AWWA INF53987

AWWA INF53987 Public Works With Public Involvement--West Coast Style: A Customer Service Approach to Infrastructure Upgrades Avoids Extended Water Delivery Interruptions to 2.7 Million People
Conference Proceeding by American Water Works Association, 06/01/2001

Chamberlain, David P.^Stewart, Edward^Hill, Randall C.

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The San Diego County Water Authority (Water Authority) is a water wholesalerresponsible for delivery of supplemental imported water supplies to 2.7 millionresidents in San Diego County. The Water Authority delivers water to 23 memberagencies via five pipelines, or aqueducts, ranging in diameter from 48 to108-inches. The water is delivered directly into member agency distributionsystems or to regional water filtration plants. As part of the Water Authority'songoing $1.5 billion Capital Improvement Program (CIP), a series of new pipelinesare being constructed parallel to the existing aqueducts. This work has requiredservice interruptions to upgrade facilities and to place new facilities inservice. During the 1999 winter period, five separate shutdowns of the aqueductsystem affecting essentially all Water Authority member agencies and serviceareas were required to accommodate system improvements and modifications. Toaddress the implications of this undertaking, the Water Authority established aleadership team to plan, strategize, organize, design, and construct the facilityimprovements, emphasizing a customer service approach to address potentialpitfalls along the way. Key elements of the customer service program wereobtaining program buy-in, coordinating with member agencies, and identifying andresolving potential shutdown issues. Activities included constructabilityworkshops, meetings with local residents, and contractor incentives such as earlycompletion bonuses. Program emphasis was directed towards addressing customerconcerns consistent with the Water Authority's newly adopted Vision Statement andOrganizational Values that identifies customers as the agency's highest priority.With strategic planning, focusing on the customer, the Water Authority was ableto identify potential concerns and impacts, and develop a successful andcoordinated plan to mitigate service interruptions. The successful implementationof the 1999 winter shutdowns resulted in the adoption of a customer serviceapproach that will be applied to future CIP projects affecting water deliveriesto San Diego County. Includes figures.