Tohopekaliga Water Authority
Tohopekaliga, Florida
Strategic planning is a key to being an effective utility, as described in the Effective Utility Attributes (U.S. EPA, 2007). When the City of Kissimmee divested its water department to form the Toho Water Authority, it was recognized that a strategic plan was needed to guide and align the organization to address its challenges and realize its opportunities. Five carefully and collaboratively selected key strategies were developed in the areas of customer service, water supply, workforce, infrastructure, and financial health. These strategies are also helping Toho to address the Attributes of an Effective Utility developed by the water sector in 2007 and 2008. Employing the Scan, Plan, Do approach has resulted in a viable Strategic Plan for Toho that is designed to accommodate continuous improvement. Toho used a proven process to develop a strong Strategic Plan that will serve to realize its vision for the future, consistent with the Ten Attributes of Effective Utilities. This Strategic Plan is proving to be a key to their success, now and in the future. Source: WEFTEC 2009 Proceedings
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Posted: July 6th, 2010 | Filed under: 100K-500K, Sanitary Sewer, Stormwater, Waste Water Treatment, Water Treatment | Tags: Improved Customer Service, Optimizing Organization, Strategic Planning | No Comments »
With today’s current focus on strategies to improve asset management and equipment reliability, it is critical performance measures using Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) data be used to analyze and prevent failures. By applying the basics of performance management, developing useful performance measures, and using a Balanced Scorecard, utilities can be more effective in managing their O&M processes. Following the steps set forth below and explained in detail within this paper can help organizations mitigate the complaints and concerns most often associated with their CMMS:
1. Performance Measures must align with an organization’s business strategy and vision.
2. A Balanced Scorecard approach provides guidance and enables Financial, Internal Processes,
Customer, and Employee Development measures to be balanced within an organizational
unit.
3. Employee buy-in and empowerment drive a successful performance measures program.
4. Basic data, process, and quality control must be in place to enable valid analysis and reports.
5. Performance measures based on failure analysis and prevention focus resources and help to
reduce costs by reducing reactive maintenance.
6. Building a utility-wide Performance Measurement Program drives implementation. Source: WEFTEC 2009 Proceedings
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Posted: July 6th, 2010 | Filed under: Sanitary Sewer, Stormwater, Waste Water Treatment, Water Treatment | Tags: Improved Customer Service, Optimizing Organization, Strategic Planning | No Comments »
City of Topeka
Topeka, Kansas
In 2004, the city initiated the development of a strategic Information Management Master Plan (IMMP) to guide their vision of implementing a more holistic and integrated enterprise-wide management and decision support system. Together, city staff defined the operational objectives and key performance indicators (KPI) for each division and mapped the work processes to achieve these objectives and KPIs. A gap analysis was then performed and recommendation developed for minimizing organizational constraints and improving the processes, data and information systems involved. This resulted in a five-year strategic IMMP for the department to adopt and implement. The strategic IMMP provides Topeka’s Public Works Department with a detailed, prioritized set of projects that the department move forward with. Through the recommendations implemented to date, Topeka can now access, analyze and report on information critical to managing the city more easily, which has resulted in increased efficiencies in data collection and retrieval, improved operations management and field execution, cost savings in annual software maintenance and updates fees, improved customer service and increased revenue from more accurate maintenance cost tracking. Source: WEFTEC 2009 Proceedings
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Posted: July 6th, 2010 | Filed under: Sanitary Sewer, Stormwater, Waste Water Treatment, Water Treatment | Tags: Cost Savings, Improved Customer Service, Optimizing Organization | No Comments »
Montgomery County Water Services
Dayton, Ohio
This paper provides an alternative approach to transactional change methods for public sector leaders seeking to transform organizations internally. Described is a summary of an ongoing, four year study that began in June, 2005 with Montgomery County Water Services (MCWS) in Dayton, Ohio. The objective was to implement an innovative plan called “The Iceberg Concept” to build authentic relationships and overcome internal barriers including, low trust, limited respect, poor accountability, teamwork and communication. This was done by developing teams, the leader’s vision, clear expectations, shared core values, a decision-making path, coaching and a strategic plan. Outcomes have shown a reduction in grievances, workers compensation claims, water service disruptions and customer complaints. Continuous improvements were observed in communication, teamwork, accountability, hiring, selection and management development. Based on evidence thus far, this approach will provide long-term benefits and cost savings to Montgomery County and others seeking to improve efficiency and effectiveness. Source: WEFTEC 2009 Proceedings
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Posted: July 6th, 2010 | Filed under: 100K-500K, Sanitary Sewer, Stormwater, Waste Water Treatment, Water Treatment | Tags: Cost Savings, Optimizing Leadership and Organization | No Comments »
City of Quincy
Quincy, Massachusetts
Facing a $4 million combined account deficit in its water and sewer departments, the City of Quincy, Massachusetts performed an end-to-end audit of all systems, procedures, and personnel assignments from financial, managerial, organizational, and technical standpoints. The audits started with the review of the master water meters receiving water from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority and ended with a revised abatement policy. Quincy executed a programmatic approach to modifying the manner in which it conducted business as sewer and water service providers, and increased the level of service to their customers; streamlined formerly cumbersome meter reading, data entry, and billing processes; and reduced its unaccounted-for water percentage and peak I/I flows. As a result, Quincy erased the projected deficit in one fiscal year, anticipating a surplus of $1 million. This situation is very common in municipalities across the country. Time constraints and budgetary concerns rarely allow for an overhaul of systems and processes. In this way, issues that may seem small when they first appear are allowed to snowball and become systemic problems across many of the utilities functions. The results achieved by Quincy in performing this audit and implementing changes based on the findings demonstrate the power of investing in comprehensive review of these processes and using a proactive and programmatic approach to bringing success to the municipally run utility. Source: WEFTEC 2009 Proceedings
