New public-private partnership to save DC up to $12M annually

May 30, 2014
DC Water is planning to employ the assistance of Veolia Water to implement operational and process improvements at the Washington Aqueduct.


May 30, 2014 -- The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) is planning to employ the assistance of Veolia Water, an environmental services and technology provider, to implement operational and process improvements at the Washington Aqueduct, a federally-owned and operated public water supply agency that delivers water to DC Water, Arlington County and Fairfax Water. The Aqueduct's funding for operations, maintenance and capital improvements come from revenue generated by the sale of drinking water to those three entities.

In a four-month, joint public-private exercise, Veolia thoroughly reviewed the Washington Aqueduct's operations and developed 25 key improvement ideas and opportunities for the Aqueduct to increase efficiency, reduce costs, streamline operations, and ensure continued reliable delivery of water services. A component of Veolia's Peer Performance Solutions (PPS) model -- a consultative partnership program that preserves a public workforce and public governance while infusing private-sector expertise -- the evaluation resulted in the identification of $8 to 12 million in potential annual savings in day-to-day operations and long-term capital planning and construction expenditures.

During the next 18 months, Veolia's technical experts will work alongside Aqueduct staff and oversee the implementation of key changes that will help the Aqueduct reach targeted savings. The teams will develop and implement an asset management strategy to protect assets critical to its overall operation and use a performance management system to regularly monitor and track key performance indicators, ensuring program goals are met on a timely basis.

Accordingly, data and maintenance histories of critical field assets will be used in the capital planning process to assist in identifying the most appropriate capital projects to include in the 20-year capital improvement program. Other identified changes include optimizing operations in water treatment and residuals processing, developing and implementing a more comprehensive safety and training program, and improving both internal and external communications. Veolia will support Aqueduct staff through the implementation period. The new PPS model is also being successfully used in the New York City, Pittsburgh and DeKalb County, Ga.

See also:

"City of Pittsburgh, Veolia Water extend partnership to build on first-term success"

"Water operations review in GA county seeks cost savings, customer service improvements"


About DC Water

DC Water distributes drinking water and collects and treats wastewater for more than 600,000 residential, commercial and governmental customers in the District of Columbia. DC Water also provides wholesale wastewater treatment services for a population of 1.6 million in Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland, and Fairfax and Loudoun counties in Virginia. For more information, visit www.dcwater.com.

About the Washington Aqueduct

The Washington Aqueductis a federal-owned and operated public water supply agency and is a division of the Baltimore District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps of Engineers designed, built, and, in 1859, began operating the Aqueduct. For more information, click here.

About Veolia

Veolia is a leader in optimized resource management. The company designs and provides water, waste and energy management solutions that contribute to the sustainable development of communities and industries. Through its three complementary business activities, Veolia helps to develop access to resources, protect and conserve available resources, and to replenish them. For more information, visit www.veolia.com.

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