Water, the Magazine of the National Association of Water Companies
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VOLUME 36 NUMBER 3 FALL 1995 The Magazine of Ihe Nalional Associalion o f Waler Companies OFFICERS STAFF CONTENTS CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD James B. Groff President's Message J. James Barr Executive Director 3 American Water Works Company Sharon L. Gascon NAWC History: PRESIDENT Deputy Executive Director 1970-1 995, Ronald S. Dungan Michael J. Horner by T. Ward Welsh ... 4 United Water Management and Director of Administration and Acquisition Incentives: Services, Inc. Membership Encouraging 1st VICE PRESIDENT Louis Jenny Regionalization Director of Congressional Relations Robert A. Luksa in the Water Industry, Philadelphia Suburban Water Company Jean Lewis by Wendell Holland ..... 15 Administrative Manager GENERAL VICE PRESIDENTS Tri-County (NJ) Water Floyd E. Wicks Bonita J. Hayden Supply Project, Southern California Water Company Finance Manager Audra Zellner by Howard J. Woods, Jr. .. 18 Eugene H. Owen Executive Ass istant Baton Rouge Water Company Executive Director's Nicole Stec Report .. .............. 20 Robert A. Dolson Secretary-Government Relations Continental Water Company Regulatory Relations Amy Watson Report . ...........• .. 21 Marshall T. Chiaraluce Program Assistant/ Data Processor The Connecticut Water Ca. Recent Regulatory SECRETARY Decisions . ... .. _ . 24 James B. Groff Quorum Call .......... _ .. 27 TREASURER Sharon L. Gascon Tax Adviser. .. 29 Customer Service Report . 30 Copyright 1989, National Association of Water Companies. Corporate Changes . .. 31 The articles printed in this magazine do not necessar· ily represent the position of the National Association Etcetera .............. _ . 34 of Water Companies. NAWC d i s d ai m ~ responsib ility for all info rmation prov ided by individual authors or New Members . .. ..... 38 o rgan izations and published in WATER magazine, includ ing technical informlltion which should be in Dates to Remember. .. 43 dependently verified by scpa r a[t~ soun:cs. WATER-Published four times each year by the National Association of Water Companies. Su ite 1212, 1725 K Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20006. NAWC is a nonprofit trade as~ociat i ()n dedicated to serv ing the needs of the investor-owned state-regulated. public water supply industry. WATER is circulated to all Active and Associate Members of the Association, members and staff of public utility commissions, federal and state officials concerned with our industry and will be sent to qualified persons upon written request. Requests and changes of address should be se lH to NAWC, Suite 1212, 1725 K Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20006 (202) 833·8383. The President's Message by Jack E. McGregor This column was written prior to NAWC11995 Annual Conference. e end of my year as president of NAWC seems Contact your legislators and arrange to meet with them to be a good time to reflect on the past 12 or their staffers to educate them on these critical issues T months and the prospects for our industry and your position on them. Maintain regular communi goi ng forward. cation as appropriate to ensu re your voice is being heard. Encourage your employees to contact them through let I have mixed emotions as I prepare to step down. ter-writing campaigns. Consider establishing a political On the one hand, I have thoroughly en action committee so your employees can help joyed my time in office, but on the other elect those state or federal candidates who hand, Ilook forward to handing the baton share their views on issues of vi tal importance to your next president, Ron Dungan of to the water industry. United Water Management & Services Inc., who will bring a fresh perspective as The lack of awareness is not limited to the NAWC begins its 101 st year. I am highly legislative arena, however, and includes the optimistic about the future of the indus financial community, customers and the pub try, and I look forward to our benefiting lic-at-Iarge. We need to do a better job con from Ron's leadership. veying the industry's strengths to these au diences also, correcting whatever As I see it, our biggest challenge has been misperceptions exist, and debunking the and will continue to be communicating to myth of a sleepy, low-tech industry that suf all of our various stakeholders the challenges facing fers from a lack of a clear strategic vision. As NAWC the public water supply industry and its dedication to members, we contribute indirectly to this awareness-rais meeting state and federal standards to bring a high ing effort through the Association's activities in this re quality product to customers. While the association gard. But by working independently as well as collectively, has made great progress in this regard, I am struck by we have a chance to make a greater impact. the