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Allie Todd
So in your experience, what are the most pressing challenges facing utilities today?
Jackie Jarrell
Well, there’s really several different challenges. There’s definitely not just one. Utilities face a lot of different challenges, I would say one of the biggest ones is workforce. Thinking about workforce retention and recruitment, that can be a major challenge, also just looking at regulatory requirements, or a lot of new regulatory requirements that utilities are working with, and affordability. Trying to balance all of those things together, because with the regulatory requirements and so forth, there can be a lot of challenges with being able to pay for the improvements that need to be made. Trying to balance affordability can really be an issue.
Allie
How are these challenges interconnected, and what are the potential consequences if they are not effectively addressed?
Jackie
There are the significant regulatory requirements like the lead and copper rule, PFAs and all the challenges around PFAs, and nutrients that require major capital and operating dollars for improvements and ongoing operations and maintenance. At the same time, utilities are really trying to provide equitable access to safe and clean drinking water to all of their community or their communities that they serve. Keeping water rates affordable for all can be a challenge while trying to manage the capital and operating costs, and so having a skilled and knowledgeable workforce is critical to effectively and efficiently operating and managing all aspects of the utility. The consequences of not having the people and the resources can cause the utility to not have the ability to meet the service needs of that community. So this is so critical. When you think about a utility as a public health agency and a catalyst for economic growth, we can’t live without water, and it needs to be safe and clean. Utilities are working hard to protect public health and the environment while supporting economic vitality in many cases.
Allie
So what innovative solutions and best practices have you seen implemented to mitigate these challenges and ensure the long term viability of utilities?
Jackie
So thinking about innovative solutions and best practices that I’ve seen that have helped to mitigate challenges and ensure the long term viability of utilities, there are several things that come to mind in the big picture, having a strategic plan, a plan that can function like a high level roadmap, where everyone in the utility knows what the priorities are and knows what the expectations are, and taking that information and developing metrics to measure performance so they can see how they’re progressing through their processes, utilizing best management practices at some utilities like the one that I worked in. We used a continuous improvement program around ISO and so that helped us to achieve the goals that aligned with the priorities of our strategic plan. Another area that I think is critically important, is engagement with staff at every level, so not just thinking about the leadership and the management, but thinking about every level of the organization. Many times, staff that is working on the front line and is working in frontline operations offer very practical ideas and solutions that can really help the utility to become more effective and efficient. Many times, in the past, in my experience, we worked with our staff, our operating staff, on major design projects, piloting new equipment and technological approaches, and just gaining their valuable input on how to even work with customers was always very beneficial.
Allie
How are utilities adapting to these issues?
Jackie
Well, utilities are working hard to adapt to all these issues, and I don’t think there’s one solution that fits all. There are definitely considerations related to the geographic area, where a utility is there are different weather events that might be taking place. We know we’ve had a lot of severe weather in the past and most recent past, and also just some of the other trends, looking at their growth patterns, economic developments, many, many different things where a utility might be located, so very unique to a particular utility. I think one way is utilities working together through interlocal agreements and regional agreements can be very helpful a lot of times. From an economy of scale standpoint, a regional solution can help to work through more cost effective solutions and meeting regulatory requirements, workforce challenges and infrastructure needs in general, and in order to provide the highest level of service to all of the different communities that might be involved, an interlocal agreement or in a regional solution. Another way is partnerships with other community stakeholders, and that’s just thinking about within a community, not just working with other water partners, but maybe working with other partners in the community that are looking more holistically at what’s happening in the community, that can be very, very important. Also in looking at different solutions for a community to be sure that we can be affordable in the services that are being provided, but it also helps to understand what some of the other issues and challenges might be. And in addition, and very important internally, again, is working with staff. And I know I keep coming back to staff. Staff is very, very important to gain some perspective from and learning from them about things might work or might not work, that might appear to work, but getting their input and learning from them can be very effective in learning how to adapt to particular challenges or issues. It also helps promote innovation in gaining all those various perspectives, which is a really important component in successfully adapting to change.
Allie
What do you love about the work you do at Raftelis?
Jackie
What I love about the work I do at Raftelis is the people, and that’s the reason I came to Raftelis, because it is not only Raftelis internally, they have some of the most intelligent and really great people to work with, but it also gives me the opportunity to work with so many great people out at different utilities and in the water sector, and I truly enjoy that.
