Best known for its bayous and the blues, one city nestled in the heart of the Mississippi Delta can now boast of its “perfect” water facility.
With a population of 16,500, the City of Cleveland, Miss. has been named one of the “100 Best Small Towns in America.” Since 1992, a private partner, Severn Trent Services, has been under contract to operate the City’s water system consisting of five wells with a combined capacity of 10 MGD, four storage towers and distribution system, as well as the collection system and 26 lift stations. As part of the collection and distribution system responsibilities, Severn Trent monitors and inspects the systems on a daily basis and is responsible for all repairs and modifications. The company also installs newly designed lines, eliminating the need for an extended procurement process and generally completing the work in advance of typical schedules. Water distribution system responsibilities include line and valve monitoring and maintenance and installation as well as maintenance and monitoring of a SCADA system.
Cleveland's perfect water facility designation was the result of the Mississippi State Department of Health’s (DOH) annual public water system capacity assessment inspection in March 2005. During the inspection, the system’s technical, managerial and financial capacities were reviewed. Conducted by a DOH regional engineer, the routine sanitary survey included reviews of daily log books, housekeeping and bookkeeping records, budget numbers and long-range plans. Also reviewed were state-mandated reporting and sampling requirements, water quality samples, security vulnerability studies, emergency response and sample site plan and accompanying reports.
For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, a reported nine percent of Mississippi’s public water systems received a perfect overall capacity rating. The rating is the average score awarded in three categories: technical, managerial and financial.
Technical Capacity Assessment
The Technical Capacity Assessment focuses on the operation of the water facility, particularly the proper functionality of the system and its processes. Survey questions included:
- Was the treatment process functioning properly (i.e., are pH, iron, free chlorine, etc. within acceptable range)?
- Does the water system have an effective cross connection control program in compliance with DOH regulations?
- Is the water system overloaded (i.e., serving customers in excess of DOH-approved design capacity)?
- Did the operator satisfactorily demonstrate to the regional engineer its ability to fully perform all water quality tests required to properly operate the water system?
Managerial Capacity Assessment
The Managerial Capacity Assessment focuses on recordkeeping, policies, procedures and planning. Survey questions included:
- Have acceptable written policies and procedures for operating this water system been formally adopted, and were these policies available for review during the survey?
- Has the water system developed a long range improvements plan, and was this plan available for review during the survey?
- Does the water system have the ability to provide water during power outages (i.e., generator, emergency tie-ins, etc.)?
Financial Capacity Assessment
The Financial Capacity Assessment focuses on water rates, budgeting, accounts receivable and accounting and audit reports. Survey questions included:
- Has the water system raised water rates in the past five years?
- Does the water system have an officially adopted cut-off policy for customers who do not pay their water bills?
- Was a copy of the water system’s officially adopted annual budget available for review by the regional engineer and does the water system’s financial accounting system clearly and accurately track the expenditure and receipt of funds?
- Is the municipality current in submitting audit reports to the State Auditor’s Office?
Commendations in the State’s report praised the operators’ efforts for “adequately maintaining the technical aspects” and “records for the water system.” Also noted in the report was the fact that water rates have not increased since 2003. The report notes that Cleveland “has a policy to review the rates each year during the review of the annual budget and a decision [is] made whether rates need to be adjusted.” As with all public-private water and wastewater partnerships, the municipality sets the rates, not the private partner.
According to Keith Christopher, operator, “Our staff and the City officials set a goal of achieving a perfect score several years ago. We agreed that seeking perfection would provide great benefits to residents, businesses and the City of Cleveland as a whole. In fact, our largest industrial customer, Baxter Healthcare, recently cited Cleveland’s water quality as the highest in any of its facilities in seven states. That tells us our partnership is working well.”
Bob Maines, Severn Trent Services regional manager noted, “The partnership between The City of Cleveland and Severn Trent Services places a continuous high priority on the quality of water delivered to customers. The facility rating of “5” is a testament to the efforts of Keith and his staff.”
For more information, contact Severn
Trent Services at info@severntrentservices.com.