Asset Management is a Process and Not a Thing

This is a good example of what improved utility asset management should focus on.  From the CH2M Hill Website:

DENVER, August 23, 2013 – CH2M HILL (www.ch2mhill.com), a global full-service consulting, design, construction and operations firm, has been awarded a contract by the City of San Diego Public Utilities Department to provide optimization consulting services to streamline the City’s water and wastewater operations. The optimization program will provide a blend of operations, management and engineering capabilities to increase operational efficiencies, reduce costs, and generate additional revenue.

Under the contract, CH2M HILL will conduct a comprehensive operational optimization study to review and evaluate San Diego’s water and wastewater facilities and operations to determine if improvements can be made in the areas of energy utilization, water production and distribution, chemical usage, data utilization, wastewater sludge processing and disposal, operator staffing, and warehouse practices and procedures. The study findings will be used to produce implementable recommendations.

San Diego’s water infrastructure system is one of the largest and most complex in the United States. Located in a semi-arid desert region with little rainfall, San Diego imports 90 percent of its water to meet the needs of 1.3 million people. The City maintains and operates more than 3,300 miles of water lines, 49 water pump stations, 130-plus pressure zones, and more than 260 million gallons of potable water storage capacity in a variety of standpipes, elevated tanks, and concrete and steel reservoirs.

“Optimizing utilities for more efficient operations requires management, engineering, finance, and operations and maintenance expertise,” said Scott Haskins, CH2M HILL Director, Management and Strategic Consulting. “Leveraging experience gained from previous utility optimization programs, we look forward to delivering a fully integrated plan to help San Diego optimize its water and wastewater utilities and bring greater value to its customers.”