Regardless of Circumstances Cities are Always Planning
By AMWUA Staff
While the uncertainty of returning to “business as usual” lingers, the delivery of essential services by your cities have never stopped. Throughout this time of unknowns, cities have continued to provide seamless services in many areas, including public safety, sanitation, transit, recycling, streets, and of course, water and wastewater services.
With the continually evolving circumstances, municipalities have had to adjust how their services were being managed and delivered. City staffs have been working diligently to provide these critical services while safeguarding the health of employees and the public during this pandemic. Work schedules were adjusted to reduce risk and protect the staff members who needed to continue working on-site to make sure all essential services went uninterrupted. Other employees have been able to work remotely to provide other fundamental programs and services such as customer service support to residents and businesses. Overall, every effort has been made to continue city services during this time by shifting many of them to an online platform for such things as payments, accessing vital information, permits, tax, and licensing. Also, many city programs have transitioned into a virtual format to allow residents access while protecting the safety of all involved.
The cities always plan for unpredictable and unforeseen circumstances and therefore were prepared for COVID-19 because they had established protocol and emergency plans, so critical operations such as water and wastewater services would continue to function as usual. As this situation remains fluid and with uncertainty about what the future holds, the cities have been enhancing and adjusting their plans to ensure measures are in place to continue to address this and any other emergencies that may arise. The ten AMWUA cities, which collectively provide water to 3.5 million people, regularly collaborate among themselves as well as belong to Arizona’s Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network, which offers ways for utilities to support each other in unique situations like a pandemic.
With this long-term planning and with thanks to the dedication of essential workers, your tap water continues to remain as safe as always throughout this COVID-19 situation. The AMWUA cities are still taking the numerous actions they always take to ensure safe drinking water is delivered to your tap every day, including utilizing chlorine disinfection, which is extremely effective in removing and killing pathogens and viruses.
As we collectively navigate these unprecedented times and continue to move forward, remember that your city remains your best source of information on programs and services, so visit their websites and social media platforms for updates often. In the meantime, stay safe and healthy!
For over 50 years, the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association has worked to protect our member cities’ ability to provide assured, safe, and sustainable water supplies to their communities. For more water information, visit www.amwua.org.
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