The North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) provides treated water to 13 member cities and other customers across a rapidly growing region with a population of 1.8 million. It is currently working on the first major Texas reservoir in 30 years, Bois D’Arc Lake. In light of the population growth in its area, NTMWD is also looking into developing new wastewater treatment facilities.  In this interview, NTMWD Interim Executive Director and General Manager Rodney Rhoades tells Municipal Water Leader about the district’s history, current services, and plans for the future. 

The Sabine River Authority (SRA) was created by the Texas Legislature in 1949 to store, control, preserve, and distribute water. With 115 employees and a service area of over 7,400 square miles, the SRA helps conserve water and distribute it to large Texas cities, such as Dallas and Longview, and industrial customers near the Gulf of Mexico.  David Montagne is the executive vice president and general manager of the SRA and has worked for the authority for 34 years. In this interview, he tells Municipal Water Leader about the SRA’s current projects and its plans for the future. 

Weber Basin Water Conservancy District (WBWCB) is the regional water supplier within the Ogden and Weber River drainage areas, supplying water to 700,000 people within five counties in Utah. WBWCD delivers approximately 230,000 acre-feet a year of wholesale municipal, agricultural, irrigation, and industrial water through a system including seven large storage reservoirs, three hydropower generation plants, four water treatment plants, and hundreds of miles of canals, tunnels, aqueducts, and pipelines. In this interview, Tage Flint, WBWCD’s general manager and CEO, tells Municipal Water Leader about what the district has been doing to continue operations during the pandemic. 

Trinity River Authority (TRA), created in 1955 and based in Arlington, Texas, aims to promote the conservation, reclamation, protection, and development of the natural resources of the Trinity River basin for the benefit of the public. TRA provides service to more than 60 cities, districts, and other large water users in the Trinity River basin. In this interview, TRA General Manager Kevin Ward tells Municipal Water Leader about how the authority has overcome the challenges of the pandemic to continue operations. 

The COVID‑19 pandemic has disrupted the day-to-day functioning of businesses and public agencies in myriad ways, raising safety worries and motivating a large shift to remote work. Amid these changes, employers have obligations to support their sick employees, protect their healthy ones, and figure out how to restart normal operations in a safe and prudent manner. In this interview, Diane Campanile, the founder of human resources (HR) firm People-Dynamics, tells Municipal Water Leader about the rules and regulations all employers should be aware of in these challenging times. 

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a regional wholesaler that provides water for 26 member public agencies serving 19 million people in six counties across Southern California. Like other water utilities around the United States, Metropolitan has had to find new ways to continue its operations during the COVID‑19 pandemic. In this interview, Shane Chapman, an assistant general manager and the chief administrative officer of Metropolitan, speaks with Municipal Water Leader about what the agency has been doing to keep its employees and customers safe while continuing operations during this crisis. 

The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) protects and restores the environment for the health and well-being of all Marylanders. During the current pandemic, it is finding creative ways to manage workforce, regulatory, enforcement, and customer service challenges. In this interview, Ben Grumbles, the secretary of the MDE, and Lee Currey, the director of the MDE’s Water and Science Administration, tell Municipal Water Leader about adjustments the state agency is making, the lessons they are learning, and the advice they are sharing with other agencies around the country. 

A coalition of six Riverside County, California, water agencies have come together to promote their role as essential service providers during the ongoing public health crisis caused by COVID‑19. Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD), Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District (EVMWD), Jurupa Community Services District ( JCSD), Rancho California Water District (RCWD), Riverside Public Utilities (RPU), and Western Municipal Water District (WMWD) have partnered on a campaign to reassure customers that their tap water is both safe and reliable.  The campaign was launched in late April amid ongoing state and county restrictions that were put in place to protect public health. This partnered effort—which includes both water and wastewater messaging—is helping…

Desert Water Agency (DWA) provides water services to about 90,000 people in Palm Springs, California. As an essential service provider, DWA has had to find creative ways to continue its services during the COVID‑19 pandemic. In this interview, DWA Manager Mark Krause tells Municipal Water Leader about the changes the agency has had to make to overcome the disruptions of the pandemic.