By Kris Polly

In our cover story this month, we speak with Tom Butler, the new chairman of the National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA), which represents people who install underground utilities. Mr. Butler tells us about NUCA’s support for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and its work to make the funding from that law available to states and municipalities. We also get into the details of how the new law’s Buy America provisions affect NUCA stakeholders and the waivers they may need for specific items.

Next, we speak with three professionals from the global infrastructure consulting firm AECOM about its exciting work to remediate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water. Using technologies such as foam fractionation to isolate and concentrate PFAS and then its proprietary DE-FLUORO system to destroy them, AECOM can provide a complete solution to PFAS remediation.

Over the last 25 years, central California wastewater utility Monterey One Water has pioneered the use of recycled water for the irrigation of uncooked food crops and indirect potable reuse through groundwater replenishment. As General Manager Paul Sciuto tells us, Monterey One Water recycles a phenomenal 75 percent of its incoming wastewater, meaning that one-third of the potable water supply for the Monterey Peninsula is sourced from recycled water, a figure that is only set to grow. We talk more about the planning, infrastructure, and public relations work that has gone into this success story.

We also interview Ignacio Beneyto of ACCIONA, a Spain-based global construction and renewable energy company with major water business lines. Mr. Beneyto tells us about ACCIONA’s U.S.-based desalination projects and how desalination in this country compares to other projects around the world.

Olea Edge Analytics uses artificial intelligence sensors and analytics to help utilities identify and diagnose underperforming meters. Vice President of Government Relations Quinn Jackson-Elliot tells us more about how that can save utilities serious amounts of water and money.

This month’s stories cover the municipal water industry’s full range, from infrastructure installation to contaminant remediation and high-tech analytics. Exciting developments are occurring in all these fields. I hope you find these stories inspiring and interesting.

Kris Polly is the editor-in-chief of Municipal Water Leader magazine and the president and CEO of Water Strategies LLC, a government relations firm he began in February 2009 for the purpose of representing and guiding water, power, and agricultural entities in their dealings with Congress, the Bureau of Reclamation, and other federal government agencies. He can be contacted at kris.polly@waterstrategies.com.