NEWSThe project is the fastest, most cost-effective and environmentallysustainable way to meet Aurora’s water needs andwent from design to completion in just five years. The systemincludes 34 miles of 60-inch diameter pipeline, threepump stations, a natural purification area and a new watertreatment facility.Designed to protect the city against drought, like the onein 2002 that left Aurora with only a nine-month supply ofwater, the system is a forward-looking project that uses asustainable water source by recapturing river water. Aurora,like many other cities in the state, gets most of its water frommountain runoff, but it’s difficult to predict how much waterwill be delivered from year to year. Prairie <strong>Water</strong>s providesthe solution.The project begins in Brighton, where water is pulledfrom the South Platte River. Riverbank wells pull the waterthrough sand and gravel to perform the initial cleaningprocess. <strong>Water</strong> is then pumped to Aurora where it is treatedwith multiple water purification steps at the Peter D. Binney<strong>Water</strong> Purification Facility, including an advanced ultravioletoxidation process that is among the largest application ofUV oxidation in the world. The plant can treat 50 milliongallons of water each day.Binney, the former Aurora <strong>Water</strong> Director and the drivingforce in the development of Prairie <strong>Water</strong>s, said that thewater solutions from the 19th and 20th centuries would notaddress the needs of the Aurora community and many othersfacing water crisis. It took a creative, sustainable, environmentallyconscious approach, utilizing both naturaltreatment and cutting edge technologies, to deliver theneeded solution.Although Aurora <strong>Water</strong> utilized some traditional fundingmechanisms – $213 million in cash and net bond proceedsof $367 million – the department also sought, and received,funding from some unique sources. The environmentallyfriendly nature of the project allowed Aurora <strong>Water</strong> to createpartnerships with conservation agencies who applauded thecity’s efforts to design a sustainable project that protectedwildlife habitats during construction and use its waterresources responsibly. That helped the department secure alow interest $75 million loan from the Colorado <strong>Water</strong>Conservation Board.ASSOCIATIONSDaigger Assumes IWA PresidencyCH2M HILL, a global full-service consulting, design,construction and operations firm, announced that GlenDaigger, CH2M HILL Senior Vice President and ChiefTechnology Officer, transitioned from President-Elect toPresident of the International <strong>Water</strong> Association (IWA) duringthe 2010 IWA World <strong>Water</strong> Congress, held Sept. 19-24in Montreal. Daigger, who is recognized worldwide as anexpert in wastewater treatment technologies, officially tookoffice for a two-year term as President during the closingIWA Gala Dinner in the Palais de Congres de Montreal.IWA is the global network of water professionals, withmembers in more than 180 countries and from every continentexcept Antarctica. Daigger has been a member of IWAfor 36 years, and has served most recently as President-Elect, Senior Vice President and as a member of the Financeand Investment Committee.“I am deeply honored to become thePresident of the International <strong>Water</strong>Association,” says Daigger. “While we havecollectively accomplished much in the pastseveral years, numerous challenges andopportunities lie ahead. We must work todevelop and deliver programs that servenot only the developed world, but also thatDaiggeraggressively work to serve the needs in thedeveloping world so that all of our efforts are equally relevantand impactful no matter where you live.”With so much to do in such a short time, Daigger willfocus on four initiatives during his time in office:• Continue to build strength, both in participation and financiallyto allow the organization to expand its programs• Expand the family, by including a broader range of professionalsthan ever before• Reinforce the culture of a “bottom-up” organization• Dare to be great, addressing an increasingly “water constrained”global situation by helping to transform watermanagement policies and practices to see that the needsof all citizens of the planet are met well into the futureThornburg Assumes NAWC Presidencyat Annual ConferenceAmid a stunning scenery of canyons and cacti, NAWChosted its 113th annual conference at the Loews VentanaCanyon Hotel in Tucson, Ariz., from Oct. 10-13. With over400 officials, distinguished guests, environmentalists andwater professionals representing all aspects of private waterservice in attendance, the exchange of ideas during thethree-day conference focused on water issues, funding needsand the innovative solutions being employed to addressthese challenges across the country.The conference also provided an opportunity for industryleaders to recognize the good work of fellow colleaguesthrough NAWC’s Annual <strong>Management</strong> Innovation Awardsprogram, and to challenge the industry to do more as responsiblewater stewards, learn regulatory as well as public-privatepartnership best practices, and honor extraordinary membersshaping the future of water management by way of active associationleadership. In particular, the conference set the stagefor the outgoing president of NAWC, Chuck Firlotte, CEO ofAquarion <strong>Water</strong>, to welcome the newly elected president, EricThornburg, President and CEO of Connecticut <strong>Water</strong>.Thornburg leads all aspects of Connecticut <strong>Water</strong>, whichserves over 300,000 customers in 55 towns across the state.Headquartered in Clinton, Conn.TRAININGBAMI-I ExpandsCTAM ProgramThe Certification of Trainingin Asset <strong>Management</strong> ProgramCTAMCertification of Trainingin Asset <strong>Management</strong>offered by the Buried Asset<strong>Management</strong> Institute-International (BAMI-I) hasbeen a solid success. The program,commonly referred to as CTAM, is an online courseand corresponding textbook that introduces enrollees to thebasic principles of asset management.16 <strong>Water</strong> <strong>Utility</strong> <strong>Infrastructure</strong> <strong>Management</strong>November/December 2010
To date, nearly 100 people have completedCTAM since it was introduced inJanuary 2010. More than 90 percent ofthe enrollees have come from municipaland utility sectors, indicating the value ofthis training course.To expand on the program, BAMI-Iannounced that it is launching CTAM+,an expanded program that delves furtherinto the five key areas of asset managementintroduced in CTAM. CTAM+is geared to municipal and utility managersseeking to take their asset managementto the next level.The five key areas of asset managementas identified in CTAM, and formthe five modules for CTAM+, are:Module 1 — Asset Inventory andCondition Assessment (1st Quarter 2011)— topics include: Accurate Evaluation ofExisting Assets; Field Asset <strong>Management</strong>Technologies; Data <strong>Management</strong>.Module 2 — Required Service Levels (3rdQuarter 2011) — Government Regulations;Customer Expectations; PerformanceMeasurements.Module 3 — Critical Assets to SustainPerformance (1st Quarter 2012) — RiskAssessment; Prioritization Methods;Evaluation Technologies; Asset LifeEstimation Methods; Depreciation Models.Module 4 — Best O&M and CIP Strategies(3rd Quarter 2012) -- CIP Planning Models;O&M Estimation; Government Regulations:CMOM and GASB 34; RenewalTechnologies; Repair Technologies.Module 5 — Best Funding Strategies (1stQuarter 2013) — Economic Analysis;Planning Concepts: Screening Projects;Planning for Uncertainty and Risk; FinancialAnalysis: Time Value of Money; Conceptsand Applications for Economic Analysis;Environmental and Social ImpactAssessment; Public Environment; Legal andInstitutional Aspects; Funding Methods.BAMI-I will be rolling out these fivemodules over the next two and a halfyears. Each module will be supported bya manual. CTAM enrollees report anaverage of 20 to 30 hours of time to completethe course.Development of CTAM+ is being carriedout in conjunction with TheUniversity of Texas-Arlington, IndianaUniversity-Purdue University atIndianapolis, BAMI-I, and BenjaminMedia. CTAM+ was recently introducedat the UIM Asset <strong>Management</strong> Conferenceheld in Cleveland Dec. 6-7. For information,visit www.bami-i.com.November/December 2010<strong>Water</strong> <strong>Utility</strong> <strong>Infrastructure</strong> <strong>Management</strong> 17
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