Water and wastewater utility leaders face a variety of management challenges. These can include the demands of aging infrastructure and/or expanding populations; decreased grant monies and rate payer capacity constraints; new and more stringent regulatory requirements; increased public expectations for service, performance, and transparency; and work force demographics. To respond to these challenges, WEF is working with its members and partners to develop a variety of management initiatives; resources; and educational, training, and networking opportunities.
The WEF UMC CIP Planning and Delivery Subcommittee "2019 Project Management Survey" results present CIP delivery needs, project management (PM) processes, PM technology needs, and PM training needs (Use your mouse to hover over elements in the results and select filters for additional information).
As a membership organization, WEF understands the value of member engagement and using the collective knowledge of an entire profession to further its mission of improving water quality around the world.
WEF members participate in WEF committee activities, developing conference programs, writing technical manuals and books, developing training materials and program content, and many other WEF program activities.
WEF committee members interact through conference calls, at conferences, and via WEFCOM, WEF’s virtual workspace.
For more information on WEF’s committees, click here.
The WEF UMC CIP Planning and Delivery Subcommittee "2019 Project Management Survey" results present CIP delivery needs, project management (PM) processes, PM technology needs, and PM training needs (Use your mouse to hover over elements in the results and select filters for additional information).
As a membership organization, WEF understands the value of member engagement and using the collective knowledge of an entire profession to further its mission of improving water quality around the world.
WEF members participate in WEF committee activities, developing conference programs, writing technical manuals and books, developing training materials and program content, and many other WEF program activities.
WEF committee members interact through conference calls, at conferences, and via WEFCOM, WEF’s virtual workspace.
For more information on WEF’s committees, click here.
The WEF UMC CIP Planning and Delivery Subcommittee "2019 Project Management Survey" results present CIP delivery needs, project management (PM) processes, PM technology needs, and PM training needs (Use your mouse to hover over elements in the results and select filters for additional information).
Implementing Asset Management: A Practical Guide Faced with the challenges of aging infrastructure, the lack of funding, and the desire to maintain affordable rates, while meeting the customers’ needs, utility managers are looking for more effective ways to make decisions about capital improvement and infrastructure maintenance.
Financing & Charges for Wastewater Systems Focusing on issues of increasing urgency, this comprehensive manual of practice teaches the reader expert methods for handling all financial aspects of wastewater collection and treatment. Created and peer-reviewed by international authorities at the Water Environment Federation.
Fundamentals of Utility Management This manual is intended for water and wastewater utility operations professionals who aspire to or have been promoted to management or leadership positions. Utility managers must be knowledgeable in the areas of personnel management, budgeting and financial management, and communications.
WEF has been successful at striving toward asset management objectives through the use of a “maturity model” approach with the development of three Resource Recovery Roadmaps, on Energy (2012), and Nutrient Management (2014), and Water Reuse (2016). The goal of the Resource Recovery Roadmaps is to develop a high-level approach to help guide utilities and industry decision makers in issues when considering the NEW paradigm (Nutrients, Energy, and Water). The Roadmaps are brief and high-level to be accessible to all types of stakeholders, including public officials, utility managers, operators, engineers, and regulators. They do not "reinvent the wheel," with all of the great technical resources available. Rather, the focus is to help decision makers quickly understand the strategic issues inherent in a water reuse effort.
Utility of the Future
In 2013, NACWA, the Water Environment Federation and the Water Environment Research Foundation released the Water Resources Utility of the Future… Blueprint for Action to capture the groundbreaking transformation happening at wastewater utilities as they progressed beyond simply complying with the Clean Water Act.
Implementing Asset Management: A Practical Guide Faced with the challenges of aging infrastructure, the lack of funding, and the desire to maintain affordable rates, while meeting the customers’ needs, utility managers are looking for more effective ways to make decisions about capital improvement and infrastructure maintenance.
Financing & Charges for Wastewater Systems Focusing on issues of increasing urgency, this comprehensive manual of practice teaches the reader expert methods for handling all financial aspects of wastewater collection and treatment. Created and peer-reviewed by international authorities at the Water Environment Federation.
Fundamentals of Utility Management This manual is intended for water and wastewater utility operations professionals who aspire to or have been promoted to management or leadership positions. Utility managers must be knowledgeable in the areas of personnel management, budgeting and financial management, and communications.
WEF has been successful at striving toward asset management objectives through the use of a “maturity model” approach with the development of three Resource Recovery Roadmaps, on Energy (2012), and Nutrient Management (2014), and Water Reuse (2016). The goal of the Resource Recovery Roadmaps is to develop a high-level approach to help guide utilities and industry decision makers in issues when considering the NEW paradigm (Nutrients, Energy, and Water). The Roadmaps are brief and high-level to be accessible to all types of stakeholders, including public officials, utility managers, operators, engineers, and regulators. They do not "reinvent the wheel," with all of the great technical resources available. Rather, the focus is to help decision makers quickly understand the strategic issues inherent in a water reuse effort.
