Effective Utility Management

AMWA and five other associations representing the U.S. water and wastewater sector, in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), released the Findings and Recommendations for a Water Utility Sector Management Strategy on May 8, 2007. Designed to advance effective utility management practices, the report culminated a 12-month effort focused on excellence in water and wastewater utility management.  Also released were support documents, including sample measures and resources and a fact sheet for utility managers.

 

Formalized in a joint Statement of Intent issued in May 2006, the Effective Utility Management Collaborating Organizations – the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA), American Water Works Association (AWWA), American Public Works Association (APWA),   National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), National Association of Water Companies (NAWC), the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and EPA – appointed a steering committee of 16 water utility leaders from across the country to develop recommendations for a joint water utility sector management strategy applicable to water, wastewater and combined water/wastewater utilities.

  

With input from two focus groups (see participants and agenda), the steering committee identified common challenges facing the water sector and explored barriers that can limit utilities from making management improvements. The report’s findings and recommendations include the definition of ten attributes of effectively managed utilities and keys to management success; developing a management “tool box” of training and other resources for interested utilities; and suggested sample performance measures to improve utility management across the sector.

 

On June 23, 2008, the EUM Collaborating Organizations and EPA released a series of tools designed to help water and wastewater utilities advance effective management practices to achieve long-term sustainability. The tools are based on the 10 Attributes of Effectively Managed Utilities and five Keys to Management Success.

 

These tools include the Effective Utility Management Primer for Water and Wastewater Utilities that is designed to help water and wastewater utility managers make practical, systematic changes to achieve excellence in utility performance. It was produced by water and wastewater utility leaders who also developed a series of suggested Utility Performance Measures focused on the Attributes to help utilities establish a performance baseline and begin to measure their progress.

 

In addition, the group released an online Resource Toolbox that contains links to key resources and tools.

 

Effective Water and Wastewater Utility Management Case Studies, a companion document to Effective Utility Management: A Primer for Water and Wastewater Utilities, provides concrete examples and “how to” assistance for utility managers through profiles of four utilities that successfully applied the Primer concepts and tools to advance effective management practices and achieve long-term sustainability. 

 

The document illustrates how four utilities used the Attributes and Keys, along with example measures and a self-assessment tool found in the Primer, to improve management operations, bring a crisp and cost effective focus to their initiatives, and supplement both their internal and external communications. Selected from a list of sixteen utilities from across the country, Columbus Water Works (Ga.), Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District (Wisc.), Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources (Ga.), and Massachusetts Water Resources Authority all faced a range of challenges in their management improvement efforts, and used the Primer concepts and tools to aid their efforts.

 

Overall, the experiences of the profiled utilities indicate that the Primer provides a highly cost effective and easy-to-implement set of tools and concepts for undertaking and improving upon existing utility management improvement efforts.

 

In addition to the case studies, there is a new interactive tool for using the Primer.  It is found on the online Resource Toolbox, a website that also contains links to key resources and tools.