State of the industry report 2005: A guide for good health

Posted January 2006

By Jon Runge and John Mann

As reported in the October 2005 edition of the AWWA Journal, results are in from the second annual State of the Industry survey—a comprehensive evaluation of the water industry's overall health. The State of the Industry Report 2005: A guide for good health presents key findings from the survey, which included the responses from more than 1,700 utility personnel, service providers, and other individuals. Like the 2004 report, this year's report helps recognize and track significant trends, identify critical and emerging issues—especially those being inadequately addressed—assess water professionals' perception of the relative health of the industry, and provide data that can help the industry prioritize programs and services.

In 2005, survey respondents considered the most critical issues facing the overall water industry to be regulatory factors, business factors, source water supply, security, and water storage/infrastructure, and they identified industry leadership as a new issue. In addition, the 2005 report includes a new look at issues broken down by key U.S. regions and from a Canadian perspective.

This year's report also identifies barriers to preparedness and provides a look at utility capital spending; it offers insight into areas of strength and weakness in today's water industry and potential future challenges. The information contained in this article can be used to give direction to the industry's current and future leaders and guide them in directing resources for the healthiest tomorrow.

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