In 2013, NACWA, the Water Environment Federation and the Water Environment Research Foundation released the Water Resources Utility of the Future… Blueprint for Action to capture the groundbreaking transformation happening at wastewater utilities as they progressed beyond simply complying with the Clean Water Act.
The goal of WISE is to leverage a systemic approach to improve different aspects of managing a water sector utility. The WISE mission is to apply system thinking and provide a methodology for utilities to improve their capabilities and enable management practices focused on value and overall performance.
The purpose of WEF WISE (Water Intrapreneurs for Successful Enterprises) is to provide a business reference model and information clearinghouse for water utilities to help them to take the next step to execute and deliver results that embody the characteristics of effective and innovative utilities.
WEF WISE maintains a crowdsourced Water Sector Value Model that documents how a utility works. Participating utilities share information to develop this model, creating a win-win situation:
Utilities helping with program development will improve their internal processes
Other utilities will learn from the best in class
Background
WISE began in 2017 as a research project, Utility Analysis and Improvement Methodology (UAIM), with the Water Environment and Reuse Foundation (WE&RF) and was continued by the Water Research Foundation (WRF) in 2019 through May 2021. In 2021, UAIM transitioned to the WISE initiative under WEF management.
The WISE methodology expands on the UAIM to explicitly include maturity assessment and to add performance monitoring and continuous improvement. The methodology includes steps to analyze the current (“As Is”) maturity, design improvements (“To Be”), implement changes, and monitor performance. Although the specific models and methods may be different for different components (e.g. improving processes, workforce engagement, or technology components), the overall methodology for improvement is consistent.
Steering Committee:
Mark Poling, Clean Water Services, OR (Chair)
Mike Staal, City of Grand Rapids, MI
Manon Fisher, SF Water, CA
Zonetta English, Louisville MSD, KY
Todd Swingle, Toho Water Authority, FL
Michael Barnett, SmartCloud, Inc
Jackie Jarrell, Charlotte Water, NC
Douglas Stewart, Portland Water Bureau, OR
Charles Stevens, KC Water, MO
Aditya Ramamurthy, Kennedy Jenks
Ryan Locicero, Clean Water Services, OR
Matt Ries DC Water, DC
Scott Haskins, Haskins Strategic
Utility Partners
Charlotte Water (NC)
City of Baltimore Department of Public Works (MD)
Clean Water Services (OR)
DC Water
Grand Rapids (MI)
Great Lakes Water Authority (MI)
KC Water (MO)
Loudoun Water (VA)
Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District (KY)
Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MN)
Metro Vancouver (Canada)
MWRD Denver (CO)
Portland BES (OR)
Portland Water (OR)
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (CA)
Tacoma Water (WA)
Toho Water (FL)
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (MD)
CONTACT
If you are interested in subscribing to WEF WISE, please fill out the WISE application, or e-mail [email protected] for more information. If you are already subscribed to WEF WISE and need assistance, please contact [email protected]
SUBSCRIBE TODAY
Interested in becoming a WEF WISE Utility Partner?
Please fill out the WEF WISE Application form here.
The goal of WISE is to leverage a systemic approach to improve different aspects of managing a water sector utility. The WISE mission is to apply system thinking and provide a methodology for utilities to improve their capabilities and enable management practices focused on value and overall performance.
The purpose of WEF WISE (Water Intrapreneurs for Successful Enterprises) is to provide a business reference model and information clearinghouse for water utilities to help them to take the next step to execute and deliver results that embody the characteristics of effective and innovative utilities.
WEF WISE maintains a crowdsourced Water Sector Value Model that documents how a utility works. Participating utilities share information to develop this model, creating a win-win situation:
Utilities helping with program development will improve their internal processes
Other utilities will learn from the best in class
Background
WISE began in 2017 as a research project, Utility Analysis and Improvement Methodology (UAIM), with the Water Environment and Reuse Foundation (WE&RF) and was continued by the Water Research Foundation (WRF) in 2019 through May 2021. In 2021, UAIM transitioned to the WISE initiative under WEF management.
The WISE methodology expands on the UAIM to explicitly include maturity assessment and to add performance monitoring and continuous improvement. The methodology includes steps to analyze the current (“As Is”) maturity, design improvements (“To Be”), implement changes, and monitor performance. Although the specific models and methods may be different for different components (e.g. improving processes, workforce engagement, or technology components), the overall methodology for improvement is consistent.
If you are interested in subscribing to WEF WISE, please fill out the WISE application, or e-mail [email protected] for more information. If you are already subscribed to WEF WISE and need assistance, please contact [email protected]
