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
Columbus Water Works
2001 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance
Columbus Water Works (CWW), Georgia
- Provides water and wastewater treatment services to a population of about 250,000 in the 221 square mile Columbus service area and via wholesale accounts.
- 205 full-time employees.
- Source of water is the Chattahoochee River.
- Operates a water treatment facility rated at 90 mgd.
- Annual budget is $34.7 million of which $20 million is for operation and improvement of the system and $14 million is to retire debt.
Contra Costa Water District
2001 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance
Contra Costa Water District, California
- Provides water to approximately 430,000 people in Contra Costa County.
- Over $1.05 billion in assets, including a 100,000 acre foot reservoir, two regional water treatment facilities with a combined capacity of 115 mgd and a 1,000 miles of distribution piping and facilities.
- 320 employees.
- Annual budget of $169.9 million.
Des Moines Water Works
2001 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance
For more than 100 years, the independently operated Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) has been committed to supplying a safe and sufficient supply of drinking water to the residents of central Iowa. The largest drinking water utility in the state, DMWW currently services approximately 350,000 people. Through the years, changes have been implemented to improve water quality, increase water production, enhance and beautify the properties' landscape and provide educational opportunities for all ages. Some of the DMWW programs and projects include: a 1,400-acre park system used for watershed protection, picnics, walking, jogging, bike trails, flower beds and fishing; the Arie den Boer Arboretum; 200-acre Maffitt Reservoir, educational initiatives including a Water Wisdom newsletter for teachers; a DMWW Museum; an Urban Environmental Partnership to educate the public on the importance of water quality protection; a Volunteer Monitoring Project in the Raccoon River watershed; development of the Lime Sludge De-watering Facility; and Project H2O (Help-2-Others), a program to assist low-income households with the payment of water bills.
East Bay Municipal Utility District
2001 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance
The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) in Oakland, California, provides water service to 1.3 million customers and wastewater service to 610,000 customers. Despite rising inflation in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, EBMUD has met its strategic goal of keeping water and wastewater rates at or below the rate of inflation. The Capital Improvement Program is prioritized annually, investment is made in new technologies that increase efficiency and effectiveness, and the operating budget is continually reviewed for cost reductions. In 2000, EBMUD bought chemicals, pipe and other commodities through a single contract and entered into multi-year contracts to save over $1.5 million. At the same time, the utility promoted industry-leading programs in water conservation, water recycling, seismic improvement and water quality. EBMUD's 10-year, $189 million Seismic Improvement Program is internationally recognized for its proactive approach to seismic risk assessment and mitigation. At the program's halfway point, more than 200 critical facilities have been upgraded. Commitment to financial stability resulted in bond rating upgrades to AA and AA2, changes that will lower interest payments on new bonds by $5.5 million over 30 years.
El Paso Water Utilities
2001 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance
Continuous process improvement by a workforce focused on quality and customer service is the mainstay at El Paso Water Utilities. In four years, costs have been reduced by re-engineering the organization and enhancing technology. Staff was reduced more than six percent while the customer per employee ratio improved by 14 percent because of rapid growth in the customer base. In addition, human resources were improved with enhanced training efforts, greater employee empowerment and better safety training, and workman's compensation claims were reduced 30 percent. While the utility is rapidly expanding its infrastructure, it has not neglected renovation needs. About $12 million per year is dedicated to renovation projects. The renovation program, combined with an expanded leak detection program, helped reduce unbilled water from 14 percent to 11 percent over the past few years. Because El Paso Water Utilities serves an arid, water-short region, it established an aggressive water conservation program that resulted in a 20 percent reduction in per capita water use since 1990. The Utility continues to be one of the most efficient water systems in the Southwest, whether measured by its low rates, AA3 and AA bond ratings or workforce size.
