Privatization of Water Services in the United States
Privatization of Water Services in the United States

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2002-09-20

Total Pages: 159

ISBN-13: 0309074444

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In the quest to reduce costs and improve the efficiency of water and wastewater services, many communities in the United States are exploring the potential advantages of privatization of those services. Unlike other utility services, local governments have generally assumed responsibility for providing water services. Privatization of such services can include the outright sale of system assets, or various forms of public-private partnershipsâ€"from the simple provision of supplies and services, to private design construction and operation of treatment plants and distribution systems. Many factors are contributing to the growing interest in the privatization of water services. Higher operating costs, more stringent federal water quality and waste effluent standards, greater customer demands for quality and reliability, and an aging water delivery and wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure are all challenging municipalities that may be short of funds or technical capabilities. For municipalities with limited capacities to meet these challenges, privatization can be a viable alternative. Privatization of Water Services evaluates the fiscal and policy implications of privatization, scenarios in which privatization works best, and the efficiencies that may be gained by contracting with private water utilities.

Assessing Infiltration and Exfiltration on the Performance of Urban Sewer Systems
Assessing Infiltration and Exfiltration on the Performance of Urban Sewer Systems

Author: Bryan Ellis

Publisher: IWA Publishing

Published: 2010-02-10

Total Pages: 193

ISBN-13: 184339149X

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Sewer systems constitute a very significant heritage in European cities. Their structural quality and functional efficiency are key parameters to guarantee the transfer of domestic and industrial wastewater to treatment plants without infiltration nor exfiltration. Infiltration of groundwater is particularly detrimental to treatment plant efficiency, while exfiltration of wastewater can lead to groundwater contamination. The European research project APUSS (Assessing infiltration and exfiltration on the Performance of Urban Sewer Systems) was devoted to sewer infiltration and exfiltration questions. It was structured in three main Work Areas dealing respectively with i) the development of new measurement methods based on tracer experiments and accounting for detailed uncertainty analyses, ii) the implementation of models and software tools to integrate structural and experimental data and to facilitate data display, operational management and decision-making processes and iii) the integration of economic and operational questions by means of cost estimation, economic evaluation, performance indicators and multi-criteria methods applied to investment/rehabilitation strategies. This final report describes the objectives, methods and main results for each Work Area. References to detailed methods, protocols, reports and tools are given in this final report which will be an invaluable source of information for all those concerned with the performance of urban sewer systems.