Podcast: The Future of Water

As we close out 2021, Bluefield digs into the top stories that defined water this past year, for good and bad. We’ll take a look back at how COVID-19 and supply chain disruptions influenced water investment and revisit some predictions for the year that did or did not come to fruition. 

According to an October AWWA survey, key issues facing water sector utilities and service providers in the U.S. and Canada are hiring difficulties and supply chain issues. Hiring, employee turnover, staffing continuity, and chemical supply chain issues are among the list of top challenges. What is the outlook for the water sector and where do utilities… Continue reading Workforce Disruption: Who do Utilities Call for Help?

As Congress has seemingly crawled across the finish line for a momentous infrastructure bill, executives in the water sector have expressed some frustration that the total amount of the bill is not enough to take on the myriad of challenges. Bluefield’s Greg Goodwin and Reese Tisdale take a more optimistic and expansive view of the bill… Continue reading Water Wins Big in Infrastructure Bill

Deal activity in water is climbing. If activity in the Private Water and Digital Water sectors keep pace, as it has historically over the past few years, this year’s transactions in water will surpass 2020’s 368 transactions. Reese Tisdale talks about deals that are interesting to him and what they mean for the water sector:… Continue reading Deals, Deals, Deals

Bluefield’s digital water expert, Eric Bindler, breaks down his key findings from attending this year’s WEFTEC in Chicago. Eric discusses new product launches from Kando and Schneider Electric, water sector staffing and hiring issues, the potential impact vaccine mandates may have on utility and vendor workforces, and new market entrants.

The world is in a seemingly crazy and disjointed place, as climate, COVID, and geopolitical issues influence water markets. Bluefield’s water experts address some key trends and events impacting water and global water management giving their perspectives on everything from climate’s role and impact, the water/energy nexus and a potential shift to a fossil fuel generation,… Continue reading Drought, Floods Disrupt Global Water Sector

Companies across the water industry are feeling the effects of supply chain constraints, which are creating headwinds even as demand soars from 2020 levels. Key inputs such as plastic resin, iron and steel, copper, and semiconductors have seen double-digit price increases, impacting firms as diverse as pipe OEMs, treatment chemical suppliers, and metering firms. Bluefield’s… Continue reading Tight Supply Chains Squeeze the Water Industry

For the sixth consecutive year, Bluefield Research has embarked upon an analysis of the water and wastewater rates in the U.S. and the impacts on residential water and wastewater bills. Bluefield’s Erin Bonney Casey shares her perspective on her recent analysis of utility water rates and potential impacts of drought on customer water bills. The… Continue reading Do Droughts Impact Household Water Rates?

Reliance on data played a fundamental role in helping utilities understand and manage the impacts of COVID-19. From utilities devising new customer communication strategies to the future of the utility business model, Bluefield’s Digital Water Research Director, Eric Bindler, discusses key findings from attending this year’s Utility Management Conference in Atlanta… Water news… Reese also… Continue reading How Have Water Utilities Fared from COVID?

The American Water Works Association just released its 2021 State of the Water Industry report which presents the findings of a survey of 3,021 water industry professionals. The survey is designed to identify key challenges in the water industry and their underlying drivers and causes. Despite the significant disruption in the water sector over the… Continue reading A Review: State of the Water Industry