THE GREAT LAKES PRESERVE BLOG

In this month’s forum, we wanted to highlight two recent resources around everyone’s favorite topic: Artificial Intelligence! Advances in AI are all over the place, and at Moonshot Missions we are working hard to identify the best strategies, locations, and opportunities to bring artificial intelligence into the water sector. We’ve compiled highlights from a recent report sponsored by WEF and the American Water Works Association, as well as an overview of WEFTEC highlights su

Hello, Below you'll find the Great Lakes PRESERVE's September newsletter. PRESERVE is a collaborative initiative designed to support utilities in the Great Lakes region as they navigate shared challenges. Building on Moonshot Missions’s work in the region, PRESERVE provides a platform for peer-to-peer networking, knowledge sharing, and capacity building. Please take a moment to review our September 2026 edition attached, below, or at this public link. We'd love to hear from y

Utility Performance Management is officially “off the ground,” with our materials and method available on our website, in our Impact Report, and around social media. But how do you DO utility performance management, particularly as a smaller or underresourced utility? For this month’s blog, we wanted to take our members through the inception of UPM and into the way we see the “how to” come through the UPM Workshop Series. This blog is adapted from a presentation Moonshot Miss

Our attached partner newsletter highlights many of our summer updates. In each category, you'll see an update on our UPM Workshop Series. This exciting 6-part series guides participants step by step through the UPM process. Participants will complete 6 virtual sessions on various elements of our UPM levers and 2 in-person sessions on adaptive leadership, all culminating in a Utility Performance Management certificate, a prioritized capital project list, an integrated business

Welcome to the first edition of the UPM Stakeholder Newsletter. Thank you for your continued engagement, guidance, and support. Your insights and feedback are helping shape the development of Utility Performance Management (UPM) and strengthen Moonshot's PRESERVE network. Utility Performance Management (UPM) is a structured, data-informed approach that helps utilities align budgeting, operations, staffing, and capital planning to achieve cleaner water at a lower long-term cos

Please take a moment to review our July 2026 edition attached, below, or at this public link. We'd love to hear from you and thanks for being part of the Great Lakes PRESERVE! Links in this month's newsletter: Theme blog: https://www.moonshotmissions.org/greatlakespreserve/post/public-private-partnerships-p3-lessons-learned UPM Workshop Series: https://www.moonshotmissions.org/greatlakespreserve/event-details/upm-workshop-series. SWAN Recap: https://swan-forum.com/publicat

Please take a moment to review our May 2026 edition attached, below, or at this public link. We'd love to hear from you and thanks for being part of the Great Lakes PRESERVE! Links in this month's newsletter: Theme blog: https://www.moonshotmissions.org/greatlakespreserve/post/utility-performance-management Environmental Finance Center Network Multimedia Library: https://efcnetwork.org/multimedia/ NACWA Virtual Workshop: https://www.nacwa.org/conferences-events/events-archiv

Please take a moment to review our April 2026 edition attached, below, or at this public link. We'd love to hear from you and thanks for being part of the Great Lakes PRESERVE! Links in this month's newsletter: April blog: https://www.moonshotmissions.org/greatlakespreserve/post/exploring-the-benefits-of-state-revolving-funds The Building Blocks of Inventory webinar: https://www.wwdmag.com/storefront/webinar/21016135/on-demand-the-building-blocks-of-inventory Asset Managemen

In order to increase understanding of Utility Performance Management, we offer the following blog as an annotated version of the presentation George Hawkins has made to our partners and stakeholders new to UPM. Please email preserve@moonshotmissions.org if you have questions about how to implement UPM in your own work! UPM Origin Story As George Hawkins describes in his Linkedin post, the impetus for UPM as an idea really began in budget meetings during Hawkins’s time with DC

Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) can be a valuable tool for advancing Utility Performance Management by helping utilities address infrastructure needs, manage risk, and access innovative financing and delivery models. Paul Barthel, an experienced project manager currently working on the Fargo Metro Flood Diversion Program, joined us for “Public Private Partnerships: Lessons Learned” on July 23. Barthel helped our members consider the mindset that it takes to approach and del

