Industries can be defined by the requirements they must consistently meet. For the water industry, that requirement is to deliver safe, continuous supplies of water along with environmentally and economically sound reuse and returns of that water. For that to happen, water professionals must constantly perform a series of important tasks. From treatment and distribution to rates and customer relations—at the source, to the tap, and back again—there is a steady hum to the regular background work that's typically taken for granted.

And like other industries, the background work in water has a seasonality to it that overlays its prerequisites. In North America, water demands are commonly highest in summer months and drop off once outdoor watering diminishes. Pipes freeze and burst in the winter, yet most water supply challenges occur in the summer.

During my time as editor‐in‐chief, I've come to appreciate that the topics in Journal AWWA should reflect the seasonality of the water industry. There are constants too, like regularly encouraging thought and practice leaders to share their experiences with colleagues through articles that are interesting and useful. And there is always an underlying need to reinforce safety, innovation, and collaboration. The articles in Journal AWWA aim to cover as many topics as possible—as timely as possible.

But like most industry magazines, Journal AWWA is not very nimble because there are several months between when an article is submitted, when it is accepted, and when it is delivered, either online or in print. Even so, with the typical forecast of topics in mind, I try to anticipate what will be important to address in the pages of Journal AWWA. Sometimes this is hard. For example, computer hacks and security issues are random, but seasonal challenges can be anticipated. In the April issue, we've got to mention drought and water shortages, and it's a good idea to hit the topic again around July when the climate is the hottest/driest. The odds are good that there will be a drought somewhere in North America in the summer, especially as the extremes from climate change become more pronounced.

Likewise, we mention pipe breaks sometime around November to remind that soon there will be crews out in the cold making emergency repairs. So far, 2021 has been a bad year for this as extreme cold pushed far south into areas that were unprepared for it. In the end, many of the seasonal topics that drive the water industry are affected by climate change, so readers should understand that, for all its variations, resilience and adaptation are constant topics.

This month's issue features articles that address challenges from lead, manganese, and Legionella, and much more. Whatever the season or topic, if you are interested in submitting an article, please contact me at journaleditor@awwa.org.

可以通过行业必须始终满足的要求来定义行业。对于水工业，该要求是提供安全，连续的水供应，以及对环境和经济上无害的水再利用和回水。为此，水务专业人员必须不断执行一系列重要任务。从处理和分配到费率和客户关系-从源头到水龙头，再到回头-定期进行的常规工作通常都会被视为常有的嗡嗡声。

与其他行业一样，水中的背景工作具有季节性，可以覆盖其先决条件。在北美，夏季的用水需求通常最高，一旦户外浇水减少，用水需求就会下降。管道在冬天结冰并破裂，但是大多数供水挑战发生在夏天。

在担任主编期间，我逐渐体会到《期刊AWWA》中的主题应反映水行业的季节性。还有一些常数，例如定期鼓励思想和实践的领导者通过有趣且有用的文章与同事分享他们的经验。始终存在加强安全性，创新性和协作性的潜在需求。Journal AWWA中的文章旨在涵盖尽可能多的主题，并且要尽可能地及时。

但是像大多数行业杂志一样，Journal AWWA也不是很灵活，因为从提交文章，接受文章到交付文章（在线或印刷）之间需要几个月的时间。即便如此，在考虑到主题的典型预测的基础上，我尝试预测在AWWA杂志的页面上要解决的重要问题。有时候这很难。例如，计算机黑客和安全问题是随机的，但可以预见到季节性挑战。在4月号中，我们不得不提到干旱和缺水，最好在7月左右气候最热/最干燥的时候再次讨论这个话题。很有可能夏季夏季北美某个地方会出现干旱，尤其是在气候变化带来的极端后果更加明显的情况下。

同样，我们提到11月左右的某个时间会发生管道破裂，以提醒大家，不久将有工作人员在寒冷地区进行紧急维修。到目前为止，由于极端寒冷将南方推向没有做好准备的地区，因此2021年对于这一年来说是糟糕的一年。最后，许多推动水业发展的季节性主题都受到气候变化的影响，因此读者应该理解，尽管有各种变化，但抵御力和适应性始终是不变的主题。

本月的特刊以解决铅，锰和军团菌等挑战为主题。无论季节或主题如何，如果您有兴趣提交文章，请通过journaleditor@awwa.org与我联系。