In an upbeat, thought-provoking keynote address, Kathryn Sullivan, Administrator of the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration (NOAA), set the perfect tone for AMWA’s 2016 Executive Management Conference in October in Scottsdale, Arizona. As leader of what she calls “America’s environmental intelligence agency,” Sullivan addressed the need to bolster science for new realities in decision-making with data that gives “the pulse of the planet in real time.” NOAA’s Water Initiative includes enhanced observation, accelerated R&D, advance prediction, sharpened service delivery, strengthened decision support and strategic partnerships, she said. Sullivan also commended AMWA’s work with NOAA on the Water Resources Dashboard to deliver the National Water Model that is the first product of NOAA’s new National Water Center.
An insightful session on community engagement featured San Diego County Water Authority GM Maureen Stapleton and Scottsdale Water Quality Director Suzanne Grendahl, who outlined their utilities’ distinctive approaches to Citizens Academies, initiatives to support their agencies’ goals, develop a strong business/community voice in water issues and enhance their communities’ knowledge of water issues. Rosemary Menard, Water Director for the City of Santa Cruz, shared the success story of the city’s Water Supply Advisory Committee, which was established to forge community agreement about a water supply solution while rebuilding trust and credibility between the city, the water department and the community.
Building the next generation workforce was addressed by Cedric Grant, Executive Director of the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO). To overcome the challenges of outdated technology, civil service, untrained workforce and defined benefit program funding, Grant re-engineered the utility’s hiring, workforce management and compensation processes. In partnership with the General Electric Foundation and a local community college, a $1.5 million grant will be used to train 75 entry-level workers and 60 advanced-level workers for SWBNO over a two-year period.
Gary Brown, Director of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, took on the hot topic of affordability and made the case that his utility has perhaps the most compassionate water affordability program in the nation. Following recommendations of a Blue Ribbon Panel on Affordability, the city will use $40 million over the next 10 years to provide benefits including freezing arrearages for 12 months, providing $25 monthly bill credits for a year, providing up to $700 toward past due balances and performing water conservation audits with up to $1,000 in minor home plumbing repairs.
Angela Licata, Deputy Commissioner in the Bureau of Sustainability at the New York Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), described her utility’s “hunt for appropriate rate structures” that adapt to changes in government funding sources, increasing population with decreasing demand, uneven income distribution, rising rates and stagnant incomes, system and debt service costs, legal mandates and capital investments. She said DEP’s current rate structure analysis focuses on an asset recovery fee study and a stormwater fee study. Drivers include revenue stability, affordability, equity and conservation, and challenges include stakeholder buy-in, legal authority, integration with the DEP billing system and resources.
A panel of IT professionals from the Water and Wastewater CIO Forum pulled back the curtain on the opportunities and business value of cloud computing, big data and analytics in the water sector. Denver Water CIO Chris Dermody provided a plain English introduction to the cloud, its connections with the internet and SCADA, and its value proposition – including energy efficiency, scalability, security, redundancy, total cost of ownership and service level agreements. On the topic of big data, New York City DEP CIO Cecil McMaster used two data sets – water meter data and 311 customer service data – to show its use to answer questions about performance, processes and problems. Tom Miller, Director of Information Technology at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, addressed data centers and explained MET’s considerations in establishing and locating primary and backup centers using cloud-based EMIS (Environmental Management Information System).
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Find Conference PowerPoint presentations at www.amwa.net/presentations (log-in required).