Management Innovation In U.S. Public Water And Wastewater Systems

A pioneering volume of best practices for running effective public water and wastewater utilities

Management Innovation in U.S. Public Water and Wastewater Systems is a unique guidebook of cutting-edge managerial and operational best practices currently used at a number of different municipal water and wastewater utilities. The diverse group of contributors consists of managers, utility directors, analysts, and consultants who know the real-world demands of the industry, and add authoritative insights to the examination and critique of each management innovation.

Featuring numerous case histories illustrating how each innovation was developed and how the principles supporting each were put into practice, Management Innovation in U.S. Public Water and Wastewater Systems:
* Establishes standards for measuring success as utilities innovate and improve
* Evaluates financial concerns and innovations
* Illuminates innovations in planning for future investments
* Explores tools for customer communications and other technology concerns
* Details state-of-the-art management strategies, including Six Sigma


A first-of-its-kind book, Management Innovation in U.S. Public Water and Wastewater Systems will quickly become the resource that managers, CEOs, and directors of water and wastewater utility companies always have at their fingertips. This book follows the authors' well-respected and popular book Reinventing Water and Wastewater Systems: Global Lessons for Improving Water Management (published by Wiley).

Dr. Paul Seidenstat is associate professor of economics and research associate at the Center for Competitive Government at Temple University. Dr. Seidenstat has published several articles in leading academic and professional journals on economic and management aspects of water and wastewater systems. He has served as a government finance director and consultant to several government agencies. (pseidens@temple.edu)

Michael Nadol was CFO of the Philadelphia Water Department and finance director of Philadelphia and now is a managing director of PFM, a public management consulting firm. He is also an adjunct faculty member at the Fels Institute of Government of the University of Pennsylvania. (nadolm@publicfm.com)

Dean Kaplan was budget director for the City of Philadelphia and deputy commissioner of the Philadelphia Water Department and now is a management consultant to utilities nationwide for PFM. He also was a government affairs manager for Philadelphia and legislative director for a U.S. congressman. (kapland@publicfm.com)

Dr. Simon Hakim is professor of economics and director of the Center for Competitive Government at Temple University. As an expert on competitive government, he has run several Mayor Summits, consulted for many government agencies, and has written extensively on the subject of government management. (shakim@temple.edu)

Editors and Contributors.

Part I: Introduction and Overview.

1. Innovation Among Public Sector Water and Wastewater Systems (The Editors).

2. Current Trends in Public Utility Management and Inventive Strategies for Major Challenges (James A. Parrott and Sharma L. Young).

Part II: Setting Standards for Success.

3. Standardizing Performance Indicators for Water and Wastewater Utilities (Nora F.C. Freeman and Gregory C. Heitzman).

4. Accreditation and Quality Improvement: What’s the Financial Bottom Line? (Dean Kaplan).

Part III: Financial Strategies.

5. Debt Management Ideas: Risks and Returns of Creative Financing in an Infrastructure-Intensive Industry (Michael Nadol).

6. Wall Street Perspectives on Management that Matters (Richard P. Larkin).

Part IV: Planning and Infrastructure Issues.

7. Watershed Management Practices (Christopher S. Crockett and Brian G. Marengo).

8. Water Infrastructure Rehabilitation: The Nashville Approach (Cyrus Q. Toosi).

9. Natural Drainage Systems: Leading by Example (Darla Inglis).

Part V: Customer Involvement.

10. Incorporating the Voice of the Utility Customer: Effective Use of Utility Customer Survey Research (Linda J. McAleer).

11. Citizen Participation in Wastewater Projects (Robert R. Williams).

12. Competitive Assessment and Change Management: The Complete Solution—Technical and Political (Adam J. Kramer).

Part VI: Information Technology.

13. Getting Results from an Enterprise Geographic Information System (Susan Lior).

14. Philadelphia’s Automatic Meter Reading Program: A Retrospective Look (James Bolno).

15. Development of an Integrated Capital Program Management System for the Austin Water Utility (Chris Lippe, Charles Schoening, Daniel P. Baker, and David W. Harris).

16. The Challenge of Merging Water Companies: Combining Data and Converting to an Enterprise ArcGIS/ArcSDE System (Jos Bell and Ronald R. Butcher).

Part VII: Best Practices in Management and Leadership.

17. CitiStat: Bringing a New Level of Efficiency and Effectiveness to Baltimore City’s Water Utility (Matthew D. Gallagher).

18. Using Six Sigma to Improve Operations at the Fort Wayne Water Pollution Control Plant (Michele Hill and Cheryl Cronin).

19. From “Command and Control” to a Team-Based Organization: Challenges Associated with the Reorganization of a Large Water Utility (Randall A. Monteith).

Index.