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Effective Water Utility Management
Ten Attributes of Effective Utilities
- Product Quality
- Employee and Leadership Development
- Financial Viability
- Community Sustainability
- Stakeholder Understanding and Support
- Customer Satisfaction
- Operational Optimization
- Operational Resiliency
- Infrastructure Stability
- Water Resource Adequacy
EPA is working collaboratively with national organizations that support drinking water and wastewater utilities to identify the characteristics of sustainable utilities and to promote effective utility management. Together, EPA and its partners formed the Effective Utility Management Steering Committee, comprised of leading utility managers from across the nation. The Committee identified “Ten Attributes of Effectively Managed Water Sector Utilities,” which it recommends be implemented nationwide to address problems facing utilities.
- On this page
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Tools to Implement the Attributes
EPA and several national organizations will be releasing a series of tools to help utilities adopt the attributes. The Agency has released a ‘primer’ to help utilities get started in assessing their operations based on the attributes and a series of suggested utility performance measures based on the attributes to gauge progress over time, along with an electronic resource “toolbox” linked to the Ten Attributes.
- Effective Utility Management: A Primer for Water and Wastewater Utilities PDF (52pp, 4M)
- Effective Utility Management Resource Toolbox
Statement of Support
On May 8, 2007, EPA signed on to a statement of support with six national associations to promote recommended utility performance measures and encourage the use of these tools and 10 management attributes by utilities around the country.
- Effective Utility Management Committee - Statement of Support PDF (2pp, 125K)
Findings and recommendations of the Effective Utility Management Steering Committee. - Effective Utility Management Committee - Implementation Actions PDF (1pp, 96K)
Describes short and long term actions to build upon the Steering Committee’s recommendations. - Water Sector Collaboration on Effective Utility Management Fact Sheet PDF (4pp, 192K)
Identifies ten attributes of effective utilities and keys to management success in combating problems facing utilities nationwide. - Findings and Recommendations for a Water Utility Sector Management Strategy PDF (35pp, 189K)
March 2007 report which contains the Effective Utility Management Steering Committee’s recommendations.- Appendices PDF (33pp, 909K)
2006 Statement of Intent and Earlier Work
EPA began to work with stakeholders to identify effective utility practices in 2005. Work led to a statement of intent in 2006, which was a precursor to the 2007 statement of support.
- May 2006 Statement of Intent on Effective Water Sector Utility Management (PDF) (3pp, 83K)
- Report: Managing for Excellence: Analysis of Water and Wastewater Utility Management Systems (August 2005) PDF (92pp, 615K)
- Summary: Meeting with Utility Leaders on Sustainable Management (July 2005) PDF (21pp, 89K)