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Posted: July 6th, 2010 | Filed under: 50k-100k, Sanitary Sewer, Stormwater, Waste Water Treatment, Water Treatment | Tags: Cost Savings, Optimizing Organization | No Comments »
City of Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
‘Best in Class’ is thrown about the industry as the ultimate goal for every operations and utility organization. It is an overused expression that carries an idea of excellence. Yet, that excellence is never quite defined. This paper will present an approach utilized by the author for achieving ‘Best in Class’ for the City of Atlanta’s Bureau of Wastewater Treatment and Collections which can be applied to any public sector utility. The paper provides a definition of ‘Best in Class’, and describes the supporting organizational composition and discusses the important role of leadership in achieving successful results. A review of the Bureau’s Strategic Plan and the $25 Million savings achieved from the two-year old strategy will be presented. Source: WEFTEC 2009 Proceedings
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Posted: July 6th, 2010 | Filed under: Sanitary Sewer, Stormwater, Waste Water Treatment, Water Treatment | Tags: Cost Savings, Improved Customer Service, Optimizing Organization and Leadership | No Comments »
Baltimore City Department of Public Works
Baltimore, Maryland
Grease and roots cause most back-ups and overflows in collection systems. Municipalities often have outdated plumbing codes and sewer regulations that were not intended to control the discharge of grease into the sanitary sewer. Enforcement of existing regulations is impaired by the lack of staff and resources. Frequently, root infested sewers are located in isolated, heavily wooded right of ways, with limited access. Baltimore evaluated available products and services, and selected grease and root-control chemicals that best suited for its collection system and treatment facilities. The City installed the necessary grease application equipment in six of the City’s Jet-Vac Trucks. Over the past three years Baltimore has taken a planned approach to implementing FOG and root control programs, an approach that relies on customer calls, CCTV inspections, and GIS. During the execution of the Root Control Program, the City realized that house laterals must be treated from the cleanout, and that a pre-application inspection was necessary to ensure the existence and accessibility to the cleanout. Tracking WOs and customer calls is an effective way to assess progress and to determine the effectiveness of these programs. Although Baltimore’s FOG and root control programs are in the early stages of implementation, WOs indicate that the programs are working as evident by a 47% reduction in grease-related WOs, and a 23% reduction in root related WOs. Source: WEFTEC 2009 Proceedings
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Posted: July 6th, 2010 | Filed under: Sanitary Sewer, Stormwater, Waste Water Treatment, Water Treatment | Tags: Collection System O&M Improvements, FOG Program Optimization, Root Control Program Optimization | No Comments »
City of Tavares
Tavares, Florida
Utilities must be prepared to respond to lift station emergencies. This can be accomplished by creating a Lift Station Power Failure Emergency Response Plan (ERP). This manuscript describes the City of Tavares, Florida, development of a lift station emergency response plan.
The main idea in developing an ERP is:
1.) To have all the information organized so that it can be easily located for reference, 2.) To cover all scenarios that could occur and would affect the operation of the wastewater collection system, 3.) To supply as much information as possible to facilitate effective and timely emergency responses, 4.) How to respond to real time flows and the levels of the equipment in the lift station, 5.) Creating the ERP is a team effort, 6.) The leader of the Team needs to have an analytical mind, be familiar with operations, but able to step back to take an unbiased overview of the system, 7.) Illustrations and tables are encouraged. ‘A picture is worth a 1,000 words,’ 8.) The emergency response plan is a living document, the plan needs to be updated so the most current information is available. It is recommended to place the date of any revisions in the footer of that page so when spot reviews are performed on the books, one can tell if the most current revisions have been included and 9.) Produce sufficient copies of the ERP, books should be issued to each operations personnel, dispatchers, utility supervisors, and other key personnel. ERPs can be tailored to the needs of the Utility of Municipality. ERPs are inexpensive to develop and can be one of the best resources for responding to an emergency. Source: WEFTEC 2009 Proceedings
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Posted: July 6th, 2010 | Filed under: <50K, Sanitary Sewer, Stormwater | Tags: Emergency Response Plan | No Comments »
Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority
Camden, NJ
The Camden County (NJ) MUA implemented a program to maximize solids capture at its treatment plant in order to optimize the quality of its influent, instead of just trying to meet the permit, in order to do its utmost to improve the water quality of the Delaware River
Metric Used: effluent concentration, tons of sludge captured, dissolved oxygen levels in our zone of the Delaware River, reduced odor complaints
Posted: December 23rd, 2009 | Filed under: 500K-1M, Sanitary Sewer, Stormwater, Waste Water Treatment | No Comments »
City of Eugene Wastewater Division
Eugene, OR
The Wastewater Division manages 600 acres of hybrid poplar trees, planted for nutrient uptake from biosolids which are irrigated on the tree plantation. The site can accept up to 2000 dry tons of biosolids on an indefinite basis under agronomic loading rates.
Metric Used: Lifecycle, Recycling, Beneficial Reuse
Posted: December 18th, 2009 | Filed under: 100K-500K, Stormwater, Waste Water Treatment | Tags: Beneficial Reuse, Lifecycle, Recycling, Waste Water Treatment | No Comments »