Don’t Flush Your Wastewater Investment Down the Drain

A lack of foresight isn’t cheap.

All too often as consumers, we pay close attention to current out-of-pocket costs while ignoring future expenses. Municipalities and utilities often behave similarly when considering wastewater infrastructure investments, preferring to ponder short-term capital outlays rather than evaluate factors that could dramatically impact long-term operating costs, system performance and risk.

Asset life cycle costs are comprised of more than just capital expenditures, such as engineering design, construction, regulatory permitting, easement and real estate acquisition costs. They also include operational costs for inspections, maintenance, renewals, labor, energy and other consumables.

The best way to get an accurate picture of your wastewater system’s true cost over time is to conduct an asset life cycle cost analysis. This analysis should include both capital and operational expenditures to provide a clear picture of total asset life cycle costs.

When considering total life cycle costs, it is important to determine the appropriate time period over which to conduct the evaluation. If the period is too long, you may not account accurately for changing conditions, regulations or needs; if it’s too short, the analysis may be skewed in favor of options with lower capital costs.

A properly developed and deployed asset management program/system will help align your asset life cycle activities by facilitating a better understanding of the true costs across all phases of your assets’ life cycles. You can optimize your spending by aligning all your asset planning, construction and operations activities.

Keep in mind: the overall lowest-cost wastewater system may not be the one with the lowest initial capital costs, especially if capacity expansions or other modifications, like those driven by changing regulations, will be needed in the future. True fiscal responsibility demands thinking about long-term costs.

In the world of sanitation, failing to treat wastewater correctly and reliably can result in water quality violations and massive fines. These potential costs are often passed over during planning and decision-making. It makes no sense to “save” $50,000 on equipment just to be fined $100,000 and then need to make $50,000 or more in changes to achieve regulatory compliance!

It is important to understand ALL the costs of utility management and to work with proven experts to tackle your utility’s unique challenges. A life cycle cost analysis can provide you with a clearer picture of the true costs of new water and wastewater treatment and pumping systems and help you make cost-effective choices for your facility designs.

Read more at woolpert.com

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

patient financial journey
RevSpring Uses Data, Automation and Empathy to Improve the Patient Financial Journey – Better Outcomes for Patients, Less Burden for Providers
June 24, 2025

Healthcare providers are under increasing pressure to meet consumer expectations without adding an administrative burden. According to a survey conducted by The Harris Poll in June 2024, 18% of the 2,092 American adults who were surveyed had received an unexpected medical bill of $1,000 or more in the past year, and 50% said they would…

Read More
clean trucking technology
ACT Expo Highlights: Hammer Down Talks Clean Trucking Technology with Leaders from OneH2, Schaeffler, and WEX
June 24, 2025

In a special episode of Hammer Down, host Mike Bush hit the show floor at ACT Expo, one of the logistics industry’s premier events for sustainable transportation. The conversations highlighted real-world innovations and clean trucking technology accelerating the shift to a lower-emissions future. Prathamesh Dabholkar, Project Engineer at OneH2, discussed the company’s mobile hydrogen…

Read More
HVAC Industry
Women in HVAC: Pioneering Change in a Male-Dominated Industry
June 24, 2025

The HVAC industry is evolving, and with it, the roles within the sector are expanding beyond traditional boundaries. Amid rising tuition costs and strong demand for skilled labor, young people are increasingly choosing trade schools over a traditional college education. With such a shift highlighting the need for a more diverse workforce, the questions…

Read More
paypal's ecosystem
Tap into the Trust Revolution with PayPal’s Ecosystem
June 23, 2025

Discover how PayPal reshapes business communication in the AI era. With decades of AI advancements lacking formal agent interactions, PayPal for Business emerges as the trusted partner you need for secure, seamless transactions. Dive into transformative strategies that propel your operations forward. What You’ll Learn Revolutionizing AI Communication with PayPal Building Trust in a…

Read More