Moonshot Missions CEO George Hawkins presenting a UPM Strategic Roundtable at the WEF/AWWA Utility Management Conference Last month, we talked at length about the hidden costs of deferred maintenance, and the importance of taking a big-picture approach to a utility’s planning and finances. This shift in mindset is at the core of Utility Performance Management -- a new way of thinking about the challenges utilities face. George Hawkins, CEO of Moonshot Missions, describes an i

Moonshot team members working on an asset inventory during a site visit This month’s blog is all about “The Hidden Costs of Deferred Maintenance” in the context of smaller utilities. Though paying for maintenance projects before they are needed can feel daunting or even unnecessary, getting maintenance projects taken care of now can ultimately save utilities lots of money in the future. We sat down with two of our key Moonshot team members to talk through the benefits of a pr

Please check your email for our March 2026 newsletter, or view the newsletter at this public link or below! Links in this month's newsletter: March blog: https://www.moonshotmissions.org/greatlakespreserve/post/exploring-the-benefits-of-state-revolving-funds Advancing Understanding of Data Centers: https://learn.wef.org/local/catalog/view/product.php?productid=292 SRF Infrastructure Financing: https://www.rcap.org/srf-conference/ Federally Funded Projects: https://www.wwdmag

This month’s theme is State Revolving Funds, an excellent option for small and mid-size utilities when it comes to infrastructure upgrades. Many utilities lack the resources and the capacity to apply for or prepare the materials needed for this opportunity. However, Moonshot Missions (Moonshot) has worked with utilities in various states to bridge this access issue and make long-term infrastructure upgrades possible. Rania Bashar, Senior Program Manager with Moonshot, shares

Please check your email for our February 2026 Newsletter, check out this public link , or read more below! Links in this month's newsletter: Theme blog: https://www.moonshotmissions.org/greatlakespreserve/post/considering-sustainable-infrastructure-with-anthony-kane-isi ISI webinar portal: https://sustainableinfrastructure.org/upcoming-webinars/ Federal Policy Wrap Up Info: https://www.wef.org/events--education/webcasts/upcoming-webcasts/2025-federal-policy-wrap-up-webcast/

The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) works with tangible frameworks and step by step verification processes to help utilities ask the right questions to meet their sustainability, operational and community goals. The Institute is a product of collaboration between the American Public Works Association (APWA), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC). We had the opportunity to meet with Anthony Kane

A public link can be found here , but check your email for our January 2026 newsletter on "Inflow and Infiltration Reduction." Links in this month's newsletter: Great Lakes PRESRVE Press Release: https://www.moonshotmissions.org/post/new-peer-led-initiative-of-great-lakes-utilities-to-strengthen-water-quality-and-financial-resilienc I&I Webinar Part 1: https://tapin.waternow.org/resources/understanding-inflow-infiltration-causes-impacts-and-solutions-pt-1-webinar/ I&I Webina

Check out the MMSD website for more information on public outreach for these I&I programs Inflow and infiltration (I&I) can be a major concern for wastewater utilities and their collection systems. I&I is the main reason why basement backups and sewer overflows occur. Addressing I&I is particularly critical in regions like the Great Lakes, where utilities are already experiencing more frequent and intense wet-weather events. This shifts the focus from cost savings to risk m

A public link can be found here , but check your email for our December 2025 newsletter on "Looking forward, Looking back." Links in this month's issue: December blog: https://www.moonshotmissions.org/greatlakespreserve/post/looking-forward-looking-back-with-the-moonshot-missions-facilitation-team Communicating the True Cost of Water: https://store.awwa.org/product/44361 Michigan EGLE PFAS Summit: https://egle.idloom.events/2025-PFAS-Summit What Operators Need to Know:...

2025 has been a big year for the Great Lakes PRESERVE! We finally got the community of practice up and running, hosted our first in-person meetings, and have worked to create an online community as well as relevant and timely events and resources for our incredible members. We wanted to start our blog with a recap/reminder of where we started, in terms of advice and goals from each of our Moonshot team members. George Hawkins, CEO and Sponsor of Great Lakes PRESERVE, had th