Water Associations, EPA Release Tools for 'Effective Utility Management' Practices
July 9, 2008 // Published as a news service by IHS
Six associations representing the U.S. water and wastewater sector, in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), released a series of tools designed to help water and wastewater utilities advance "effective management practices" to achieve long-term sustainability, according to the Water Environment Foundation (WEF).
The tools are based on the 10 attributes of effectively managed utilities and five keys to management success first identified in a report released by the group in May 2007.
Since the release of the findings and recommendations for a water utility sector management strategy report, the effective utility management collaborating associations, which include the American Public Works Association (APWA), American Water Works Association (AWWA), Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA), National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), National Association of Water Companies (NAWC), the WEF and EPA have been working together to develop tools aimed at helping utilities assess their current operations and adopt best management strategies for improvement.
The tools include the effective utility management primer for water and wastewater utilities that is designed to help water and wastewater utility managers make practical, systematic changes to achieve excellence in utility performance, said the WEF.
It was produced by water and wastewater utility leaders who also developed a series of suggested utility performance measures focused on the attributes to help utilities establish a performance baseline and begin to measure their progress.
The group is also releasing an online resource toolbox that contains links to key resources and tools. The primer can be downloaded from each of the associations' web sites or at www.watereum.org.
Source: Water Environment Foundation (WEF).