City of Tallahassee’s Underground Utilities
Tallahassee, Florida
Implementing an Environmental Management System program and achieving ISO 14001:2004 certification is a significant goal. Once achieved it becomes a milestone in the ongoing continual improvement management structure. This case study focuses on the EMS program in the City of Tallahassee’s Wastewater Treatment before and after certification, and how it provides the basic structure for future improvement programs. EMS program provides the basis for Utility Management. It does not end with achieving ISO 14001:2004 certification. It takes effort to maintain the program, but the benefits achieved far out weigh the efforts required. As a management system, it can help provide the structure needed to support management through reorganizations and maintain effectiveness during other major changes, such as the AWT project described herein. EMS is also the basis for integrating other Utility Management programs and makes them easier to implement. Past, Present and Future EMS provides the basis for continual improvement. Source: WEFTEC 2009 Proceedings
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Posted: August 27th, 2010 | Filed under: 50k-100k, Waste Water Treatment | Tags: Cost Savings, Environmental Impact, Maximize Sustainability | No Comments »
Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority
Camden, New Jersey
The Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority (CCMUA) operates an 80 million gallon per day wastewater treatment plant in Camden, NJ. The wastewater treatment plant, one of the largest in the State of New Jersey, is located within 100 yards of a residential neighborhood, known as the Waterfront South section of Camden City. Therefore, optimizing the wastewater treatment plant’s odor control performance is an absolute necessity to ensure that the plant does not interfere with the quality of life of the residents of Camden City. In addition, Camden City is one of the very poorest cities in the United States, and Waterfront South is the poorest neighborhood within Camden City. Therefore, it is even more morally imperative that the CCMUA do its utmost to not only, at a minimum, prevent causing adverse impact to its neighbors but also go beyond that and try to improve the residents’ quality of life in any way reasonably possible. This paper will demonstrate:
(1) that the CCMUA decided that implementing environmental justice, through the social mission described above, would be a core corporate objective for the organization.
(2) how the CCMUA used its Environmental Management System (EMS) to optimize odor control performance at the treatment plant, and
(3) how the CCMUA also implemented several other initiatives designed to improve the quality of life for the residents of Camden City. Source: WEFTEC 2009 Proceedings
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Posted: August 27th, 2010 | Filed under: 500K-1M, Sanitary Sewer, Stormwater, Waste Water Treatment | Tags: Cost Minimization, Environmental Impact, Improved Customer Relations, Maximize Sustainability, Optimization of Odor Control Performance, Optimization of Water Quality Performance | No Comments »
Palm Bay Utilities Department
Palm Bay, Florida
This paper describes the development of an Environmental Management System (EMS) named “GreenWay” to achieve strategic objectives and cost savings. The City of Palm Bay Utilities Department developed in an 18 month period an EMS that culminated in a third-party recommendation for ISO 14001:2004 certification without a major or minor deficiency. On August 4, 2008, the Palm Bay Utilities Department (PBUD) became the first water and wastewater utility in the state of Florida (public or private) to be ISO 14001:2004 registered. The Utilities Department also became the first water and wastewater utility in the nation to achieve independent registration of an EMS for all aspects of its organization immediately following an initial audit. Within one year of becoming certified, Palm Bay’s Water and Sewer Improvement Bond Rating was raised from an ‘A-’ to an ‘A’ acknowledging better resource management and lower investment risk in part due to an EMS. Source: WEFTEC 2009 Proceedings
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Posted: August 27th, 2010 | Filed under: 100K-500K, Waste Water Treatment, Water Treatment | Tags: Cost Savings, Environmental Impact, Maximize Sustainability | No Comments »