AWMA's 2008 Gold Awards for Exceptional Utility Performance were presented to:
- Fairfax Water
- Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority
- Prince William County Service Authority
- City of Salem Public Works Department
Fairfax Water provides water to one out of every five Virginians using public water. Through the use of ozonation and activated carbon filters, as well as other treatment practices, its water quality consistently surpasses all federal standards. The utility’s strategic planning process not only guarantees an active working document, but also insures a legacy of adequate water resources, financial soundness and environmental stability for the next generation.
The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority has successfully implemented projects to improve water and effluent quality, enhance customer service, improve operational efficiency, produce quantifiable results, foster employee and community involvement, increase cost-effectiveness and support environmental stewardship. The utility became the first in the nation to privatize a U.S. Navy water system when Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast awarded a contract to operate and maintain six water systems at Naval Air Station Key West.
Cooperation and teamwork have become standard practice at the Prince William County Service Authority in Virginia, where the focus of business is on customers and meeting their needs. The utility’s staff has significantly improved its use of data to track progress and find opportunities for improvement. This advanced all areas of the Authority’s business, including product quality, risk management, operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.
The City of Salem Public Works Department flattened its rate slope and implemented a cycle of two-year rate increases to ease the financial impacts on customers through efforts to trim and delay capital projects and invest in high priority projects that significantly influence the system’s efficiency. The Oregon utility reduced per capita demand through an aggressive water conservation campaign and postponed the need for further expansion of water treatment and delivery systems.