As if the news of the economy and America’s other woes weren’t bleak enough, today came word from the American Society of Civil Engineers that the country’s infrastructure report card shows a cumulative ranking of D. While there are many factors that go into compiling the grades and there are some who dispute the grading system, it’s fair to say that America’s infrastructure is far from a star student.

Patrick Natale, ASCE’s executive director, told CNN, “We’ve been talking about this for many many years. We really haven’t had the leadership or will to take action on it. The bottom line is that a failing infrastructure cannot support a thriving economy.”

Just as with any report card, part of its value is in providing a wake up call to areas that need extra attention in order to show improvement by the time the next report rolls around. The question those tasked with managing infrastructure face is what real actions can be taken to bring their community from a D to an A. Addressing challenges on a local level may have significant impacts that bring the entire country back to acceptable standards.

What action items are you taking, or can you take, to address the issue of infrastructure in your community?

Karaoke usually evokes images of wanna-be lounge singers belting out their version of “I Did It My Way.” But in Cambodia, karaoke is being used to educate citizens about the dangers of drinking untested well water. A story this morning on National Public Radio told of how villagers are “learning about safe drinking water through karaoke videos that combine stories of love with information about the dangers of arsenic and bacteria in some hand-dug wells.” The song featured in the story was between a husband and wife, with her praising him for digging her such a lovely well, and then both of them understanding that even a well that appears to produce clean water must be tested first.

The karaoke idea was the brainchild of an American living in Cambodia who overheard a woman singing the theme from the children’s program Barney to a small child. He realized that song can be a useful tool in relating information and making it memorable. Because karaoke is a popular form of entertainment in the country, he decided to combine the need for education about safe drinking water with the love of song. So far the impact seems positive.

What about you? What unusual but effective ideas can you share about reaching your community with the important news of safe drinking water or environmentally responsible wastewater treatment?

In our 24/7, always connected world – how would we carry on without cell phones and PDAs? But what happens if the call comes when you’re answering the call of nature? National Public Radio recently explored the topic of a certain kind of  dropped calls, the ones that get dropped in the toilet that is. People admitted to diving in after their devices on planes, trains, and even in a war zone. The general conclusion: it’s pretty gross, but sometimes you’ve got to do, what you’ve got to do. One woman drew the line at going after her phone in a porta-potty.

While it gave me something to chuckle about on my drive home, it got me to wondering – how many cell phones and Blackberries end up going through a treatment plant? And the even bigger question – how many of us would chase our phones down the toilet and then admit to it? If nothing else, it’s a conversation starter for holiday parties and family gatherings!

President-elect Obama announced last week that part of his economic stimulus plan will hinge on a massive infrastructure building program. It would reportedly be the largest public works program since President Dwight D. Eisenhower created the federal interstate system in the 1950s. Specifically the proposed Obama government spending program will include a renewed effort to make public buildings energy-efficient, rebuild the nation’s highways, renovate aging schools and install computers in classrooms, extend high-speed Internet to underserved areas and modernize hospitals by giving them access to electronic medical records.

With the reports in recent years of aging water and wastewater infrastruture that has reached the end of its useful life, it seems an infusion of federal dollars toward making those repairs and replacements could directly benefit public health in local communities, and in some cases even save lives. While there are many needs and limited funds, consideration of the water and wastewater industry may have merit. What do you think? Should water professionals raise their hands and call attention to the breadth of water and wastewater infrastructure needs prevalent across the country?

If your job were on the international Space Station, you could look forward after a hard day of space walks to enjoying a nice refreshing glass of your own recycled urine.  That’s the theory anyway, and NASA is working hard to get the technology right. A recent article in the Los Angeles Times details the astronauts’ attempts to get the system running properly. According to the Times, the urine processor makes up a section of the $154 million water recycling system that was delivered to the space station by Endeavour, and is crucial to providing drinking water for the space station’s crew. And you thought you had problems – imagine if your personal drinking water supply was hanging in the balance as you tinker with the mechanics of a device still in the experimental stage.

With a large contingent of Georgia Tech engineers onboard the Space Station – the largest number ever from one university, I’m told – the problem will no doubt be fixed. And beyond the obvious benefits to the thirsty astronauts, the technology could go a long way toward inching people of Earth toward another source of clean drinking water. The “yuck” factor still prevents a great deal of technology that could stretch our water resources, but as NASA has proven in the past, when the astronauts are doing it the rest of us are not far behind. Many of the technologies we use every day were first developed for space travel, including of course Tang (real proof that we’ll drink anything).

So at the Thanksgiving dinner table if conversation lags or Uncle Frank starts talking politics, consider the Space Station “urine to tap water” topic as a diversionary tactic. And if it works, sign off in authentic NASA style – mission accomplished.