WDBC E-NEWS – October 21, 2020

WDBC Supports the Value of Water Campaign - Join Us!

Today, the Water Design-Build Council joins elected officials, water utilities, community leaders, educators, and businesses from across the country as part of the sixth annual Imagine a Day Without Water, a nationwide day of education and advocacy about the value of water. Led by the Value of Water Campaign, a thousand organizations across the country will raise awareness about not taking water for granted and the crucial need for investment in our nation’s water systems.

Turning on the tap for clean, safe drinking water, and flushing the toilet with no second thought about what happens to wastewater are actions most Americans take for granted every day. But this year, as our community deals with the public health crisis from coronavirus, we see that reliable water service is something we depend on to protect our health and economy. Our nation’s water infrastructure is aging and in need of investment. A day without water service is a public health and an economic disaster: a single nationwide day without water service would put our entire economy at risk.

Investment in our drinking water and wastewater systems is a pathway to economic recovery. Renewing our aging infrastructure will create jobs, protect public health, and avoid massive costs that will come if we allow these systems to continue to deteriorate. The Water Design-Build Council urged all of our member firms to participate and share with us what they are doing for Imagine a Day Without Water. (See below for some examples.)

“The Water Design-Build Council recognizes the significance of this campaign as it brings focus to the role that water plays in all of our lives,” stated Mark Alpert, Executive Director. “Our members are key players in water infrastructure throughout the country and are united in supporting the annual Imagine a Day Without Water program."

“We're thrilled that the Water Design-Build Council is a part of Imagine a Day Without Water. This national day of action educates our neighbors and public officials about the essential role water plays in all of our lives,” said Radhika Fox, CEO of the US Water Alliance and Director of the Value of Water Campaign. “This year showed us the critical importance of water service to safeguard public health and the economy. But the infrastructure and service it takes to bring water to our homes and businesses and take it away is not free and can’t be taken for granted. We all need to educate ourselves about where our water comes from and the investment these critical systems need.”

Imagine a Day Without Water is an opportunity for diverse organizations, from environmental advocates to coffee shops, aquariums to car washes, city halls to water utilities, to talk about what water is important to them. Over the past five years, it has provided a platform for educating the public and advocating for leaders to prioritize investing in water today, so in the future no American will have to imagine a day without water.

Learn more at imagineadaywithoutwater.org and follow the conversation on social media at #ValueWater.

WDBC Members are Imagining a Day Without Water

From sharing videos and messages on social media to hosting virtual social events to raise awareness about the plight of water infrastructure, Water Design-Build Council members are spreading the word in a variety of ways that we cannot take our water systems for granted and must take action now to safeguard these critical systems.

Garney Construction shared this message: Every day, people drive on, under, over, and around public infrastructure. The first two are easy to observe—the roads you drive on and power/telecommunication lines you drive under. What you don’t see is what you drive over and around—waterlines that bring clean water to your home and workplace, sewer lines that take away your liquid waste, and the treatment facilities cleaning all that water.

Do you know which one you can’t live without? Water.

Please watch this brief video to Imagine a Day Without Water. It’s a good reminder that water is essential for everything we do in life.

Brown and Caldwell employees were invited to either print out an Imagine a Day Without Water sign and take a photo with it or answer this question in a photo or short video: “Without water, I wouldn’t be able to _________.” Check out their social media to view the photos and videos.

To see what other WDBC members and advisors and water utilities across the country are doing, please visit LinkedIn #ValueWater or Facebook #ValueWater

Progress on a Progressive DB – Upgrading Big Creek WRF

By Jason Ray, PE, DBIA, Senior Project Manager, Archer Western Construction (The Walsh Group)

Find many more blogs on our website, including recent blogs on design-build during a pandemic.

Message from WDBC President Larry Johnson, PE, DBIA, PMP

These are exciting times for the Water Design-Build Council. Since our inception in 2006, the WDBC has become a pioneering force in advancing best practices for collaborative-delivery methods through education, research, and advocacy. Not only have we served as a catalyst for dramatic growth and adoption of collaborative-delivery methods, but demand for the Council’s expertise, products, programs, and membership has dramatically grown as well. Our strategic plan has established a five-year vision to transform the water industry through expanded partnerships, stronger legislative outreach, and continued advancement of successful collaborative-delivery methods. To support this vision, we are now embarking on a branding initiative with the goal of leveraging our strong reputation and vision for the future to elevate our industry position, strengthen our influence, and support the Council’s long-term growth and success.

Branding is one of the most important strategic initiatives that leading organizations take on to keep themselves relevant amidst a constantly changing world. More than just a look at an organization’s “image,” branding involves the careful evaluation, re-alignment, and re-positioning of what we do, how we do it, and why it matters in a way that truly reflects our unique value, assets, and offerings as an organization. The branding process will reinforce and elevate the Council’s position as an industry thought leader while bringing life and power to the organization internally and externally.

Starting in October 2020, the Council began working with Stacy Lewis and her firm Sector Brands, a strategic branding agency based out of Denver, Colorado, to kick off the first phase of work focusing on the collection of organizational-wide insights needed to assess the state of the brand and the development of a brand strategy and message platform. Phase two will begin in 2021 and will include the development of key communication tools including a new website and marketing materials. We will be focused throughout on making this an inclusive process that engages multiple stakeholders in our organization and in the industry. We look forward to your input and participation in this very exciting initiative!

Member Companies

The Water Design-Build Council stands ready to contribute its expertise, resources, innovation, and enthusiasm to the challenge of strengthening our water and wastewater infrastructure.