In a televised address to Congress on Sept. 8, President Barack Obama called for the passage of the American Jobs Act, which includes investment in infrastructure for roads, bridges, railroads, airports and schools.

Earth: the Blue Planet. Its nickname is derived from the fact that about 70 percent of its surface is covered by water.

In today?s economy, finding ways to ?do more with less? extends to virtually every business, government and educational institution.

Major construction of the Southern Delivery System (SDS) has now commenced.

With the tremendous cost associated with the treatment and distribution of water, many water districts are going solar for protection from rising electricity costs.

Just days after the conclusion of AWWA?S ACE 2011, the U.S. Conference of Mayors held its 79th annual meeting in Baltimore.

Water usage and waste are at record levels as a growing global population, environmental changes and aging water infrastructure strain freshwater resources.

Perhaps the three most important questions facing a municipal water department today are, ?How do you predict how long our water distribution system will last?,? ?When must we start planning for replacement?? and ?What?s the true cost over the lifetime of the system??

In the last issue of UIM we outlined the key trends and developments taking place in the water market ? including the recent surge of interest by investors looking to gain a foothold in the sector. In this issue, we take a closer look at other issues shaping the water market, namely ownership changes and industry consolidation.

The Milwaukee Water Council will host its fifth annual Water Summit conference Sept. 19-20 at Milwaukee?s Discovery World/Pier Wisconsin complex.