Greater Cincinnati Water Works
2001 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance
The Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW) is a 162-year-old municipally owned utility serving over 950,000 people in a 400-square-mile area. In 2000, the utility supplied an average day demand of 133 million gallons of water through both surface water and groundwater treatment plants using 2,800 miles of transmission and distribution mains. In addition, as the billing agent for the primary sewer and stormwater utilities in Hamilton County, GCWW operates a multi-utility billing operation of approximately 225,000 accounts. In 1995, a five-year Strategic Business Plan (SBP) was implemented to lead GCWW closer to its vision of being a utility that will serve as a standard for excellence in the water utility industry and will remain extremely competitive. Various strategies in the SBP were designed to allow GCWW to assist the southwest Ohio region grow economically by providing a reliable supply of high-quality water and outstanding services in a financially responsible manner. Results of the most successful strategies include: surveys demonstrating that GCWW customers are extremely pleased with the service received; a review of chemical treatment processes that saved $100,000 annually; utilization of real-time electric pricing that saved over $290,000; reduction of 70 employee positions; and participation in an award-winning groundwater protection program.
Green Bay Water Utility
2001 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance
Since the 1970s, the Green Bay Water Utility has been committed to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of its service through teamwork and participation, a cultural change that impacted all areas &endash; from purchasing through design teams. The utility met increases in customers supplied, customer services offered and mandated programs without the need for an expanded workforce. Water quality was upgraded with the addition of ozonation to the utility's treatment train, main rehabilitation proceeded without the need for rate increases, and GIS will bring real time information to repair crews and customer service personnel. An upgrade of the utility's SCADA system will allow one person to control the entire operation from pumping stations to pressure control vaults. Billing and record-keeping software are also being upgraded to allow for more efficient data handling and a more timely response to customer inquiries.
Kansas City Water Services Department
2001 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance
Kansas City, Missouri Water Services Department (WSD)
- 240 mgd water supply capacity with 2,300 miles of water mains.
- Service population is over 600,000 within the Kansas City metropolitan area.
- Annual budget is $166 million.
- Employment of 970 associates.
Knoxville Utilities Board
2001 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance
The Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB) provides electric, gas, water and wastewater service to 387,000 customers in East Tennessee. A successful traditional utility since 1939, KUB recognized in 1993 the need to adapt to the rapidly changing environment. KUB began to redefine itself around four corporate objectives: do the basics better; focus on the customer; be environmentally responsible; and serve the community's growth. Reorganization was undertaken along functional lines instead of by separate utility services. Employees focused on finding innovative ways to improve business processes and hold operating costs down through process improvement, re-engineering and organizational development. One innovative tool to improve service and efficiency is KUB's pilot water plant. A working scale model of the main plant, the pilot plant tests treatment processes and technologies for less money, in less time, and without risking the quality of the public water supply. The competitiveness strategy has paid off. KUB's 2002 budget marks the seventh consecutive budget without a rate increase, and operating cost per customer is actually four percent less than 10 years ago. KUB is proud of its efforts to improve service and hold rates down while continuing to maintain the integrity of its systems.
Las Vegas Valley Water District
2001 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance
Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD)
- Largest municipal water purveyor in the state of Nevada serving over 890,000 individuals, plus over 30 million tourists per year.
- 919 employees.
- Annual operating budget exceeding $261 million.
- LVVWD manages a local water system comprised of 35 reservoirs, 44 pumping stations, 2,771 miles of pipeline with a maximum capacity of 600 mgd.
Little Rock Municipal Water Works
2001 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance
Little Rock Municipal Water Works
- Service population of approximately 360,000, and approximately 80,000 metered customers, including three other municipalities as master-metered customers.
- 203 employees.
- $22.2-million annual budget.
- Current treatment capacity of 124 mgd.
- System includes two water supplies, Lake Winona and Lake Maumelle; two treatment facilities; Jackson Reservoir, which serves as a regulating and emergency supply; 12 booster pumping stations; 15 water storage tanks; and 1,363 miles of pipeline.
Massachusetts Water Resources Authority
2001 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance
Massachusetts Water Resources Authority
- MWRA is the wholesale water provider to 60 communities and 2.5 million people in metropolitan Boston and central Massachusetts.
- MWRA provides about 250 mgd.
- In FY01 MWRA has 1576 employees and an annual current expense budget of $498 million.