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Social Media Demonstrates Their Worth for DC Water

by Access Water on February 1st, 2012 Leave a Comment No Comments

By Alan Heymann, DC Water Chief of External Affairs

Alan Heymann, DC Water Chief of External AffairsKate Peabody, CH2M HILL, will present, “Social Media Demonstrate Their Worth for Utilities and Their Stakeholders,” which she co-authored with Alan Heymann, DC Water; Kasey Hurlbutt, CH2M HILL; and Sarah Merrill, CH2M HILL, at the joint Water Environment Federation and American Water Works Association Utility Management Conference on February 1 from 11:30 AM-12:00 PM.

Social media is used as an increasingly broad term to refer to the tools and platforms that people use to share opinions, insights, experiences, and perspectives with one another, all from the comfort of their personal computer, smart phone, or from evolving new technologies. Social media is designed to foster two- and multi-way conversations and link people to information, resources, and other people.

A few years ago when DC Water was going through a rebranding campaign, DC Water management wanted to expand and increase how the organization interacted with its stakeholders—it serves 16 million individuals a year but only reaches about 130,000 customers with bills, a traditional mode of regular communications to customers. I was brought on as director of public affairs during that time and immediately gave my team the “go” to activate DC Water profiles on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr, and have since experienced tremendous success with social media.

On an average day, I dedicate about 10 percent of my time to social media. While originally I was the main individual monitoring and responding on these channels, to ease any nervousness from management by having an experienced public affairs specialist always on call, I have since trained three members of our communications team to share in the work-load. This time is spent monitoring the conversation about DC Water, responding to comments and Tweets, sharing timely photos and information, and ensuring that the DC Water’s communication goals and key messages are clear. DC Water’s presence on social networks and our use of existing social media platforms provides a number of benefits for both DC Water and our stakeholders, including:

-Helping our communities understand the services and value we provide

-Exceptional customer service

-Helping consumers understand where their water comes from and pricing

-Engaging stakeholders in conversations about potential or ongoing projects

-Promoting conservation and social change

-Allowing DC Water to connect with the media

-Providing visible leadership in our communities

-Building an overall better brand image for DC Water

Since DC Water implemented its social media program and began promoting the use of Twitter as an effective channel for customers to report problems, e-mails to the general purpose box have decreased. In addition, social media have helped DC Water to better diagnose and fix customer problems. Before social media, an individual may have seen a clogged catch basin and just walked by it, not even bothering to find a phone number and make a call to report it. Today, someone can take a quick snapshot of the problem with a smart phone and send the photo and location to DC Water on Twitter, and I will send the information to the command service center via e-mail. At the command center, the photo helps representatives better diagnose the issue than a phone call can and speeds dispatching a service truck with the right equipment.Alan Hayman DC Water Social Media Conversation

Overall, social media channels have enabled DC Water to reach more of our stakeholders in an engaging, two-way forum, meeting our original goals. The channels allow us to have our finger on the pulse of our stakeholders at all moments so that we know what the main concerns are, where potential problems are, and what the organization could be doing better, as well as to understand what the agency does well and how it is viewed by the community. We have also been able to streamline our customer service and problem reporting capabilities while at the same time improving customer satisfaction. For DC Water, adding social media into our integrated communications campaign was the right tactic to take at the right time, and because we have focused on “doing it right or not doing it at all,” the organization is reaping numerous benefits from its growing online community, which will continue to provide value as major capital improvement projects commence.

Alan Heymann is Chief of External Affairs for the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water). He leads a team of 11 in managing DC Water’s relationships with its customers, the media, the federal and District governments, and various other internal and external stakeholders.

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Working to Improve Implementation of the 10 Attributes of Effective Utility Management

by Access Water on January 31st, 2012 Leave a Comment No Comments

Yakir Hasit, CH2M HILL Senior Principal Technologist

Yakir Hasit, CH2M HILL Senior Principal TechnologistYakir Hasit will present his paper, “An Industry Survey of Best Practices and Performance Metrics Related to the 10 Attributes,” co-authored with Fair Yeager and Mike Matichich of CH2M HILL, at the joint Water Environment Federation and American Water Works Association Utility Management Conference on January 31 from 4:30 PM to 5:00 PM.

