CH2M HILL Shares Expertise At Utility Management Conference
Will discuss water security, new financial delivery models, utility management and asset management
DENVER, February 24, 2014 – Employees of CH2M HILL (www.ch2mhill.com), a global full-service consulting, design, construction and operations firm, will be sharing their expertise at the 2014 Utility Management Conference (UMC), jointly hosted by the Water Environment Federation and the American Water Works Association, February 25-28, in Savannah, GA.
CH2M HILL’s consultants will be leading workshops and presenting alongside clients on water security contamination warning systems, new financial delivery models for water and wastewater infrastructure, benchmarking tools for effective utility management, principles of asset management, and more. CH2M HILL is proud to sponsor the UMC conference, as well as the Young Professionals Summit, held in conjunction with UMC to help foster the development of the newest generation of water industry leaders.
CH2M HILL Employees Workshop and Technical Session Participation
Tuesday, February 25
10:30 a.m. – Reaching Agreement on Risk Liability Between an Owner and Design-Builder
Speaker: Liz Kelly, CH2M HILL
This workshop will cover the best approaches for integrating life-cycle costs and asset management into the procurement of design-build delivery water and wastewater projects.
1:30 p.m. – Asset Management Plus Sustainability: Creating Value from Aligning Two Powerful Utility Initiatives Workshop
Speakers: Andrea Ramage and John Fortin, CH2M HILL
This workshop will teach utility managers and professionals approaches for combining asset management and sustainability to achieve greater effectiveness; how to make the business case for implementing these change initiatives in tandem; and practical ways to link asset management and sustainability initiatives together.
3:15 p.m. –What Do We Know from Water Contamination Warning Systems?
Speaker: Christopher Macintosh, CH2M HILL
When emergency situations arise, it is critical for utilities to be prepared and therefore every utility must integrate security and preparedness into their operational planning process. During this workshop, Chris will share how water contamination warning systems help alert utilities early if a contamination event has occurred so that proper action can be taken to protect residents and local communities.
Wednesday, February 26
1:30 p.m. – The Operational Value of Contamination Warning Systems
Speaker: Christopher Macintosh, CH2M HILL
Smart grid technology and contamination warning systems are changing the game for the water industry by providing utilities with a powerful tool to better integrate and manage large amounts of data. This session will focus on the benefits that utilities gain by streamlining operations and enhancing the facility’s security to ensure customers receive the highest quality water.
1:30 p.m. User-Fee Funded Stormwater Programs, 2013 Update to the 1994 WEF Manual
Speakers: Laurens van der Tak and Mike Matichich, CH2M HILL and Robert Fraley, City of Portland, Oregon
Last year, WEF released an update to its 1994 User-Fee Funded Stormwater Programs manual which provides a summary of best practices and lessons learned from developing stormwater fee programs based on advances in technology, industry insight, and more. This session will include an overview of the manual, as well as highlight case studies from utilities that have successfully implemented a user-fee-funded mechanism to pay for stormwater programs.
2:00 p.m. Exploring New Finance & Delivery Models for Water & Wastewater Infrastructure
Speaker: Mike Matichich, CH2M HILL
Mike Matichich, an expert in strategic financing, will address funding innovation and new delivery models being utilized for water and wastewater infrastructure projects. Insights gained through the development of a strategic plan for the West Coast Infrastructure Exchange, a collaboration of California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia to accelerate use of new finance and delivery options, will be presented and applied to individual utility planning contexts.
3:30 p.m. Business Practice Optimization 2: Theories and Applications of Organizational Performance
Moderator: Liz Kelly, CH2M HILL
Speakers: JD Solomon and Kathryn Benson, CH2M HILL and Beth Eckert, Cape Fear Public Utility Authority
Since the 1950s, business managers have developed and evolved methods for evaluating organizational performance. Today, managers have a wide variety of theories, tools, and techniques to manage and improve organizational performance. This session will explore the key approaches and applications water utility managers can utilize to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their organization.
3:30 p.m. Finance and Rates
Moderator: Dale Jutila, CH2M HILL
This session will explore innovative approaches to rate and fee setting, as well as ways for utilities to improve their credit rating by implementing best management practices.
Thursday, February 27
10:30 a.m. Dealing with Uncertainty and Risk: Using Probabilistic Forecasting for Infrastructure Planning, Renewal, and Replacement
Speaker: JD Solomon, CH2M HILL
Probabilistic forecasting is not a new concept, but in most civil infrastructure applications, it has not been a concept heavily utilized. In this session, participants will learn practical aspects and limitations, as well as best practices for using probabilistic forecasting to consider planning for the renewal and replacement of infrastructure in the water and wastewater utility industry.
3:30 p.m. Security and Emergency Preparedness
Moderator: Dale Jutila, CH2M HILL
This session on security and emergency preparedness will provide utilities with information and guidance on process control system security, as well as basic tactics for responding to utility emergencies. Utilities will glean practical considerations for effectively and safely responding to crises and establishing a business continuity plan.
Friday, February 27
11:00 a.m. Streamlining Performance Measurement and Progress: Application of a Benchmarking Tool for Effectively Managed Utilities
Speakers: Fair Yeager, CH2M HILL and Frank Roth; Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority
This month, the Water Research Foundation and CH2M HILL announced the release of a new benchmarking tool to help utilities implement the attributes of effective utility management. This session will demonstrate how Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority has utilized the tool to streamline and measure its performance.
11:30 a.m. Team-based Implementation for Engagement, Involvement and Success
Speakers: Samuel Paske and John Fortin, CH2M HILL and John Shinn, Jr. Cincinnati MSD
Utilities today require new approaches to address the challenges of aging infrastructure, increasing regulatory requirements, cost pressures, and demographic workforce changes. The Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati (MSD) initiated an asset management program in 2012 and since has earned national recognition for the success of its program. This session will offer insight on how MSD utilized a team-based asset management approach to deliver measureable results, including $1.2 million in total cost reductions (as of 2013), increased equipment reliability, decreased downtime, and improved safety.
For more information about CH2M HILL’s participation in the 2014 Utility Management Conference, visit the firm's award winning Access Water blog. Be sure to check back all week as experts will be blogging throughout the conference.
Headquartered near Denver, Colorado, USA, employee-owned CH2M HILL is a global leader in consulting, design, design-build, operations, and program management for government, civil, industrial and energy clients. The firm’s work is concentrated in the areas of water, transportation, environmental, energy, facilities and resources. With US$7 billion in revenue and 28,000 employees, CH2M HILL is an industry-leading program management, construction management and design firm, as ranked by Engineering News-Record and named a leader in sustainable engineering and environmental services by Verdantix. The firm was named Water Company of the Year at the 2012 Global Water Awards. Visit us at www.ch2mhill.com,www.ch2mhillblogs.com/water, twitter.com/access_water and facebook.com/ch2mhillwater. Search for jobs at www.ch2mhill.jobs.