Recent Research Every Utility Manager Needs to Know About

Abstract

Many utility managers do not have the time or funding to attend national conferences. Therefore, this article provides a way to highlight research findings that are of value in the daily operations of a utility. Being well‐informed about the advances in the field increases the value that a utility manager brings to his or her job each day. Research continues to improve the ability of conventional treatment processes to remove organic matter and other contaminants, such as arsenic. Inorganic contaminants, including nitrate, perchlorate, and ammonia, are a growing concern for many utilities. Biological treatment processes are emerging as a treatment option for inorganic contaminants and advances are improving removals with membrane and ion exchange technologies. Distribution system research has led to benchmarks for operations, better understanding of lead release, and characterization of microbial populations within pipe systems. Water utilities are entering the world of social media and implementing information technology advances such as cloud computing. Finally, for small systems in both developed and developing countries, research has demonstrated the value of operator training and performance‐based approaches in preventing disease.