Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance
The Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance recognizes member water systems that exhibit high levels of performance in the areas of product quality, customer satisfaction, employee and leadership development, operational optimization, financial viability, community sustainability, enterprise resiliency, infrastructure strategy and performance, stakeholder understanding and support, and water resource sustainability. These are the ten Attributes of Effectively Managed Utilities identified in 2007 by a blue ribbon panel of water and wastewater utility executives.
Any AMWA member utility that has never won a Gold Award is eligible to apply for the Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance.
- Example Gold Award-Winning Application
Recent Award Winners
Beaver Water District
2013 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance
Beaver Water District’s focus on performance measures has improved its bottom line, making operations more efficient and sustainable while engaging employees. Operations and cost savings were improved through programs such as oil analysis and electrical load shedding. Refinancing long-term indebtedness reduced annual debt payments by more than $2 million per year. Creation of a stakeholder group, and the resulting Beaver Watershed Alliance, focused regional efforts on protecting Beaver Lake, the District’s only raw water source. The District also built a LEED Gold Administration Center that includes a Water Education Center for educational efforts on drinking water, source water protection and sustainable practices.
City of Dayton Water Department
2013 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance
Since 1955 the City of Dayton has received national recognition as a Groundwater Guardian Community. The City of Dayton Water Department works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and has implemented numerous projects for recycling and to reduce energy usage. The City reclaims 800,000 gallons of water softening residuals daily and converts these to calcium oxide for water softening. The Water Department has established a successful Leadership Development program for employees and is developing a Water University Program. In 2011, the Water Department completed an assessment of its baseline conditions. Critical deficiencies were corrected, optimization projects were scheduled and a $180 million infrastructure improvement project was launched.
City of Mesa Water Resources Department
2013 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance
The services provided by the City of Mesa Water Resources Department underlie the functioning of the local economy, enable public health and safety, protect the environment and provide for quality of life. Achievements include the development of a strategic plan emphasizing the use of performance measures that lead toward effective utility management. The organization focuses on water quality, superior customer service, asset management, sustainability projects that protect the environment and insistence on operational efficiency. Mesa Water highlights reduction of electrical usage for treatment facilities and reduction of O&M costs per capita compared to the national median.
City of Raleigh Public Utilities Department
2013 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance
In 2010 the Raleigh City Council created a Water Utility Transition Advisory Task Force to shape the City of Raleigh Public Utilities Department’s business model to reflect a sustainable strategic plan. Key to the Task Force’s recommendations was the requirement that the Public Utilities Department develop and implement a strategic plan based on the Effective Utility Management principles. Areas of improvement were organized with assigned champions. Management has been realigned to facilitate plan implementation and to provide new perspectives on workflow efficiencies. Major initiatives include employee leadership and development, operational optimization, infrastructure stability, regulatory compliance and planning for growth.
City of Virginia Beach Department of Public Utilities
2013 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance
The City of Virginia Beach Department of Public Utilities (DPU) has implemented a robust Asset Management Program with a formal CIP planning process, and cross-divisional teams lead the program’s implementation. All asset data is managed centrally within the GIS and CMMS; asset condition and criticality assessment has been implemented for all water assets, and O&M Best Management Practices are in place. DPU leveraged existing technology to continuously track and report performance measures; monitor, collect, and test water samples for water quality compliance; and actively engage customers through its website and newsletters – all while maintaining its AAA bond ratings.
Denver Water
2012 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance
Denver Water is committed to delivering a high-quality product, operating with excellence and efficiency, developing employees’ skills and using specific metrics to track performance. It has engaged in comprehensive watershed protection efforts and asset management programs. To prepare for an uncertain future, it uses scenario planning to evaluate potential water supply futures and collaborates with federal, state and local officials to prevent, prepare for and recover from emergencies. The utility partners with regulatory agencies to ensure it uses practical approaches to protect public health and the environment. Its financial position is strong, with solid cash reserves and excellent credit ratings.
Grand Strand Water and Sewer Authority
2012 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance
Grand Strand Water and Sewer Authority focuses on priorities of product quality, customer satisfaction and financial viability. The major goal of its strategic plan is expanding high quality water service throughout the region, while maintaining a reasonably low cost and stable rate structure. The utility continues to grow revenues, contain costs and keep rates stable while it increases its focus on community sustainability and broadens the scope of its service areas. As part of an economic partnership the utility is developing a marine park on its property located on the Waccamaw River/Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.
Macon Water Authority
2012 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance
Macon Water Authority has focused on being a truly progressive, proactive and community-centered partner with residents and businesses. Areas of focus include: community involvement, such as land donations, park creation, financial support for industry development and environmental stewardship of local rivers; revamping of Customer Care and Field Services; voluntary development of a watershed protection plan; proactive leadership roles in regional planning, both economic and environmental; proactive approach to asset management, including a full mapping of assets and a GIS focus; valve exercising, manhole rehab and meter replacement projects; a long-range water audit program to ensure all water production is properly accounted for; strong financial stewardship and planning; and annual financial support for the Macon/Bibb County Industrial Authority.
Suffolk County Water Authority
2012 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance
Suffolk County Water Authority maintains a state-of-the-art laboratory that goes beyond regulatory requirements to ensure the water it delivers is of the highest quality. Fiscal management is strong, as evidenced by its current bond ratings of AAA and AA+ issued by Fitch and Standard & Poor’s, respectively. The management team makes the utility more efficient, transparent and accountable through the creation of annual goals and objectives, finding creative sources of alternative revenues and cutting expenditures not core to its mission of providing the highest quality water at the lowest possible price. The utility embraces new technologies, actively participates in protection of its sole source aquifer and strives to provide exemplary service to customers.
Arlington Water Utilities
2011 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance
Arlington Water Utilities (AWU) places an emphasis on long-term financial stability and managing assets through continuous process improvements. The utility works closely with the community to strengthen its commitment to environmental issues through collaborative outreach projects such as the Lake Arlington Master Plan, developed in collaborative effort with stakeholders to protect the ecology and water quality of the area for decades to come. AWU has initiatives such as the online water quality monitoring project, which provides the city with the dual benefits of water quality monitoring and a more timely detection and response to drinking water contamination incidents from both operational and intentional sources.
South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority
2011 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance
The South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority (RWA) is achieving its mission to provide high quality water and service at reasonable cost while advancing watershed land conservation in the face of sharply reduced industrial water needs and gradually declining residential demand. Its strategic plan transforms its culture to greater agility and efficiency. RWA customers enjoy water that surpasses state and federal standards, and the utility is committed to assiduous maintenance of its infrastructure. Systems, such as supervisory control and data acquisition and hydraulic modeling, and the Incident Management plan, which encompasses hazard-specific emergency response and recovery plans, document institutional knowledge and buffer employee attrition.
WaterOne
2011 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance
At WaterOne (Water District No. 1 of Johnson County), completion of a state-of-the-art treatment facility and laboratory in 2010 positions the utility to meet the needs of current and future customers. Attention to operational optimization and efficient use of resources is seen in innovative energy savings software and unique pipe-bursting equipment to replace water mains. The success of WaterOne’s strong concentration on training, wellness and safety results in a healthier work force and advancement of its employees. Through careful financial planning and fiscal responsibility, WaterOne enjoys support from ratepayers for new projects and has been awarded high bond ratings.