Effective Utility Management (EUM) is a framework that provides utility organizations a method to plan, implement, measure, and monitor organizational performance enhancements against ten specific attributes of effectively managed utilities. The Ten Attributes of EUM are product quality, employee and leadership development, financial viability, operational resiliency, water resource adequacy, customer satisfaction, operational optimization, infrastructure stability, community sustainability, and stakeholder understanding and support. These attributes were developed by a group of leading utility managers and endorsed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and six major industry associations in 2007, describe a series of outcomes that all water-sector utilities, regardless of size, should strive to achieve.

In spite of the number of related documents published since the inception of the EUM initiatives, the documents do not offer specific or discrete recommendations on how utilities would develop and implement the Ten Attributes. The Water Research Foundation (WaterRF) has identified this opportunity to build upon the work developed in the EUM Primer and related documents (e.g., a companion case study book) and the AWWA QualServe Program by addressing components that are not currently included in either of these efforts, including: an explicit identification of the best practices used by water and wastewater utilities, the associated metrics; and a structured process benchmarking guidance and exercise that could help water utilities to identify best practices and achieve performance excellence. As a result, these constitute the objectives of the WaterRF project presented in this paper. Furthermore, the approach taken in this project deals with qualitative metrics by using “process or performance” benchmarking where each evaluation process focuses on capability, with regards to the best practice and extent of execution of the practice within the utility.

This project is being executed in two phases. In Phase One, key metrics and best practices associated with achieving the Ten Attributes have been identified through water/wastewater utility participation and literature search. Currently, a performance benchmarking framework is being developed to be followed by the tools to implement it. In Phase Two, the framework, methodology, assessment, and tools for EUM benchmarking will be pilot tested with water and wastewater utilities. Through participation in the project, utilities will not only be able to benchmark themselves to track status, but will also be able to benchmark themselves against leading practices to develop a work plan to improve.

Currently the project is in its first phase, thus I will discuss the best practices and related performance metrics associated with the Ten Attributes that have been reported by the 20 water/wastewater utility participants and in the literature.

Dr. Hasit is a Senior Principal Technologist in CH2M HILL’s Philadelphia office. He has more than 30 years of experience in consulting, teaching and research in water supply, utility infrastructure and mathematical modeling.

 

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Prioritizing Utility O&M Activities Improves Financial Prudence and Produces Other Benefits

by Access Water on January 30th, 2012 Leave a Comment No Comments

By Dale Jutlia, CH2M HILL Client Service Manger

Dale Jutlia, CH2M HILL Client Service MangerDale Jutlia will present his paper on, “Prioritizing Utility O&M Activities Improves Financial Prudence and Produces Other Benefits,” which he coauthored in conjunction with John Goodrich, at joint Water Environment Federation and American Water Works Association Utility Management Conference on January 31 from 4:00 PM-4:30 PM. He is also co-author of, “A Structured Decision-Making Process and Staff Engagement Result in Sound Choices for a Major Treatment Facility” with Dan Speicher and Dave Peters, which will also be presented at the conference.

Securing adequate funding for water and wastewater utility operations and maintenance (O&M) is challenging enough in normal times. During a financial downturn, the challenge can become even more difficult. However, systematic prioritization of a utility’s activities can establish their relative importance, which is powerful in communicating with policy makers and customers when requesting funding.

When utilities request increased funding from higher rates, a common question is, “Why do you need this money?” This is especially evident when additional programs are proposed. A sound business plan and a reasoned priority for the range of activities – existing and proposed – are effective tools to demonstrate to policy makers that utility management is being responsible in its recommendations, especially for funding. A clear and documented approach can also assure customers that their money is being spent responsibly.

