Aaron Chavez of the San Juan Water Commission on Water Supply, Drought, and Fish Recovery
The San Juan Water Commission (SJWC) delivers water from the Animas–La Plata (ALP) Project to 11 municipal water retailers in the northwestern corner of New Mexico. In this interview, Executive Director Aaron Chavez tells us about how the commission is addressing concerns related to drought, power costs, and endangered species and about his role as […]
Chris Woodka of the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District: Progress on the Arkansas Valley Conduit
The Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District (SECWCD) is soon to begin construction on the Arkansas Valley Conduit (AVC), a 130‑mile pipeline with spurs that will bring water from Pueblo Reservoir to 39 communities and 50,000 people east of Pueblo, Colorado. In this interview, Chris Woodka, the district’s senior policy and issues manager, talks about what […]
How Greeley, Colorado’s Diverse Water Supply Saved the City in the Wake of Wildfires
In 2020, Colorado’s two largest wildfires burned more than 400,000 acres in the watersheds serving the city of Greeley and most of northern Colorado. The fires made the river water too dirty to treat, and for 45 days, the city turned to its reservoirs and a water swap with agricultural users for its water supply. […]
Eric Howell of Colorado Springs Utilities: Managing Forests to Protect Water Supply
In recent years, wildfires have burned millions of acres in the Mountain West. When those wildfires burn critical water supply watersheds, they can degrade water quality and cause erosion and flooding for months and years. In this interview, Eric Howell, the forest program manager for the watershed planning section at Colorado Springs Utilities, tells Municipal […]
Christina Burri: Wildfire Prevention and Recovery at Denver Water
After a wildfire in a watershed, water utilities are faced with an expensive recovery process as well as issues like erosion and the entry of sedimentation into reservoirs that can continue for decades after the last ember is extinguished. In this interview, Municipal Water Leader speaks with Christina Burri, who leads Denver Water’s watershed planning […]
Jim Lochhead: Capital Development, Wildfire Mitigation, and Innovation at Denver Water
Denver Water serves 1.5 million people in the city and county of Denver and the surrounding suburbs. In this interview, Municipal Water Leader Contributing Editor Jeff Kightlinger talks with the utility’s CEO and manager, Jim Lochhead, about its plans to serve its customers in the face of climate change and booming population growth. A project […]
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineering With Nature Program: Nature-Based Solutions to Protect Communities From Climate Disasters
Since 1980, weather and climate disasters in the United States have cost more than $2.195 trillion, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That price tag is only expected to rise. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineering With Nature (EWN) initiative seeks out and scales up nature-based solutions to these growing threats. In […]
Chris Hubbard on Process Wastewater Technologies’ Volute Dewatering Press
Process Wastewater Technologies (PWTech) is a small but rapidly growing company working on combined sewer overflow and sludge dewatering technologies. One of its leading products is a volute dewatering press that can be used by wastewater plants to dewater sludge, vastly simplifying the task of disposing of it. In this interview, we speak to Business […]
Placer County Water Agency: Promoting Water Conservation and Stewardship
Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) delivers treated and raw water to 43,000 customers across a 1,500‑square-mile service area stretching from the Sacramento suburbs in the west to Lake Tahoe in the east. With California continuing to suffer from severe drought, PCWA is urging its customers to cut water use by 20 percent, and it is […]
How Recent Acquisitions Are Expanding Northwest Pipe’s Precast and Reinforced Concrete Offerings
Northwest Pipe Company’s acquisition of two companies—ParkUSA and Geneva Pipe and Precast— expands its range of product offerings for municipal systems. In this interview, Mike Wray, a Northwest Pipe senior vice president and the general manager of the company’s precast and engineered water technology group, speaks with Municipal Water Leader about the company’s solutions for […]