City of Columbus Department of Public Utilities (DPU)
Columbus, Ohio
The water utility industry is facing significant challenges in these uncertain times. Many of these
business drivers have been around for some time but many are new or emerging and
now threaten business as usual and even the viability of utilities. Many water and wastewater
utilities have started asset management (AM) programs to answer these challenges; some have
been on the journey for a number of years. Large infrastructure deficits requiring huge amounts
of money needed for infrastructure replacement have caused many to rush into AM programs,
only to find that they have not realized the benefits they thought they would achieve and needed.
Some AM programs only affect a small portion of staff and staff functions that do not directly
impact the overall operation of the utility. Others have adopted comprehensive AM programs,
but are stuck in visioning and strategy or in implementation of AM areas that have limited
(obvious) benefits.
AM best practices include a broad range of activities, but the key aspects are: Asset Planning,
Setting Service Levels, Managing Risk to drive asset related decisions, Minimizing Life Cycle
Costs, and Managing Asset Related Knowledge. It is also about balancing Service Levels with
Cost, and is extremely important to involve people throughout the organization in the AM
process instead of making it simply a staff function. It requires the right organizational arrangements to sustain gains achieved as the program evolves. This paper provides a case study
on the City of Columbus Department of Public Utilities’ asset management journey and provides
useful tips and guidance to other utilities that are considering asset management or have already
started their journey.
Metric Used:
Posted: May 20th, 2011 | Filed under: >1M, Stormwater, Waste Water Treatment, Water Treatment | Tags: Effective Utility Management Practices, Improved Team Work, Improved Worker Morale, Organizational Sustainability, Plant Sustainability | No Comments »
Lee County Utilities
Fort Myers, Florida
Implementing a comprehensive asset management program with the traditional planning, design,
and implementation phases can typically take three to five years and cost millions of dollars.
Lee County Utilities (LCU) was determined to implement a comprehensive asset management
program to improve the management of their over $700 million dollars worth of assets but didn’t
want to wait over three years to see any meaningful results and wanted to minimize the costs as
much as possible. Because of this, Malcolm Pirnie and LCU formulated a fast track approach
that would complete the planning and design of the program in less than a year, would focus
solely on a small portion of the system, Waterway Estates, and would fully evaluate the small
pilot area in terms of asset condition, criticality, risk, renewal and replacement funding, and
potential rate impacts. This paper will outline in detail the pilot area approach steps and benefits.
Metric Used:
Posted: May 20th, 2011 | Filed under: 100K-500K, Stormwater, Waste Water Treatment, Water Treatment | Tags: Cost Savings, Improved Team Work, Improved Worker Morale, Organizational Sustainability, Plant Sustainability, Time Savings | No Comments »
Metro Wastewater Reclamation District (MWRD)
Denver, Colorado
In 2007, the Metro Wastewater Reclamation District teamed with Black and Veatch and Brown
and Caldwell to implement a Capital Project Management Program to manage expenditures
approaching $100M annually. As the Program began it was successful in managing many
elements across multiple areas, but over time delays began to occur in business process
improvement work and products. In order to address these problems, a best practices-based
strategic planning process was implemented to align the Program team around the Program
vision, reprioritize improvement efforts, and improve work process interaction among the team.
The ultimate goal was to establish a repeatable continuous improvement-based planning and
execution methodology to develop the annual Program Plan. Throughout 2009 the Program team
focused on implementing high priority initiatives and continuously measured performance on
objectives. The 2010 planning effort was much more efficient as the Program team embraced
this approach and adapted the lessons learned throughout 2009.
Metric Used:
Posted: May 20th, 2011 | Filed under: >1M, Stormwater, Waste Water Treatment, Water Treatment | Tags: Improved Communication, Improved Plant Efficiency, Improved Plant Performance, Improved Strategic Planning, Improved Team Work, Plant Optimization | No Comments »
Daphne Utilities
Daphne, Alabama
Through a process of management changes, employee engagement and adopting a performance
culture, a small utility transformed itself from near financial ruin to a utility known nationwide as
one of the best small companies to work for in America. By following the simple steps outlined
in this article, Utilities across the country can follow this model to build their own winning
workplace.
Metric Used:
Posted: May 20th, 2011 | Filed under: <50K, Stormwater, Waste Water Treatment, Water Treatment | Tags: Cost Effective Operation, Cross-Training, Employee Development, Improved Customer Relations, Improved Employee Morale, Improved Team Work, Improved Utility Management, Optimized Plant Operation, Plant Optimization | No Comments »