overall lack of awareness of our industry. The U.S. has the safest, most reliable drinking water At a time when certain special interest groups are in the world. An industry that can make a claim that its increasing their criticism of water utilities, particularly product is unsurpassed on a global scale should com through the media, it is more important than ever that mand a high level of awareness and understanding, espe our key constituencies are made aware of the prob cially when that product is the earth's most precious natu lems and opportunities that we face. That is why I urge ral resource. If we all do our part, the increased attention you once again to meet with and brief your state and and recognition can pay dividends, such as in the form federal representatives so they can gain an understand of more equitable legislation or a lower cost of capital, as ing of our position o n such critical issues as our primary constituencies become more attentive and regionalization of the Safe Drinking Water Act, what more receptive to our concerns. your company is doing to ensure it meets state and federal safety standards, repeal of the CIAC tax, in Thank yo u for allowing me the privilege of serving dustry consolidation and regionalization, and what as your president_ I took forward to continuing to work ever local concerns your company may have. with you in the future . • FALL 19950 NAWC Centennial: 1970-1995 by T. Ward Welsh Former Chairman NAWC Public Information Committee This is the last of four articles about people and events in the water supply business and the National Association of Water Companies since the Association's birth in J 895. It covers [he years since 1970. here was cause for wh o headed American Water Works Nixon to curb inflation. guarded optimism in the Company's Lexingto n su bsidiar y, was The annual conference that ye ar United States in 1970. elected president at that meeting. attracted about 600 people to Indianapo President Nixon h ad lis and included a tribute to John started reducing U. S. A New Identity Murdock, who had headed the orga ni za troop strength in Vietnam from a peak The Confe rence changed its name in tion from the 19305 through the mid-'60s. of over 500,000 in 1969. Postal reform leg 1971 to the National Ass ociation ofWa William Ruckel shaus, administrator of the islation created an independent U. S. ter Companies , which members felt bet new Environmental Protection Agency, Postal Service, ending 200 years of gov ter reflected the n ature of the organiza was a speaker. Conference host Ralph ernment mail delivery. tion, now representing almost 300 Swingley, of the Indianapolis Water Com But the economy was in a funk. The companies in 33 states. John Kupferer pany, was elected president. In a singu lar worst bear market in eight years saw the joined the Association as assistant t.O t r agedy, Association director C. Q. Dow Jo nes industrials d rop more than Allen and the Membership and Public Re McWill iams, ofthe Roaring Creek Watcr 300 points from the 1969 high . lations committees p roduced a promo Company in Pennsylva nia, and his wife The National Water Company Confer tional brochure to be used in recruiting were killed in a plane cra~h en route to ence was settling into its new digs on 13th new members, particularly in California the meeting. St., just three blocks east of the White and Florida. HOllse. Administrator Fred Allen was Tropical storm Doria brought flooding Agnes Brings Flooding looking for staff to step up the group's leg to the northeast that year, causing power The following year, 1972, four men were islative and regulatory initiatives and help outages, d am failures and the shutdown arrested in a bizarre break-in atthe Demo prepare fo r the Annual Conferen ce in of m a ny water plants, including crats' national committee headquarters in Le xington, Kentucky, the first ever west Elizabethtown Water C ompany's main Washington's Watergate complex. Few of Pi ttsburgh. The Executive Committee pl ant at the confluence of the Raritan and foresaw then the ominous implications for felt the o rganization had to do more to Millstone rivers. the Nixon presidency. That also was the conv ince regulators of the un iqueness of The Association leadership was alarmed year the world's airlines, plagued by a rash water companies and the unfairness of when a survey of the nation's water systems of terrorist hijackings, began installing treating them like electric and gas compa by the new National Water C ommissio n metal detectors at airpor ts. Hurricanc nies, which enjoyed h igher revenues and didn't even mention investor-owned water com· Agnes caused $1 17 billion in damage and lower capital costs. Two priorities were ar panies. They contacted the NWC and were ca used floods that inundated water treat ticu lated at the Lexington meeting: put invited to submit data on investor-owned men t plants in seven eastern states.