Outsourcing water treatment can alleviate the strain of skilled labor shortages in the water industry
Every community needs access to safe drinking water and sanitation. As a result, there are thousands of water and wastewater treatment plants across the United States, employing approximately 1.7 million workers.
However, 85% of water and wastewater treatment plants employ fewer than three people, with the majority — particularly those in rural areas — employing just one or two. Should one of these employees leave or need time off due to illness or injury, staff capacity could be instantly reduced to the point that it damages the ability to provide essential services.
A Major Challenge
Water industry workers with the necessary experience are in high demand.
The American Water Works Association’s 2024 State of the Water Industry report has identified workforce shortages as one of the Top 10 challenges currently facing the water industry. As many experienced water professionals reach retirement age, replacing them with new recruits is proving difficult due to rapidly changing skill sets and low compensation. Evolving technologies — such as digitized smart water systems — require a tech-savvy workforce, but many workers lack the required expertise since their experience is in managing, operating, or maintaining outdated systems.
One solution to this growing challenge is to outsource water treatment services to industry professionals.
Outsourcing: A Lifeline for Struggling Utilities
Public-private partnerships (P3s) can help address water utilities’ staffing shortages and workforce concerns. In P3 contracts, a public utility outsources the ownership and day-to-day management and operations of a plant to a private company that specializes in water treatment. Depending on the specific type of contract used, ownership of the asset may transfer to the utility at the end of the term. In the meantime, the utility receives water or treatment services at a competitive set rate.
By partnering with a team of experienced service providers, the utility no longer needs to hire experienced in-house staff to take care of plant operations and maintenance. The private water company hires and trains its own staff, alleviating the water utility of the human resources burden.
An All-Inclusive Water Treatment Solution
Seven Seas’ Water-as-a-Service® (WaaS®) uses contracts such as build-own-operate (BOO) and build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) to offer a range of financial benefits. WaaS® eliminates the need for upfront capital to finance water infrastructure projects and is designed to reduce operating costs, including those related to the workforce.
Under WaaS® agreements, the public partner no longer has to worry about hiring, training, and managing workers. WaaS® partnerships can help water utilities improve operational efficiency while ensuring continuity of services in the current landscape of labor shortages.
In a WaaS® partnership, Seven Seas will design, build, operate, update, and maintain a water or wastewater treatment plant, taking care of plant operations, including monitoring, maintenance, and system upgrades.
Partnering with Seven Seas not only reduces the burden on internal teams but also gives you access to the latest technologies, operated by trained professionals. The integration of advanced automation systems, monitoring solutions, and smart infrastructure reduces manual labor requirements, making the systems more efficient, thereby reducing costs.
When you transfer staffing responsibilities to Seven Seas, we handle the recruitment, training, and management of technical staff, taking this burden off your hands, while assuring your treatment plant is managed by a team of skilled professionals.
With a Seven Seas WaaS® partnership, utilities can focus on strategic initiatives and core goals rather than getting bogged down in operating and maintenance staffing.
Don’t Let Staffing Shortages Put a Damper on Your Water Supply
While the shortage of skilled water professionals has led to workforce challenges in the industry, Water-as-a-Service® partnerships and BOO agreements offer a solution. Contact Seven Seas to learn more about our public-private partnerships, and how they provide access to a team of water professionals with a broad range of expertise in the water industry.