DC Water has issued its second annual Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report, which provides a detailed update on ESG-related programs, projects, initiatives, and goals that occurred over the course of the fiscal year of 2022 (FY22).
DC Water says that it is currently the first and only U.S. municipal water utility to issue an ESG report.
“DC Water remains the only municipal water utility to produce and publish this type of comprehensive ESG report,” said David Gadis, CEO and general manager of DC Water. “Prioritizing ESG-related activities has significantly advanced our mission to provide high-quality water services in a safe, sustainable, and efficient manner. The FY22 report continues to hold us accountable to our many goals and objectives in numerous ways, such as by publishing 33 indicators that showcase our ESG performance over the past year relative to the targets originally set. We see our ESG program as a critical tool to our success.”
Because of D.C.’s historically combined sewer system, the water utility has taken special care to satisfy requirements of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) through green infrastructure initiatives, wastewater management overhauls, and more.
This report builds on the organization’s inaugural FY21 report. Because the report holds an emphasis on resiliency, DC Water refers to it as an ESG+R report.
The report provides an emphasis on accountability, resiliency, and a more integrated relationship with DC Water’s Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) program.
The ESG+R report provides additional information on topics such as climate resiliency, risks, and opportunities through the adoption of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) framework.
“We are pleased to report the progress made within the last year in relation to DC Water’s ESG-related initiatives,” said DC Water Chair of the Board of Directors, Tommy Wells. “This report enables DC Water to build trust and hold itself accountable for the many efforts it is undergoing to enhance operations. The ESG+R report, working alongside the updated strategic plan, Blueprint 2.0, enables DC Water to leave lasting positive impacts on the surrounding community and ecosystem. We look forward to tracking more progress throughout the upcoming years.”
Highlights from the report include, but are not limited to, the following:
- (Environmental) In FY22, the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant earned another Platinum Peak Performance Award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA). This recognition honors ten consecutive years of 100 percent compliance with NPDES requirements.
- (Social) FY22 set a record for DC Water’s Customer Assistance Programs (CAPs) with $12.8 million in assistance provided by DC Water in the over 18,000 accounts enrolled in the CAP programs. This included 2,650 total new enrollments across the three tiers of CAPs, assisting 50 percent more customers and providing an additional $2.5 million in assistance compared with FY21.
- (Governance) Over FY22, DC Water stood up the initial framework of an ESG Governance structure to institutionalize ESG throughout the Authority, allocate roles and responsibilities, guide future initiatives, manage data governance of metrics, and intentionally establish the relationship between DC Water’s strategy, Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), and ESG programs.
- (Resilience) DC Water secured $20.3 million in funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant to fund the next phases of the floodwall being constructed around the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant. This grant is expected to cover 70 percent of the cost of the design build contract for the three remaining segments of the floodwall (segments A, B, and D). The fourth segment, segment C, was completed in July 2021.