The cover interview in this month’s issue of Municipal Water Leader features a truly inspiring water professional: Pat Mulroy, the former general manager of the Las Vegas Valley Water District and of the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA). Ms. Mulroy played a key role in the formation of the SNWA and in major negotiations between the Colorado basin states and between the United States and Mexico. I know you will find our wide-ranging interview as interesting as I did.
Also in this issue, Kathy Bielert, the technical sales manager for small-hydro-unit manufacturer NuSTREEM, tells Municipal Water Leader about the company’s low-head NuTURBINE, which can be inserted into existing municipal water systems to harvest the energy latent in the water flowing through a facility and convert it into electricity.
Next, Sam Barrick of SePRO tells us about the company’s work in the municipal sector and the products and services it provides.
South Platte Renew (SPR), a Colorado regional wastewater facility, recently installed a gas recovery facility that allows it to capture the methane that is created as part of the wastewater treatment process, purify it, and sell it to Xcel Energy, earning significant credit from federal and state renewable fuel standard programs. SPR Director Pieter Van Ry tells Municipal Water Leader about the program.
James Demby, the senior technical and policy adviser on dam safety issues and program manager for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Dam Safety Program, tells us about that program and how it provides funds to rehabilitate small, nonfederally regulated dams via pass-through grants to U.S. states.
Finally, we speak with Nick Vigar, the manager of Auckland, New Zealand’s Safeswim program. Safeswim uses regular testing, real-time data on the performance of wastewater and storm water infrastructure, and data modeling to generate recommendations on the cleanliness and safety of Auckland-area beaches.
The challenges that water professionals in this country face are considerable, ranging from climatic conditions to energy costs and seeking funding for rehabilitations. The best way to address these challenges is to gather information, think big, and develop the necessary relationships to deliver win-win solutions for everyone. Pat Mulroy is a great example of someone who has done just that.
Kris Polly is editor-in-chief of Municipal Water Leader magazine and 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 may be contacted at kris.polly@waterstrategies.com.