Table Of ContentUtility management involves the organization
and supervision of resources, including peo-
ple, finances, water supply, and capital assets such
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as equipment, treatment plants, and pipes. Asset
management includes evaluation of asset condition, tility
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planning for new or upgrades to assets, financing
maintenance or upgrades, and designing a program a
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to maintain the assets. Public communications and e
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emergency planning are other critical tasks for a
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utility manager. Designed for new and aspiring util- a t
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ity managers and supervisors, as well as engineers
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and municipal management staff who need to under- y
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stand utility operations, this book covers each of M W
these topics in depth. a for ater and
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This book complements the Principles and t n
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Practices of Water Supply Operations series of text- a
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Frederick Bloetscher, PhD, PE
AWWA is the authoritative resource for knowledge, information, and advocacy
to improve the quality and supply of water in North America and beyond. AWWA
is the largest organization of water professionals in the world, advancing public
health, safety, and welfare by uniting the efforts of the full spectrum of the water Advocacy
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Wastewater.book Page i Tuesday, June 21, 2011 5:08 PM
UTILITY MANAGEMENT FOR
WATER AND WASTEWATER
OPERATORS
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UTILITY MANAGEMENT FOR
WATER AND WASTEWATER
OPERATORS
Frederick Bloetscher
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Copyright © 2011 American Water Works Association.
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information or retrieval
system, except in the form of brief excerpts or quotations for review purposes, without the written
permission of the publisher.
Project Manager: Melissa Valentine
Editor: Bill Cobban
Production Editor/Cover Design: Cheryl Armstrong
Production Services: TIPS Technical Publishing, Inc.
Disclaimer
Many of the photographs and illustrative drawings that appear in this book have been furnished
through the courtesy of various product distributors and manufacturers. Any mention of trade
names, commercial products, or services does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for
use by the American Water Works Association or the US Environmental Protection Agency. In no
event will AWWA be liable for direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages arising
out of the use of information presented in this book. In particular, AWWA will not be responsible
for any costs, including, but not limited to, those incurred as a result of lost revenue. In no event
shall AWWA’s liability exceed the amount paid for the purchase of this book.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bloetscher, Frederick.
Utility management for water and wastewater operators / by Frederick Bloetscher.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-58321-823-5
1. Waterworks. 2. Water utilities—Management. 3. Water-supply. 4. Sewerage. I. Title.
TD485.B55 2011
363.6'1068—dc22 2011005847
6666 West Quincy Avenue
Denver, CO 80235-3098
303.794.7711
www.awwa.org
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Table of Contents
About the Author......................................................................................................ix
Acknowledgments......................................................................................................xi
Dedication.........................................................................................................xi
Preface...................................................................................................................xiii
1 Introduction.........................................................................................................1
2 Regulations Affecting Water and Wastewater Operations....................................7
National Environmental Policy Act....................................................................9
Clean Water Act.................................................................................................9
Safe Drinking Water Act..................................................................................15
Other North American Rules............................................................................32
Future Water Quality Regulations....................................................................33
Clean Air Act....................................................................................................34
Dealing with Regulatory Agencies....................................................................34
Water Rights and Allocations by Rule..............................................................38
Environmental Law and Sustainability.............................................................39
References.........................................................................................................42
3 Water and Wastewater Operations....................................................................45
Raw Water Supplies.........................................................................................45
Water Treatment Systems.................................................................................59
Water Distribution...........................................................................................85
Water Storage Facilities....................................................................................95
Wastewater Collection......................................................................................99
Wastewater Treatment....................................................................................104
Sludge Disposal..............................................................................................121
References.......................................................................................................126
4 Planning for Operations and Maintenance of Assets........................................127
Risk................................................................................................................128
Maintenance...................................................................................................132
Construction Equipment................................................................................159
Reducing Power Use.......................................................................................170
Asset Management Programs.........................................................................181
Vulnerability Assessments...............................................................................200
References.......................................................................................................210
5 Employment Rules andManagingEmployees..................................................213
Policies and Regulations.................................................................................213
Employment Regulations...............................................................................214
Hiring, Performance Evaluation, andTerminationPractices..........................224
Organizations.................................................................................................235
References.......................................................................................................236
v
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VI UTILITY MANAGEMENT FOR WATER AND WASTEWATER OPERATORS
6 Supervision of Operations................................................................................237
Defining Supervision......................................................................................237
Supervisory Skills...........................................................................................240
Supervisory Functions....................................................................................242
Choosing a Supervisor....................................................................................251
Conflict Management.....................................................................................251
Authority, Respect, and Power.......................................................................253
References......................................................................................................254
7 Management of the Utility..............................................................................255
Changing Workforce......................................................................................255
Budgets...........................................................................................................260
Purchasing......................................................................................................264
