Stretching 12 miles alongside Oregon’s scenic Pacific Coast Highway is the small seaside community of Seal Rock. While the tranquil coastal community serves as a retreat for seasonal residents, managing water services across the area is a year-round responsibility.

Located in the heart of Washington State’s Tri-Cities—also known as “Washington Wine Country”—Benton Public Utility District (PUD) serves more than 50,000 customers across Kennewick, Finley, Benton City, Prosser and outlying areas. While residents of this “year-round paradise” are known for a sense of fun and adventure, they want their electric utility to be serious about reliable and efficient service.

The days of the traditional gas utility are waning as companies streamline operations.

From its roots as one of the oldest towns in Washington, the City of Walla Walla has aged like a fine wine. Surrounded by vast vineyards from 120 different wineries, the area is well-known for its rich history, charm and overall appeal. Unlike wine, however, the aging process has hurt some of its infrastructure—including 200 miles of water pipelines.

Many water pipelines in the United States were installed in the early to mid-20th Century, with some systems still relying on cast-iron pipes more than 100 years old. Aging infrastructure stands as a critical challenge in the water sector for utilities across the nation, posing significant threats to the reliability and safety of water systems.

As the 12th largest U.S. city, Fort Worth, Texas, and its water utility is among the largest to use Xylem digital technology that has revolutionized their operations. Fort Worth Water successfully implemented Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) in its mission to ensure clean and affordable water to the growing city and foster water conservation.

India has a water distribution problem, brought about by climate change, rapid industrialization, a growing population and a water supply network that has not kept up with demand. Currently, the water supply is often rationed across different districts by “key turners,” who turn it off for hours a day.

As the foundation is set for smart city applications across the utility industry, the future of managed services seems boundless. With so many utility solution providers jumping on the managed services bandwagon, the key is to ensure utilities are entering into effective and efficient partnerships for successful outcomes.

The Gainesville Department of Water Resources is using technology to make good on their pledge to bring the best in service and quality to more than 58,500 residents and businesses in the city and surrounding area.

The City of Evans is located about an hour north of Denver. With approximately 20,000 residents and counting, the city is growing so fast that its newly-built Prairie Heights Middle School is already at capacity. Challenges with meter reads and billing will only get bigger as the population grows.

Silver Creek Water’s commitment to reliably track their customers’ water usage has led to their more than 40-year partnership with Sensus, a Xylem brand.

While water utilities are balancing daily operations, they’re also facing wide-ranging challenges that makes strategic planning, funding and technology even more important. Short-term solutions are no longer an option – solution longevity is a priority.