Anchorage Water & Wastewater Utility
A National Best Service Provider

Anchorage Water & Wastewater Utility was recognized by the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) as one of the best top ten wastewater service providers in the United States.

Named Best Service Provider in WERF's Benchmarking Wastewater Treatment Plant Operations Survey of over 100 utilities, the award was bestowed on AWWU during John Asplund Wastewater Treatment Facility's 25th year of operation. The Asplund facility is AWWU's largest and oldest treatment plant.

"Your utility is one of four selected on the basis of good cost performance in wastewater treatment and biosolids processing to provide a case study for this project," said Glenn Reinhart, WERF’s Executive Director. "We thank you for providing information on your practices which have contributed to our excellence. This report will receive wide circulation within the water quality community."

Water Environment Research Foundation Benchmarking Study

• Conducted for the wastewater industry to allow it to compile comparable operational and maintenance cost data industry-wide; and

• To identify those specific practices which contribute to a utility’s operating efficiency and determine how and if those practices make individual wastewater treatment facilities operate differently.

AWWU scored so well in the study because the practices which were determined by the study to be the best operational standards for the industry were already in use at the Utility. Those standards and how they are implemented into AWWU’s day to day operations are listed below.

• The Utility shares it workforce throughout the organization.

  AWWU’s staff works interchangeably between the two utilities, both water and wastewater. Treatment operators are assigned to one of the five treatment facilities as staffing requirements dictate and AWWU provides technical support when needed to neighboring communities on a reimbursable basis.

• The Utility works to proactively influence regulatory outcomes, based on good science, and is successful in avoiding unnecessary costs.

  AWWU negotiates permit limits and monitoring requirements with the EPA and Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) to assure its ability to comply with the regulations. When regulations are in the process of being reviewed or created, AWWU involves itself in the process by offering and providing expertise support. The Utility also takes advantage of existing regulations to avoid unnecessary treatment costs.

• The Utility provides for efficient technology and work order generation.

  Interoffice communications at the Utility, PCs and a Geographic Information System have helped in the development of a computerized preventative maintenance program.

• The Wastewater operators and administrators understand the entire utility’s asset condition, flow monitoring and process modeling which helps optimize sizing requirements and avoid unnecessary capital and operation costs.

  Extensive use of AWWU’s six year Capital Improvement Plan is used to identify future needs and expenditures. The Engineering Division has models which help determine necessary pipe sizes.

• The Utility is managed to competitively challenge the workforce and practices outsourcing when costs can be reduced.

  Activities such as grounds maintenance, sludge hauling and janitorial services are contracted to outside vendors.

• The Utility provides extensive training and cross-training to utility employees.

  Treatment facilities have well stocked libraries with Operations & Maintenance and safety related training manuals, as well as an in-house training program. The O&M staff also cross trains and tries to expose their personnel to all the utility’s facilities.

The benchmarking study results will enable the industry to:

• Develop and define a series of performance measures for wastewater utilities both nationally and regionally;

• Define and collect data that can be used for comparison purposes with other utilities;

• Detail changes utilities have made to become more efficient and cost effective; and

• Develop industry standards for use by utilities to improve operations and reduce costs.