For the past year, COVID-19 has put a stop to worldwide travel and global conferences; the postponement of both the Global Water Summit and American Water Summit has meant that water leaders have not been able to meet in person and discuss the future of the industry. However, the Leading Utilities of the World network has continued to collaborate through a series of private, online meetings: Leading Utilities through COVID-19. Meeting once a quarter, member utilities have been discussing the implementation of innovative solutions to tackle the challenges cause by COVID-19.

Held in June 2020, the first meeting concerned the remote workforce, with presentations from Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), Clean Water Services, Houston Water, South East Water, PUB, Watercare and Queensland Urban Utilities. Leaders discussed the quick turnaround required to relocate staff to home, which on average, took between 1 and 3 weeks. Both a logistical and digital challenge, this raised concerns over cybersecurity, productivity, and disparities between office staff and workers on the ground. Utilities showed great concern over the mental wellbeing of staff during this period of upheaval, providing mobile app wellness checks, support phone lines, and wellness kits to ensure that staff are supported from the workplace. With new policies being put in place throughout office buildings, social distancing measures for ground workers, and new digital practices put in place for remote working, utilities have shown great adaptability within short periods of time.

In the second meeting, held in September, the network explored risk management strategies that helped ensure business continuity. Presentations were provided by Tucson Water, Philadelphia Water Department, Águas do Porto, Unitywater, Budapest Waterworks and the Hong Kong Department of Water Supplies. Whilst some utilities had time to plan their response, others faced sudden surges in COVID cases. However, a common theme within the Leading Utilities of the World network was the improved communication between utilities and their customers. Customers showed concern over bills, water supply and hygiene, with most utilities reporting increases in residential water consumption due to work from home measures. As an essential service, utilities have been reluctant to shut off water supplies, as hand washing has become a barrier of defense for the virus, and so we saw many reports of increased bill payment periods, improved customer service lines, and community support.

Digital solutions became were prominent throughout both these meetings, and so the third meeting, held in December 2020, focused on the implementation of digital technologies and the numerous benefits for both the utility and the customers. Presentations were provided by Anglian Water, South East Water, VCS Denmark and the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District. The more digitally advanced utilities spoke to the strengths of their systems, many focusing on unified platforms with consolidated data sets to provide better clarity into the overall utility performance and predictive analytics. Other utilities mentioned delays to technology installation, such as digital meters; where meters have already been installed customers have been given a better understanding of water usage and potential bill shocks. Collaborative responses to digital improvement were highlighted, with many speaking to partnerships with suppliers, collaborative procurement strategies and utility-to-utility communication.

The Leading Utilities of the World have shown great initiative in difficult times, with collaboration and communication being pushed to the forefront of leaders’ minds. In addition to other events, including the first ever online inauguration event, the network will continue to meet in 2021 to discuss the effects of COVID, as well as other pressing challenges being faced by the sector. To find out more about the Leading Utilities of the World Network and its activities, please visit: www.leadingutilities.org.

Notes to Editors:

Leading Utilities of the World (LUOW) is a network of the world's most forward-thinking water and wastewater utilities, as defined by the network’s 14 distinct innovation areas. Its members represent the Gold Standard of utility innovation and performance throughout the developed world’s water sector.

LUOW is an initiative of the Global Water Leaders Group, a CEO-level non-profit organisation aiming to create a better story for water worldwide. For enquiries regarding the Global Water Leaders Group, contact Ana Budimir at a.budimir@leadingutilities.org.or Alice Young at alice.young@globalwaterintel.com

Find out more about the Global Water Summit here: http://www.watermeetsmoney.com/.  There is more information about the American Water Summit here: www.americanwatersummit.com/.

Press contact: Danielle Shaw, dshaw@globalwaterintel.com - Water Leaders Ltd, Suite C, Kingsmead House, Oxpens Road, Oxford OX1 1XX, UK. Tel: +44 1865 204 208