Renewable Water Resources Receives Prestigious Excellence in Management Award
August 24, 2011
GREENVILLE, SC – August 24, 2011 – Renewable Water Resources (ReWa) was selected to receive the Excellence in Management Recognition award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), during NACWA’s 2011 Summer Conference in Chicago, Illinois.
The Excellence in Management Recognition Program recognizes public clean water utilities that implement progressive management initiatives and thereby advance the goals of the Clean Water Act. NACWA is committed to clean water and a healthy environment and strives to help ensure that member agencies have the tools they need to meet these objectives.
ReWa fulfills this commitment to clean water through its significant efforts over the past several years to maximize efficiency during an era of rising costs and ever expanding water quality challenges.
“We are proud to receive this recognition for the second time, having also won the Excellence in Management Award in 2007. I hope our constituents see this as a reflection of our efforts to continually improve the way we work, for both streamlining operations and protecting the environment,” said Ray T. Orvin, Jr., ReWa Executive Director.
During the three-year award application period, ReWa implemented numerous successful programs addressing the areas of product quality, employee and leadership development, operational optimization, financial viability, operational resiliency, and stakeholder understanding. The C-MOM program, the centralized operational software, the debt refinancing, and the in-house maintenance program have all resulted in the reduction of management challenges, such as collection system overflows, unstable lagoon and package plants, inflow & infiltration problems, and lesser costs from outstanding debt and plant maintenance.
In addition, the programs such as the Wildlife and Industries Together Program, the Succession Planning leadership program, the Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) Campaign, Project Rx: A River Remedy and the Phosphorus education program have resulted in improvements for managerial development, environmental stewardship, and education programs to empower ReWa audiences. The collaborated efforts of these programs bring ReWa to a more effective and streamlined level of operation.
“Renewable Water Resources truly embodies the spirit of the Excellence in Management Recognition Program. It is an honor and an inspiration to showcase the achievements and commitment of this utility and those of our nation to America’s Waters,” Ken Kirk, NACWA’s Executive Director. For more information on ReWa’s water quality efforts, call 864-299-4000 or visit us at www.rewaonline.org.
Pictured Left to Right: Phil Friess, NACWA Awards Committee Chair; Jeff Theerman, NACWA President, 2010-2011; Ken Kirk, NACWA Executive Director; David Wiliams, NACWA President, 2011-2012; Ray T. Orvin, Jr., ReWa Executive Director; and John Boyette, ReWa Vice Chair.
ReWa’s goal is to promote a cleaner environment, and to protect the public health and water quality of the Upstate waterways, while providing and developing the necessary sewer infrastructure for the growing economy. ReWa serves more than 400,000 industrial, commercial and residential customers in Greenville County and parts of Anderson, Spartanburg, Pickens and Laurens Counties.
