Gravity Sewer Asset Management Program Development and Implementation

About the Program

Category: County Resiliency (Best in Category)

Year: 2016

Johnson County Wastewater (JCW) provides sanitary sewer service to over 400,000 people in Johnson County, Kansas. As JCW’s collection system and workforce continue to age, investments in maintenance, repair, rehabilitation and knowledge transfer to sustain desired service levels and risk tolerances will continue to grow. Data from JCW’s information systems has been used to determine the financial and risk management implications of various investment scenarios, to develop and calibrate decision models, and to develop a consistent, transparent and defensible decision making and prioritization process for sustaining collection system levels of service. This effort has enabled JCW to forecast maintenance, condition assessment and renewal investment needs with a high level of confidence, justify appropriate investment levels, focus limited resources and facilitate knowledge transfer. Increasing investment needs, coupled with limited resources, has driven JCW to continuously improve the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery while continuing to execute day-to-day work functions. To meet this challenge, JCW and their consultants collaborated in the development and execution of JCW’s Gravity Sewer Asset Management Program (GSAMP) Implementation Plan which establishes a clear, practical and strategic path forward. This plan identifies, prioritizes, coordinates, and schedules continuous improvement initiatives at a manageable pace that strives to balance staff availability and continuous improvement objectives.