You sip a glass of iced tea as you sit on the patio and watch the kids play tag in the soft, green grass. You think about the fact that so many of your family's best memories -- of summer picnics, Easter egg hunts, and even a small wedding -- were made in this backyard.

At 5:12 p.m., Lenny Carrasco checks the calibration of the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition program, which is used to monitor and control the water system remotely via laptop computers. Moving water from the source to the customer requires large, powerful pumps. The ones that Lenny is checking are equipped with a unique variable-frequency drive, which causes them to speed up or slow down automatically based on customer demand. This ensures that customers receive steady, consistent water pressure. Why should this matter? Because it helps ensure that the farthest corners of your lawn will get water, even if you turn the sprinklers on at the same time as everybody else in your neighborhood.