The American Water Works Association (AWWA), an authoritative resource on safe drinking water, today announced the release of the Benchmarking Clearinghouse, which includes water and wastewater utility performance benchmarks.
Benchmarking Clearinghouse is a joint program of American Water Works Association (AWWA) and Water Environment Federation (WEF). These two organizations, with support from AWWA Research Foundation, utility volunteers, and research funding, created the program to provide a suite of products and services unmatched by any other program. This is the first time that such a clearinghouse is available to utilities of all sizes.
"Through the Benchmarking Clearinghouse, we were able to learn how each of our water treatment plants was maximizing electrical efficiencies, and then adopt those practices at our other plants, all for a relatively low price," said John Schultz, supply operator for Aquarion Water Company. "As a result, our plant operators are now always looking for creative ways to continue reducing their electrical costs."
Benchmarking Clearinghouse provides 22 key performance indicators in five areas of water and wastewater utility operation, including Organizational Development, Customer Relations, Business Operations, and Water and Wastewater Operations.
In creating the benchmarks, AWWA and WEF worked closely with the American Productivity & Quality Center (APQC), an internationally recognized organization that focuses on process and performance improvement. APQC also worked with the program to help test the performance indicators by conducting a pilot survey.
"By having access to the most complete, accurate, and current water and wastewater data available, utilities are able to measure their performance against industry outstanding practices and make improvements where necessary," said Scott Haskins, chair of the QualServe Benchmarking Subcommittee and deputy director for Seattle Public Utilities’ Field Operations Branch.
More information on the Benchmarking Clearinghouse is available online at www.awwa.org/science/qualserve/benchmarking.cfm.
Established in 1881, AWWA is the oldest and largest nonprofit scientific and educational organization dedicated to safe drinking water in North America. AWWA has over 56,000 members worldwide and its 4,500 utility members serve 80 percent of America's population.
Source: AWWA