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30Oct
AMWA Honors Tampa Bay Water with Platinum Award for Utility Excellence
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NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Brandon Moore
bmoore@tampabaywater.org
727-791-2304

CLEARWATER, Fla., Oct. 30, 2017 — The Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) honored Tampa Bay Water with its top utility management award, the Platinum Award for Utility Excellence, for its outstanding achievements in implementing the nationally recognized Attributes of Effective Utility Management including financial viability, product quality, water resource sustainability and operational optimization, to name a few.

“It’s extremely rewarding for the agency to be recognized with such a high honor,” said Matt Jordan, general manager for Tampa Bay Water.

Demonstrating characteristics of well-managed utility ensures the Tampa Bay region receives reliable, high-quality drinking water without harm to the environment or rate-payers’ wallets. Tampa Bay Water hasn’t raised rates in seven years and the utility showed its resiliency this past spring when it endured the worst drought in more than 100 years.

AMWA awards utilities that show progress in the Ten Attributes of Utility Management and Keys to Management Success.

  • The agency not only provides clean, safe water to the region now, but it plans for the future needs of the region through its Long-term Master Water Plan, a scientific approach to ensuring the region has new water supplies when needed.
  • Tampa Bay Water employs an asset management program that takes a proactive approach to maintaining the agency’s more than $1 billion infrastructure.
  • The agency focuses on continual improvement through its environmental management system using international standards that guide a continual cycle of planning, implementing, reviewing and improving the processes and actions it takes to meet environmental and operational obligations each day.
  • Tampa Bay Water’s Energy Management Program, also based on international standards, establishes the systems and processes to improve energy performance and efficiency at its facilities.
  • The agency uses an innovative approach to find ways to save money and increase revenue. In addition to keeping water rates level for seven consecutive years, it recently refinanced various bond issues to save $3 million annually and maintains high bond rating with all three rating agencies.

“As people more and more recognize how vital adequate, reliable supplies of safe, clean drinking water are to public health and community sustainability, AMWA is pleased to spotlight the impressive achievements of public drinking water utilities that are leading the nation in their efforts toward sustainability through innovative management practices, executive leadership and employee engagement,” said AMWA President Scott Potter. “Our 2017 management award winners are a credit to their communities, and we salute their formidable accomplishments.”

Five utilities nationwide received the Platinum Award for Utility Excellence. The 2017 winners are:

  • Anaheim Public Utilities (California)
  • Anne Arundel County Bureau of Utility Operations (Maryland)
  • Greenville Water (South Carolina)
  • Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority (Florida)
  • Tampa Bay Water (Florida)

About Tampa Bay Water

Tampa Bay Water is Florida’s largest wholesale water supplier and provides reliable, high-quality drinking water to more than 2.4 million people in the Tampa Bay area through its members. Tampa Bay Water’s member governments include the cities of New Port Richey, St. Petersburg and Tampa, and the counties of Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas. To learn more visit tampabaywater.org

Click here for a copy of Tampa Bay Water’s Platinum Award for Utility Excellence application.