2018 Utility Honorees Utility of the Future Today
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2018 Utility Honorees Utility of the Future Today With Support From 1 For the third year, the partnership of water sector organizations - the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), the Water Environment Federation (WEF), the Water Research Foundation (WRF), and the WateReuse Association – with input from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – proudly announce the 2018 Utility of the Future Today (UOTF) Recognition Program recipients. The 2018 program celebrates the exceptional performance of 32 public and private water resource recovery facilities across the U.S. and around the world selected by a peer committee of utility general managers and executives for innovation in community engagement, watershed stewardship, and the recovery of resources such as water, energy, and nutrients. The recipients were recognized and honored during an October 2, 2018 ceremony held in conjunction with WEFTEC 2018 in New Orleans ⎯ WEF’s 91st annual technical exhibition and conference⎯ as well as a number of commensurate events sponsored by the partners. The recipients receive a display flag (below) and a special certificate to further identify and promote their outstanding achievement as a Utility of the Future Today. The UOTF concept was introduced in 2013 to guide utilities of all sizes toward smarter, more efficient operations and a progression to full resource recovery with enhanced productivity, sustainability, and resiliency. Since then many utilities have successfully implemented new and creative programs to address local wastewater and water technical and community challenges. The Utility of the Future Today Recognition Program seeks applications from national and global water systems that are transforming operations through technology, communication and innovative solutions and that have performance results as evidence. Innovation and technology are foundational criteria for this recognition and are the basis for providing a distinction between well-run utilities and those going beyond traditional operational practices toward visionary performance. Since 2016, the partnership has honored 105 utilities meeting the criteria of the UOTF Today Program. The partnership will continue to seek organizations that build on their success by celebrating their advancements and experiences, and by encouraging the adoption of the UOTF principles which enable organizations across a broad range of capacities and capabilities to collaborate, learn and continue to evolve as a unified sector. 2 Table of Contents The Utility of the Future Today Joint Partnership 4 Program Background, Purpose and 3-Year Success 5 Beckley Sanitary Board Beckley WV 7 Benton Harbor St. Joseph Joint Wastewater Treatment Plant St. Joseph MI 13 Carroll County Water Resources Coordination Council Westminster MD 19 Charlotte Water Charlotte NC 24 City of Detroit Water and Sewerage Department Detroit MI 27 City of Fayetteville Fayetteville AR 32 City of Grandville Clean Water Plant Grand Rapids MI 38 City of Tallahassee Tallahassee FL 44 City of Wooster Utilities Wooster OH 48 Clean Water Services Hillsboro OR 51 Columbus Water Works Columbus GA 56 DC Water District of Columbia DC 64 Delta Diablo Antioch CA 72 Evesham Municipal Utilities Authority Marlton NJ 78 Fort Wayne City Utilities Fort Wayne IN 81 Houston Water Houston TX 87 Kenosha Water Utility Kenosha WI 93 Lafayette Renew Lafayette IN 97 Massachusetts Water Resources Authority Boston MA 103 Metro Wastewater Reclamation District Denver CO 107 Napa Sanitation District Napa CA 114 Queensland Urban Utilities Brisbane Australia 118 Region of Waterloo Kitchener Ontario Canada 126 Renewable Water Resources Greenville SC 131 Spokane County Environmental Services Spokane WA 136 St. Cloud Public Utilities St. Cloud MN 142 The Great Lakes Water Authority Detroit MI 146 Toho Water Authority Kissimmee FL 151 Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission Laurel MD 157 Water Environment Services Oregon City OR 161 Western Monmouth Utilities Authority Manalapan NJ 168 Western Virginia Water Authority Roanoke VA 172 3 The Utility of the Future Today Joint Partnership About WEF The Water Environment Federation is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization of 34,000 individual members and 75 affiliated Member Associations representing water quality professionals around the world. Since 1928, WEF and its members have protected public health and the environment. As a global water sector leader, our mission is to connect water professionals, enrich the expertise of water professionals, increase the awareness of the impact and value of water, and provide a platform for water sector innovation. To learn more, visit www.wef.org. About NACWA For nearly 50 years, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) has been the nation’s recognized leader in legislative, regulatory and legal advocacy on the full spectrum of clean water issues. NACWA represents public wastewater and stormwater agencies of all sizes nationwide. Our unique and growing network strengthens the advocacy voice for all member utilities, and ensures they have the tools necessary to provide affordable and sustainable clean water for all. Our vision is to represent every utility as a NACWA member, helping to build a strong and sustainable clean water future. For more information, visit us at www.nacwa.org. About WRF The Water Research Foundation is a 501c3 organization officially formed in January 2018 after the merger of the Water Environment & Reuse Foundation and Water Research Foundation. The merged Foundation is the leading water research organization, funding research, pilot projects, and technology demonstrations that maximize the value of all water, including wastewater, stormwater, drinking water, and recycled water. Learn more at www.werf.org or www.waterrf.org. About the WateReuse Association The WateReuse Association is the nation’s only trade association solely dedicated to advancing laws, policy, funding, and public acceptance of recycled water. The WateReuse Association represents a coalition of utilities that recycle water, businesses that support the development of recycled water projects, and users of recycled water. Our members are incorporating water reuse into their water management strategies as a proven method for ensuring a safe, reliable, locally controlled water supply. To learn more, visit www.watereuse.org. 4 Utility of the Future Today Background The “Water Resources Utility of the Future” was first articulated in a 2013 publication jointly prepared by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), the Water Environment Federation (WEF), and the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF). The Water Resources Utility of the Future: A Blueprint for Action sought to capture in one place current, emergent, and possible wastewater utility opportunities that, packaged together, presented a revolutionary future for the sector. That revolution would transform the traditional wastewater treatment system to a community-based resource recovery center and leader in the overall sustainability and resilience of the communities they serve. This Recognition Program has been specifically designed to further promote and enable the emergence of this new business model for the sector, provide recognition for those achieving these outcomes, and encourage peer-to-peer learning among utility members of the Recognition Program and with other utilities. The sponsoring organizations for this recognition program understand that substantial excellence in the operations of wastewater treatment systems exists today. Many utilities optimize and continually improve their operations, consistently meet or exceed their regulatory requirements, plan and invest effectively for the maintenance, repair and replacement of their infrastructure, and engage their employees and communities in meaningful and productive ways. While a variety of initiatives exist to promote and acknowledge excellent performance and sustainable management of utilities focused on our sector’s historic priorities – providing reliable, affordable, and responsible wastewater collection and treatment service, the most prominent of these is Effective Utility Management (EUM) (www.WaterEUM.org). EUM is supported by eleven Collaborating Organizations, including all five partners of this Recognition Program. The Ten Attributes of Effectively Managed Utilities and Five Keys to Management Success form the basis for Effective Utility Management. When taken together, these Ten Attributes and Five Keys represent the basis for excellence in utility management. While EUM is not a requirement for recognition under this program, utilities are encouraged to use the EUM framework as they seek to become a Utility of the Future. The 2016 inaugural Utility of the Future Today Recognition Program was created to promote actions that build on this foundation of excellent management and help small, medium, and large utilities transform their operations over time. During the initial year, 61 utilities were honored. In 2017, 25 utilities were honored (seven were recognized in 2016 adding a new activity area meeting the criteria). The Utility of the Future Activity Areas focus on the key building blocks to this transformation: recovery and new uses of a full range of resources; and engagement as a leader in the full water cycle and broader social, economic, and environmental sustainability of the community. In addition, transformation of the internal utility culture in support of these