Organizing for Operations..............................................................................264
Managerial Issues...........................................................................................267
Security Issues................................................................................................273
Public Communications.................................................................................274
References......................................................................................................275
8 Utility Planning...............................................................................................277
Types of Plans................................................................................................279
Developing the Plan ......................................................................................284
References......................................................................................................293
9 Developing the Capital Improvement Plan.......................................................295
National Condition of Infrastructure.............................................................296
Steps in the Capital Planning Process.............................................................305
Capital Improvement Programs.....................................................................307
Capital and Financial Planning Connections.................................................316
References......................................................................................................319
10 Capital Construction.......................................................................................321
Building the Capital Project...........................................................................321
Case Studies......................................................................................................346
Developer Extension Policies..........................................................................355
References......................................................................................................355
11 Capital Funding Mechanisms..........................................................................357
Borrowing......................................................................................................357
Municipal Leasing..........................................................................................365
Repair and Replacement (R&R) Funds.........................................................367
References......................................................................................................367
12 Cost of Service Delivery..................................................................................369
Cost of Service................................................................................................369
Comparing Service Delivery Mechanisms......................................................381
References......................................................................................................385
13 Methods for the Establishment ofRates, Fees, and Charges.............................387
Periodic Charges for Service...........................................................................388
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TABLE OF CONTENTS VII
Forecasting Rates...........................................................................................393
Impact Fees..................................................................................................402
Special Projects and Assessment Districts.........................................................406
Connections and Miscellaneous Charges........................................................407
Bulk User Rates..............................................................................................407
References.......................................................................................................408
14 Financial Policies and Evaluations of Financial Health of the Utility................409
Financial Policies............................................................................................409
Measuring Financial Capacity........................................................................422
Fiscal Planning Process...................................................................................427
References.......................................................................................................428
15 Customer Service andPublicRelations............................................................429
Customer Service............................................................................................429
Meter Reading................................................................................................431
Public Relations..............................................................................................435
Water Conservation........................................................................................437
References.......................................................................................................454
16 Public Responsibility.......................................................................................455
Responsibility for Compliance........................................................................457
How Serious is the Responsibility?.................................................................457
References.......................................................................................................459
Index .....................................................................................................................461
Appendixes on Enclosed CD
A Example Impact Fee Ordinance...........................................................................1
B Summary of Impact Fee Law.............................................................................33
Impact Fees......................................................................................................33
C Strategies and Action Steps from Hollywood, Fla., Strategic Plan.....................37
Strategies and Action Steps...............................................................................37
Hollywood, Fla., Utility System.......................................................................38
D Rate and Revenue Ordinance.............................................................................45
E Water and Sewer Service ExtensionPolicy........................................................77
Introduction.....................................................................................................77
Water and Sewer Extension Policy....................................................................80
F Emerging Issues...............................................................................................109
Water Quality.................................................................................................109
Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) ............................................................119
Sustainable Groundwater Levels....................................................................123
Climate Change..............................................................................................127
References.......................................................................................................129
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About the Author
Frederick Bloetscher, PhD, PE, is currently an associate professor at Florida Atlantic Uni-
versity in Boca Raton, Fla., and president of Public Utility Management and Planning Ser-
vices, Inc. (PUMPS), a firm he started in 2000 to provide local governments with help in
the evaluation of utility systems, needs assessments, condition assessments, strategic plan-
ning, capital improvement planning, grant and loan acquisition, inter-local agreement rec-
ommendations, bond document preparation, consultant coordination, permitting, and
implementation of capital improvement construction. He has over 25 years experience in
local government and municipal water and sewer provision, including four years as a town
manager in North Carolina. He holds a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from
the University of Miami, a Master of Public Administration from the University of North
Carolina, and a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Cincinnati.
Mr. Bloetscher is the past chair for the Water Resource and Sustainability Division
Trustees for the American Water Works Association, past chair of the Technical and Edu-
cational Council Education Committee, and past chair of the AWWA Groundwater Com-
mittee. He currently chairs two education transfer committees and continues to serve as a
trustee on the Water Resource and Sustainability Trustees. He has extensively published on
water and sewer issues, and coordinates the technical program for the AWWA Florida Sec-
tion annual conference. He has helped develop training materials for AWWA, including
training materials related to this book. He can be contacted at P.O. Box 221890, Holly-
wood, FL 33022-1890 or [email protected].
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