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| Paul Gagliardo, a speaker at the marcus evans Water & Wastewater Management Summit 2012, about innovating in the typically conservative water utility business. |
NEW YORK, Apr 26, 2012 - (ACN Newswire) - Water and wastewater utilities must look to innovation as a process for driving operational efficiencies within their organizations, Paul Gagliardo, Manager - Innovation Development, American Water says. Production and delivery costs continue to increase and much of the nation's water and wastewater infrastructure is past its useful life. If utilities wish to maintain quality and service, they will have to be more innovative in how they manage their assets, he adds.
A speaker at the upcoming Water & Wastewater Management Summit 2012, in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 3-4, Gagliardo discusses his approach to water and wastewater management.
- Why are water utilities conservative when it comes to change and innovation? Does that still serve them well?
Water utilities are inherently conservative because of their primary function, which is to provide a regulatory mandated quality of water to every household, and to treat and dispose of wastewater in the appropriate manner. There is a significant health and safety aspect to this, so they tend to stick to doing what they know will work.
However, power costs are increasing, climate change via green house gas emissions is being exacerbated, new regulations are impacting treatment systems, buried pipelines are subject to leaking and new technology is being developed at a rapid rate. As these drivers continue to change, utilities will have to be more innovative in how they design, upgrade, operate and manage their assets, in order to reduce their costs and maintain quality and service.
- Does success always come down to innovation? Do you have a set path for thinking more creatively?
Innovation plays a big role in success. Steve Jobs said, "Think Different". Many times one has to think in a different manner to see alternative solutions for reducing operating or capital costs, or increasing safety. It can be a sensor to identify a particular contaminant in real-time or a filter that can remove it at a lower cost. These are innovations that need to be tested and validated to determine the value proposition. The first step is seeking out companies and ideas, then testing and validating them to see if the value proposition of a particular technology makes a valid business case. There should be a multi-step approach, from uncovering the idea to analyzing it and finding deployment opportunities.
- What is critical for safeguarding public health and safety?
There are federal and local water quality regulations, but we also look downstream to predict where regulations might go. A few years ago the arsenic maximum contaminant level was lowered. People are more concerned about pharmaceutically active compounds. Analyzing the causes and effects of compounds is a long process, but we try to have potential solutions in place for when and if new regulations do occur.
- Any final words of wisdom?
Chaos is your friend. If you do not change, you will not grow. If you look at an issue from a different perspective, you will notice patterns in the randomness and chaos that can lead you to new solutions.
About the Water & Wastewater Management Summit 2012
This unique forum will take place at the Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa, Las Vegas, Nevada, May 3-4, 2012. Offering much more than any conference, exhibition or trade show, this exclusive meeting will bring together esteemed industry thought leaders and solution providers to a highly focused and interactive networking event. The Summit includes presentations on improving reliability and cost effectiveness in water and wastewater utilities. For more information please send an email to info@marcusevanscy.com or visit the event website at www.h2osummit.com/PaulGagliardoInterview
marcus evans group environment/utilities/ energy - http://bit.ly/GRwSTl
Please note that the Summit is a closed business event and the number of participants strictly limited.
Contact:
Sarin Kouyoumdjian-Gurunlian
Press Manager, marcus evans, Summits Division
Tel: + 357 22 849 313
Email: press@marcusevanscy.com
Topic: Trade Show or Conference
Source: marcus evans Summits
Sectors: Daily Finance, Daily News
https://www.acnnewswire.com
From the Asia Corporate News Network
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