AWWA JOINT53359

The Unified Sewerage Agency (USA) is a special service district and a componentunit of Washington County, Oregon. It is a self-sustaining enterprise-funded wastewater and surface water management utility that serves a population of approximately 411,000.The USA began a Competitiveness Initiative in 1997 in response to the growing trend towards privatization within the water and wastewater utility industry. This paper describes the efforts and results of this three year effort to increase operational efficiencies and reduce costs while maintaining service levels. The focus of the work ranged from fleet services to laboratory to treatment plant operation and maintenance. In addition to the Initiative, the Agency concurrently undertook the upgrading of all its information systems and the development of a comprehensive human resources master plan to support the Competitiveness Initiative. Includes figures.