Strategies for Addressing Aging Infrastructure and Workforce Challenges in Water Distribution Systems

This dissertation focuses on identifying steps water utilities can take to either prevent or manage the effects of the aging water workforce and aging distribution systems. In particular, career education and outreach, leak management, and mitigation of arsenic contamination in aging systems are discussed. Chapter 1 is a brief introduction to issues posed by aging workforce and infrastructure workforce challenges in these contexts. Chapter 2, titled "Train the Trainers: Do Researcher and Professional Collaborations with Teachers Increase Student Career Interest?--A Mixed Methods Study" was accepted by Journal of STEM Outreach and investigates methods for increasing student interest in careers within environmental engineering and the water sector. Chapter 4 is under submission and is titled "Sample-Informed Arsenic Spike Prediction in a Hungarian Drinking Water Distribution Network Using Machine Learning." Chapter 3 has been published in AWWA Water Science and is titled "Delayed pipe replacement halves environmental impacts but quadruples water loss." Chapter 3 covers the life cycle impacts of pipe replacement on environmental and health factors and provides suggestions for effective management of leaks and aging pipes. Chapter 4 focuses on identifying pathways of arsenic contamination in drinking water distribution systems and methods for abating consumer exposure to arsenic. Chapter 5 summarizes the conclusions of the dissertation and provides recommendations for future research.