlight on Biosolids – Regulations Are Still Catching Up
Resource recovery has become a hot topic in the wastewater industry, and biosolids—an organic-rich treatment byproduct also termed ‘sewage sludge’—are often the keystone of nutrient reuse strategies. Besides being a feedstock for emerging technologies like anaerobic digestion, biosolids have found a second life in agriculture for decades. As of 2018, more than 50% of the U.S.’… Continue reading PFAS Put a Spotlight on Biosolids – Regulations Are Still Catching Up
With Landmark Ruling from the EPA, the U.S. Moves Closer to Eliminating Lead in Drinking Water
In one of the most substantial overhauls of water-quality standards in decades, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a new rule to accelerate efforts to replace the country’s roughly 9.2 million lead service lines (LSLs). On 8 October 2024, the EPA adopted the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI), requiring virtually all water systems to replace 100%… Continue reading With Landmark Ruling from the EPA, the U.S. Moves Closer to Eliminating Lead in Drinking Water
Mandating Water Conservation: California Takes Leading Role in Long-Term U.S. Water Strategy
Earlier this summer, California’s State Water Board set in motion a significant precedent by adopting urban water conservation regulations designed to make water conservation “a California way of life.” Rather than merely request voluntary action, the mandate requires that 405 urban water suppliers—serving 95% of the state’s population—meet conservation targets starting in 2027. This shift from voluntary drought-driven restrictions to… Continue reading Mandating Water Conservation: California Takes Leading Role in Long-Term U.S. Water Strategy
Is Paris’s Stormwater Management the Real Olympic Challenge?
On 26 July, the city of Paris will open the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and water will be front and center. The Seine River, which flows 13 kilometers through the city from east to west, plays a significant role in this year’s Games: In the opening ceremony, cruise boats will carry athletes and delegations past… Continue reading Is Paris’s Stormwater Management the Real Olympic Challenge?
Growing Focus on Water Drives M&A and Strategic Rebranding
Companies sometimes rebrand to adapt to evolving markets, to signal a new direction, or to reflect changes post mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Some of the most recent high-profile rebrands were Twitter’s name change to X and Facebook’s rebrand as Meta. The water sector has also seen its own fair share of major revamps over the… Continue reading Growing Focus on Water Drives M&A and Strategic Rebranding
What Can the Water Industry Learn from the Success of the Renewable Power Industry?
There is no doubt that the electric power and water sectors are intrinsically linked. From thermal power generation (e.g., natural gas, coal) to the emergence of a hydrogen economy, one sector cannot operate without the other. Yet, while they are so closely connected operationally, a clear divide exists between the amount of attention given to water and… Continue reading What Can the Water Industry Learn from the Success of the Renewable Power Industry?
What’s In, What’s Out for Water in 2024?
Standing on the precipice of a new year, the water industry finds itself, once again, at a crossroads of tradition and transformation. This year represents a pivotal juncture for water industry stakeholders across the value chain. At times, it seems that water is in the news more than ever before and it feels like we,… Continue reading What’s In, What’s Out for Water in 2024?
Dubai Brings Water to the Forefront at This Year’s COP28
As key stakeholders—including government officials, nonprofit managers, and business executives—gathered at the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP), progress on climate change was at the forefront of discussions. While water has come up as a topic of discussion in previous COPs, COP28 was the first time in 28 years that water was a core theme… Continue reading Dubai Brings Water to the Forefront at This Year’s COP28
Behind the Data: Unveiling the Water Footprint of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is all the rage these days—but when consumers type a question into ChatGPT, they aren’t thinking about water. ChatGPT, a generative AI tool with 1.4 billion site visits in August 2023 alone, uses an estimated quarter of a gallon of water for every 40 to 100 queries it receives, according to a… Continue reading Behind the Data: Unveiling the Water Footprint of Artificial Intelligence
