scope:

INTRODUCTION

In order to consistently supply high-quality water drinking water to customers, the effective operation and management of drinking water treatment plants is essential. Critical requirements for the effective operation and management of drinking water plants are the subject of this guide, which provides suggestions and examples to assist water treatment plants in using AWWA G100.

The US Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA's) Safe Drinking Water Act ensures public safety by setting extensive regulatory requirements for public water suppliers. However, progressive utilities may voluntarily subscribe to additional requirements, such as the AWWA utility management standards, in order to take a more proactive approach to guarantee that a high-quality product, which exceeds regulatory requirements, reaches the consumers' taps.

ANSI/AWWA Standard G100, Water Treatment Plant Operation and Management, is based on water treatment plant operation and management best practices, developed by consensus of the AWWA Standards Committee. AWWA G100 also calls for quality operation and maintenance of water treatment plants through the appropriate expertise of those operating and managing the system. This guidance document has been established to assist any water treatment plant, large or small, in adopting those practices set forth in AWWA G100.

This guide breaks AWWA G100 down into the following components:

Standard Language-The Standard Language is each section of AWWA G100, as written in the latest standard document.

Rationale-The Rationale gives background on the topic in each section of the standard and discusses why the requirements are important for water treatment plants.

Examples-The Examples given do not cover every aspect of the standard and will not apply to every utility's situation. They are not intended to be a complete instruction guide for the implementation of AWWA G100, rather they are intended to point interested parties in the right direction and give insight on how processes and procedures may be properly implemented in accordance with parts of the standard. In order to keep this publication to a reasonable size, only a handful of examples per topic were included, and most point to a secondary publication with current standard operating procedures and practices used by utilities in a standardized format. There are also many sources of additional information listed in the References and Resources section.

Questions to Check Progress-The Questions are listed as a tool to self-assess the status of a utility's compliance with AWWA G100. If a utility can confirm that it has all items in the questions in place, management may wish to consider applying for recognition, or the utility may be able to leverage that information when negotiating a bond rating.

The Audit Checklist is included to further assist utilities in performing an initial gap analysis or assessing their progress in implementing AWWA G100. This tool will help identify any gaps that may exist in current procedures and those required to meet the standard. It asks specific questions and looks for proof and documentation that procedures are indeed in place where called for by the standard. Just as the examples are not an instruction manual for implementing all of AWWA G100, neither is the checklist a blueprint. However, a utility that has all the components represented in the checklist is likely to have a majority of the AWWA G100 standard well covered in its operating and management procedures and practices.