Connecting Pre-Existing Characteristics of Water Utilities to Impacts during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Publication: Construction Research Congress 2022
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way societies operate. Consequentially, the public, businesses, and industry used water differently, leading to changes in overall demand, along with spatial shifts in use. These changes stressed US water utilities, as they had to implement social distancing policies, adjust to changing revenues, and create customer assistance programs. The capabilities and characteristics of water utilities vary throughout the US, which may impact their resilience. Here, we aim to understand which pre-existing characteristics of water utilities may have led to resilience during the pandemic using results from a qualitative analysis of interviews with 27 US utilities conducted during 2020. We searched for statistical associations between utility characteristics (e.g., population dynamics, geographic location) and the challenges or changes experienced during the pandemic. Results of this study reveal the possible operating environments that increase the resilience of pandemic-induced shocks and help utilities prepare for future pandemics or population dynamics.
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Construction Research Congress 2022
Pages: 249 - 258
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Published online: Mar 7, 2022
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