Award Winners
Knoxville Utilities Board
2021 Sustainable Water Utility Management Award
Knoxville Utilities Board is the first-time winner of the Sustainable Water Utility Management Award. Knoxville Utilities Board makes the right investments in its utility systems and develops and promotes environmentally sustainable initiatives within its operations and through its programs. The utility participates in Green Invest, the City of Knoxville Mayor’s Climate Council, and the Water Quality Forum to continuously improve its commitment to environmental stewardship and protection of local water sources. KUB’s sound financial structure and management ensure al sustainability initiatives are well-funded and balanced annually.
Denver Water
2021 Sustainable Water Utility Management Award
Denver Water is a second time sustainable award winner. The utility strives to improve operations and protect its surrounding ecosystems and communities. The utility has formal goals to reduce carbon emissions, improve energy use to maintain net-energy neutrality, expand renewable energy resources, and improve green infrastructure. Denver Water has undertaken one of the largest public health initiatives in its history, a 15-year planned effort to replace 64,000 to 84,000 decades-old lead service lines owned by its customers. The utility also partners with government agencies to maintain and improve the burned areas of priority watersheds, including planting more than a million trees.
Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust
2021 Platinum Award for Utility Excellence
Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust meets the challenges of its growing region by providing quality water, wastewater, and solid waste management services to 1.4 million residents. The award-winning utility maintains strong financial policies, prudent cash management, and balanced debt management as evidenced in its 2020 AAA/Aaa ratings by Standard and Poor’s and Moody’s. The utility instituted a continuous improvement program for employment development, and in its first year the program achieved $1.7 million in operational savings from employee led Six Sigma Lean Green Belt projects.
Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority
2021 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance
Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority is the second largest supplier of drinking water in the state of Georgia. It is one of only a few utilities in the nation that has an organic AAA bond rating from all three major rating agencies and has won multiple awards from the Georgia Association of Water Professionals. Cobb County-Marietta has worked diligently over the last five years to reduce the number of pipeline failures, energy use, and per-capita consumption of water in its service area. Cobb County-Marietta also has a record of zero quality regulatory violations in the 11 years – setting high industry standards.
Houston Water
2020 Platinum Award for Utility Excellence
Houston Water provides drinking water and wastewater services to 2.3 million customers. Planning for sustainable, long-term utilities that are more resilient to the effects of climate change and other stressors, it is developing a strategic plan with the city’s stormwater utility using a One Water approach. Its focus on asset management has helped to reduce operational costs and has allowed for development of a risk-based prioritization of preventive maintenance. It actively engages with stakeholders to meet or exceed expectations and has reduced its customer response time by 96,000 days, increasing customer satisfaction by 73 percent.
Rochester Public Utilities
2020 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance
Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) has no water debt obligations and provides one of the lowest water rates in Minnesota. Its investment in mobile technologies and other efficiencies has resulted in more time spent serving customers. Over the past few years, RPU has collaborated with Rochester Public Works to plan joint replacement projects of aging infrastructure. The capital improvement plan includes the top 20 highest risk score water main sections being replaced in the next five years. As part of its sustainability study with state agencies, RPU protects groundwater sources to ensure long-term supply of drinking water while maintaining its precious natural resources.
Central Arizona Project
2020 Platinum Award for Utility Excellence
Central Arizona Project (CAP) leads and innovates in all aspects of its business. Through collaboration, CAP ensures resiliency and sustainability of the system, maintains water quality, improves stakeholder understanding and support, and puts customer service in the forefront. Its custom-developed programs and processes contribute to success in employee leadership and development, excellence in infrastructure strategy and performance, and an ever-evolving asset management program. CAP’s well-established financial planning cycle results in top bond ratings and award-winning work.
Great Lakes Water Authority
2020 Platinum Award for Utility Excellence
The Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) has been in continuous compliance with state and federal drinking water standards since its 2016 establishment. By optimizing operational efforts, it has experienced two rounds of rating agency upgrades by reaching AA category status in September 2018 and receiving further upgrades in March 2020. Focusing on collaboration and long-term sustainability, it boasts a 90 percent member partner satisfaction. It supports affordable programs and has kept its annual charge increases to less than half of its peers in the Black & Veatch Utility Rate Index. It achieved a systems-total of debt service savings of over $1 billion.
South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority
2020 Sustainable Water Utility Management Award
South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority (RWA) is focused on the long-term economic viability of its company, resources, and region. Periodic studies ensure its rates reflect the true cost of water and remain affordable. Internally generated funds finance the capital program and increase discretionary reserves. To preserve and protect the natural environment, RWA has robust land and water management programs, has reduced its energy use using renewable energy sources, and diverts hundreds of tons of treatment residuals from landfill disposal. Its education program provides free, hands-on programs to local schools, and its recreation program provides access to nine recreation areas.
Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority
2020 Sustainable Water Utility Management Award
Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority created a reliable, sustainable, and affordable water supply in southwest Florida and provides the infrastructure for business development and economic growth. Through partnerships the Authority invested in alternative water supply (AWS) and interconnecting the major water supply systems. The utility is a model in AWS development, implementing surface water storage by off-stream reservoirs and aquifer storage and recovery systems. Limiting water withdrawal to occur only during high flow periods provides the sustainability of the downstream estuary and Charlotte Harbor while meeting demands for public water supply.
New York City Department of Environmental Protection
2020 Sustainable Water Utility Management Award
New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) achieved progress in a broad range of sustainability-related factors, including: receiving a 10-year filtration avoidance determination for drinking water from the EPA in 2017, building the largest green infrastructure program in the country with over 10,000 assets spread across the city, achieving Envision and LEED certifications for multiple projects, and launching innovative and impactful rate payer assistance programs. DEP approaches these achievements with triple bottom line thinking that assesses and seeks to maximize the utility’s priorities of protecting health and the environment, supporting its constituents and communities, and benefitting the economy.
KC Water
2020 Sustainable Water Utility Management Award
KC Water implements sustainable management using green infrastructure solutions whenever possible as part of a 25-year, $5 billion program to mitigate adverse effects of its combined sewer system. The utility’s aggressive asset management program minimizes the cost and maximizes the benefit of infrastructure investments. KC Water relies on climate studies and other research to drive planning and execution of short-term operations and maintenance and long-term capital improvement programs, serving both immediate needs and generational impact. These initiatives have also saved treatment costs, delayed or avoided additional water and wastewater treatment expansion, and minimized risks to the water supply.