On Good Authority January 2024

2023 in Review

ON GOOD AUTHORITY By the Numbers 19.7 Million Average gallons of drinking water produced per day

$35,347,677 Invested in Capital Projects

56

107,294 Pounds of pollution removed per day

New hires

3,333

Customers selfreported pipe material

70,000+

$346,642

Utility bill assistance provided to customers

Total customers

2,279 IT tickets submitted

76,447 Customer Service calls answered

1,941,901

Miles driven by Authority employees

Have an interesting fact to share? Contact Public Relations!

44,000

linear feet of waterline replaced

5,772

Students reached through inclass programs and field trips

Upcoming Dates Jan. 15 - MLK Day Holiday Jan. 19 - Authority Chili Cook Off, Coulter Building Board Room 12:30 - 2:00 PM Jan. 25 - Service Awards Luncheon, Berglund Center 11:00 AM - 1:00PM

2023 In Review: Top Accomplishments Capital Projects and Funding The Authority invested over $35-million in capital improvements.

Of that, over $10-million was invested in replacing more than 44,000 linear feet (LF) of waterline and 6,900 linear feet of sewer line in our service areas.

Additionally, the Southlake Water System in Franklin County had a new 200,000-gallon, 175-foot-tall elevated storage facility built. Treatment process changes at Spring Hollow and the digester upgrade project at the WPC Plant improved our treatment facilities.

The Authority applied for and received over $9-Million in grant funding through the Virginia Department of Health and federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds to replace aging waterlines in the Melrose Avenue area in 2024.

Capital projects for 2023 also included numerous water and sewer line replacement projects completed by the Field Operations Capital Improvement Project team. Such projects, including the Scruggs Road water line extension (7,500 LF), the East Cleveland Avenue water line replacement in Vinton (2,750 LF) and the Northwood Sewer directional drill (400 LF of 10" sewer main), allowed improvements to be made at the best cost to our ratepayers.

Renewable Gas Project The biogas/RNG project and the upgrade of the anaerobic digestion system were both milestones for the Authority this past year. The first of its kind in Virginia and a joint project between Roanoke Gas and WVWA, this state-of-art facility produces commercial quality renewable natural gas from biogas, a waste by-product generated at the Water Pollution Control Plant.

Current production levels equate to heat for an average of 500 Roanoke homes per day, and that level is expected to increase.

“As a trusted steward of critical natural resources for our region, this project is a really apparent embodiment of the environmental and service benefits we work to provide to our community,” said Scott Shirley, COO for Water Quality.

Building the Authority Team The Authority team experienced an exciting growth period this year. WVWA brought on board 56 new members, many of whom were recruited through the Authority's presence at job fairs and other community events. The team also boasted an impressive current full time staff retention rate of 89% including only voluntary separation. A number of initiatives contributed to this success, including the IDEA team, the appointment of a Recruitment, Retention, and DEI Coordinator, and the SEGAL pay study and adjustment.

Website Redesign In June 2023, the Authority website received a much-needed refresh. This included a fully redesigned homepage, a reorganized menu navigation and additional homepage “buttons” for quick access to bill pay, GIS, careers and more.

After working with the website host for nearly a year on the redesign, these updates were launched with no additional cost to the Authority.

JANUARY 2024

a newsletter for the employees and families of the WVWA

2023 In Review: Top Accomplishments Field Operations Warehouse & Fueling Station The Field Operations (FOPS) department is expanding with the addition of its new warehouse and fueling station, located across the street from the Field Operations building on Hollins Road. Employees are excited about the improved facility for FOPS which has been under constructions since 2021.

According to Scott Kroll of Engineering Services, the new space allows the department to relocate warehouse items from its current location and provides more storage space and room to fabricate and construct a variety of items for special projects. The warehouse will also store vac trucks during the winter season to prevent freezing and damage to equipment, a task usually accomplished by costly rental spaces. Kroll added that the facility is a more secure site for FOPS vehicles and equipment.

