Award Winners
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.
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.
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.
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.
Anaheim Public Utilities
2020 Sustainable Water Utility Management Award
Anaheim Public Utilities (APU) continues to achieve financial effectiveness by maintaining robust liquidity, minimizing long-term obligation, offering affordable and competitive rates in the face of COVID-19 pandemic challenges and rising water supply costs. APU employs data analytics to optimize decision-making, organizational performance, and capital project investments. The utility invested over $67 million in capital improvement projects to support long-term water system sustainability. APU consistently focuses on assisting customers and partnering with them to help the community prosper. Through rebate and incentive programs, Anaheim also achieved a 30 percent per capita water use reduction in 2020.
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.
Charleston Water System
2020 Sustainable Water Utility Management Award
Charleston Water System (CWS) established capital planning programs that ensure water and wastewater capacity, fire protection, and environmental and regulatory compliance requirements are fully met. It is the first combined utility in the U.S. registered in conformance with the Environmental Management System standards of ISO 14001. A dedicated source water manager maintains source water infrastructure, works with watershed stakeholders to address water quality and quantity concerns, and develops a source water protection plan. The CWS low-income assistance initiative supports customers in need through the Palmetto Community Action Partnership, and creation of a Citizens Academy program enhances customer education and engagement.
Contra Costa Water District
2020 Sustainable Water Utility Management Award
Contra Costa Water District (CCWD) is a state-wide leader in water affairs with a focus on preserving Delta water quality and developing regional water supply reliability. CCWD is committed to balancing operational expenditures, revenues, and debt service while investing in infrastructure assets; controlling operations and maintenance expenditures, while increasing water quality and customer service levels. The utility incorporates climate change considerations and resiliency into long-term planning, addressing vulnerabilities and investing in improvements that will increase sustainability. It has made significant investments in water use efficiency projects that have reduced total water use by over 30 percent since the late 1980s.
El Paso Water
2020 Sustainable Water Utility Management Award
The El Paso Water (EPWater) strategic plan objectives include strengthening financial viability, improving land and water management, increasing innovative solutions, and strengthening stakeholder partnerships. Its financial management is consistently recognized for its bond ratings, debt service, audits, budgets, and pricing structures. EPWater has developed aquifer storage and recovery, desalination, and future advanced water purification and importation projects, which contribute to a diversified water portfolio. Investments in flood control, water conservation, and open space preservation make EPWater a leader in environmental stewardship. The utility engages the community through payment assistance programs to help low-income seniors and low-income families financially impacted by COVID-19.
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.
Greenville Water
2020 Sustainable Water Utility Management Award
Greenville Water had the foresight to purchase watersheds in a high rainfall area, construct dams to develop reservoirs at favorable hydraulic gradients, and limit the access to its watersheds, ensuring a sustainable water supply for the next 100 years. The utility maintains a AAA financial rating from all three major rating agencies and a financial plan that supports daily operational needs and meets required debt services. Its asset management program promotes the continuous improvement of business processes, and its business services model optimizes employee efficiencies to benefit customers and billing partners. A robust watershed management plan supports resource management through strategic planning and partnership efforts.
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.