Another benefit of a conscious approach to prioritization is increased interaction among staff. Engaging a broad range of utility staff in a prioritization project improves mutual understanding of the work that is done in other parts of the organization. When participants from all parts of the organization become involved, they begin to understand other areas of the organization, why they’re important, and develop a greater appreciation for the work done by others.

The City of Tigard Water Division was interested in creating a business plan for its areas of responsibility. The process to create this business plan included steps to develop a common understanding and concurrence among the Water Division staff about the many programs and activities needed to provide customers with a safe and adequate supply of drinking water. Tigard developed its prioritized list of all Water Division O&M activities using an interactive workshop process. Staff from each part of the utility participated, including the City’s finance department. The result was a geographically displayed prioritized list of activities. The list included highly-rated activities that were not currently performed and warrant more attention.

The presentation will describe details of the process used to arrive at the prioritized list of the work activities. The ancillary benefits of the exercise, which are equally as important, will be shared as well.

Dale brings more than 30 years of experience in all aspects of water utility leadership. He has in-depth knowledge of local governance issues in Oregon, unique features of the various partner government structures, water rights issues, and the influence environmental legislation has on large water projects. He has facilitated several groups striving for mutually beneficial outcomes, some resulting in new or changed governance structures. Dale is also experienced in both the operation and administration of water utilities, including developing agreements among multiple agencies.

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Professor for a Day

by Access Water on January 25th, 2012 Leave a Comment No Comments

By Elisa Speranza, President of CH2M HILL’s Operations & Maintenance Business Group

Last August, CH2M HILL announced a unique partnership with the University of Kansas’ top-ranked School of Public Affairs and Administration designed to transform the education of future government leaders, including examination of innovative models for delivering government services more efficiently. This week, it was my privilege to visit the Lawrence campus to speak before a few graduate classes as part of this collaboration.

Elisa and College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Dean Danny Anderson at the Jayhawks' basketball game.My visit to KU started as it should, with a trip to the legendary Allen Fieldhouse to take in a Jayhawks’ basketball game against Texas A&M Monday night. KU won, thankfully, so everyone was in a good mood the next day. College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Dean Danny Anderson was kind enough to take me to the game, and we talked academic politics, leadership and public policy during the ESPN timeouts.

It’s a beautiful campus, and my old Kennedy School classmate Charles Jones (now a professor at KU) walked me from my hotel to the Student Union for class Tuesday morning. The class is called “Collaborative Leadership, Professionalism and Citizen Engagement.” As a public policy wonk from way back, this is right up my alley. The graduate students are all splitting their time between classroom work and internships, mostly in city governments. One is interning with our client, the City of Centennial, CO, where I’m sure he’s getting a good education in public-private partnerships.

The morning session is on emotional intelligence. It’s gratifying that these future city managers are getting a solid grounding in the intangible side of their jobs. Anyone can teach budget management, but KU’s approach seems to be very holistic,which should make for more well-rounded and successful public servants. It’s hard for me to sit quietly, though, having worked in and around government my whole life. Professor John Morris provided a great refresher on strengths-based leadership,which says people want to work for senior leaders who actually care about them. What they need is: trust, compassion, stability, hope and happiness.

The students are learning about something called “Adaptive Work,” an approach taught by Ron Heifetz at Harvard. My part in the day was to present a case study illustrating the principles of adaptive work, basically how to make change sustainable, based on Water For People’s work in Chinda, Honduras. Then I was pressed into service to talk about CH2M HILL and my own career journey.  From the great questions I received from this talented group of students, I’m positive the future is in good hands wherever they end up serving. With all the negativity about government floating around in public discourse these days, it’s great to be reminded of how important functioning, values-driven local governments are to our everyday quality of life. Can’t wait to see what’s next from our strategic alliance with KU.