Response to GenX Since the detection of hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA), known more commonly by its trade name GenX, in the Spring Hollow Reservoir, the Authority has worked closely with the Virginia Department of Health and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to identify the source of this compound as the ProChem facility in Elliston, implement best current and evolving treatment technologies, and conducted a comprehensive sampling program of the Roanoke River, the source of water for Spring Hollow. To remove the HFPO-DA, the Authority has been filtering the water through granular activated carbon, a proven treatment technique, and designing upgrades to the facility to make treatment more consistent and efficient.

Since April 2023, the granular activated carbon (GAC) media at the Spring Hollow Treatment Facility has been replaced approximately every three months to provide optimal removal of the GenX compound. The process is working with the levels of GenX in the drinking water staying below the 10 part per trillion lifetime health advisory that was established by the Environmental Protection Agency in June 2022. Because ongoing testing of the Roanoke River showed the river is now nondetect for this compound, pumping of the Roanoke River water into the Spring Hollow Reservoir resumed July 24, 2023 for the first time since August 22, 2022.

In late November of this year, the Authority reached a settlement with The Chemours Company for cost recovery and future expenses related to the optimal PFAS removal from the drinking water produced at the Spring Hollow Water Treatment Facility. With this settlement, the Authority can expect to realize a minimum of $9.5M, and likely closer to $12M, depending upon the number of granular activated carbon change-outs required.

The Water Authority appreciates the dedication of the staff at the Spring Hollow Water Treatment Facility who have worked diligently to implement the best treatment techniques so that our customers can enjoy the best quality drinking water.

JANUARY 2024

a newsletter for the employees and families of the WVWA

The core value for January is:

Tammy Eaton Tammy is that go-to person when you have a question or a request. She is always willing to assist with whatever your needs are and does it with a smile. Tammy will give you her immediate attention.

It doesn’t matter what department you work for in the Water Authority or if you work for an outside vendor, she will get the job done. Tammy is an excellent team player and a valuable asset to the Authority.

Nominated by Tiffany Cumbee

Heather Wray

Jennie has a willingness to be a team player. She is not only an incredible asset to the HR team but as a whole for the Coulter Building and the Authority. She is willing to step up and do whatever is needed. I appreciate Jennie’s willingness to help me in a variety of ways, and any time I need her assistance, she doesn’t hesitate to jump in.

Nominated by Robin Garrett

Greyson Davidson Tiffany Dennis In addition to Tiffany’s job as an Environmental Programs Specialist, she will work in the lab if we are short on lab personnel. She will readily take on new tasks, such as reviewing software and providing feedback to IT for the upcoming CMMS software transition. This is very helpful for the Environmental Programs group.

Nominated by Lisa Workman

Nominated by Cassandra Altice

I would describe Greyson as always willing to jump in and help to get things done. He likes to be occupied and doing something at all times.

Greyson is always willing to help anyone when asked whether it is on his own crew or another crew.

Nominated by Duck Waldron

Cecil Hoyt Cecil always makes himself available to help new hires, apprentices, answering their questions, and coaching them.

He helps his teammates when they need an extra hand.

Happy Happy Retirement!

I have enjoyed learning new things and meeting all of the new hires. I really enjoy the people here.

I think I have made some really good friendships. I am going to miss that the most.

Nominated by Bobby Strong

Jared Bowles Jared has been a great coworker and team player at the WPCP ever since he started working here. Anything from from being a team player on our OPS Challenge to being an Operator In Charge when the supervisor is off cleaning projects around the plant or even helping other coworkers study for Wastewater Certification Tests, Jared exhibits great teamwork!

Jennie Muhlena Human Resources Assistant

JANUARY 2024

Lilly is a team player in many respects; she is always thinking of her team and their needs when faced with decisions. She models collaboration and thrives on helping others.

Finally, she excels at communication and always makes sure everyone is on the same page.

Nominated by Gayle Shrewsbury

Heather sets a great example for the Wastewater Laboratory and Environmental Programs Department. She works hard, helps everyone else in the lab, and does it all with a positive attitude.

She communicates well and in a timely manner, which I really appreciate. If things go wrong or a day proves extra challenging, she rolls with it and keeps her sense of humor. I think she does a fantastic job of exemplifying teamwork.

The value for February is:

Lilly Meighan

Jennie Muhlena

Deadline Jan 26

Nominated by John Hawks

a newsletter for the employees and families of the WVWA