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Waco’s Water Now a Source of Pride

by Access Water on January 23rd, 2012 Leave a Comment No Comments

Brian Fuerst, CH2M HILL Senior Project ManagerBy Brian Fuerst, CH2M HILL Senior Project Manager

The growing City of Waco, Texas, is located about 100 miles south of Dallas. Prior to the City of Waco Water Quality and Quantity Improvement Project, the City’s drinking water from Lake Waco was treated at two conventional water treatment plants: the 42-million-gallon/day (mgd) Mt. Carmel Water Treatment Plant (WTP), and the 24-mgd Riverside WTP. The watershed for Lake Waco includes the highest concentration of dairy farms in Texas, resulting in high nutrient loadings and algae growth in the Lake. Periodic algae blooms led to the release of geosmin during the treatment process and gave Waco water a reputation of being nearly undrinkable during certain times of the year.

To remedy its water problems, the City of Waco partnered with CH2M HILL and The Wallace Group to design improvements to the Mt. Carmel and Riverside WTPs, as well as to: expand the total system treatment capacity from 66-mgd to 90-mgd initially and 135-mgd ultimately; eliminate hydraulic bottlenecks in the existing system; improve performance of aging equipment; and, reduce taste and odor episodes in the City’s potable water.

By obtaining state approval for high-rate DAF, only 1/15th the footprint of conventional clarification was required resulting in cost savings of about 40%. Covering the basins reduced odors and the visual impact and the odorous air from under the covers was used to aerate the lake reducing algae growth and improving fishing.CH2M HILL and The Wallace Group incorporated a number of innovative features to improve performance, reduce costs, and enhance aesthetics. For example, the new 90-mgd clarification facility located near the raw water intake at Lake Waco is the first dissolved air flotation (DAF) plant for water treatment in the State of Texas, as well as one of the first WTPs in the U.S. to use DAF for taste and odor control, as well as clarification. Regulatory approval required five pilot studies and four rounds of bench scale tests to obtain data on DAF and ozone performance. CH2M HILL used decision science techniques to analyze the results and select the best alternatives based on the cost and benefits important to Waco. As a result of these studies, not only was regulatory approval obtained for both the DAF and the ozone processes, but the DAF loading rate was increased from the standard 6 gallons per minute(gpm)/square foot, to 12 gpm/square foot, resulting in about $10 million in construction cost savings.

Over half of the treatment processes were constructed underground providing improved aesthetics to nearby neighbors and allowing the City of Waco to obtain Texas Wildscape status for the plant grounds.We were also careful to analyze the social and ecological complexities of the project. Both of the existing water treatment plants are located near residential areas. The new DAF facility also has nearby neighbors, but CH2M HILL and The Wallace Group conducted a series of public meetings to obtain input and designed the new facilities to mitigate the neighbors’ concerns. For example, potential algae odors were mitigated by covering the DAF basins and diverting the odorous air back to the lake to provide aeration that reduces algae growth near the intake. To reduce unappealing visual impacts, many of the DAF plant facilities, including the ozone facilities and balancing basins, were constructed underground and covered with native landscaping and ground coverings. Existing trees and landscape were left in place where possible. As a result, the City was able to get the plant site designated as an official Texas Wildscape by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

A rendering of the City of Waco's Dissolved Air Flotation Water Treatment Plant, as envisioned for Summer 2015.Blind taste tests conducted by the local newspaper confirmed the processes effectiveness. The water quality has gone from a source of woe to a source of pride and economic development for the City. In fact, I am pleased to share that the City of Waco Water Quality and Quantity Improvement Project has been selected as a Water and Wastes Digest Magazine Top Projects for 2011 and was a silver medal winner in The Texas Council of Engineering Companies Engineering Excellence Awards competition based on the project’s successes and outstanding achievements.

With more than 25 years of experience, Brian Fuerst has participated in numerous studies, designs, and construction services for a variety of water and wastewater projects. He has extensive experience in process design and project management of water and wastewater facilities, and offers expertise in all phases of services during the planning and construction of water and wastewater projects.

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