The Onondaga County Water Authority is pleased to provide its customers and consumers with the Authority’s Annual Water Supply Statement and Consumer Confidence Report for the year ending December 31, 2013. Throughout this report readers will be able to find useful information specifically related to OCWA as well as information related to water in general. In addition to mailing a notice to all customers of record announcing the availability of the report, the Authority continues its practice of providing copies of the report to local libraries. OCWA also advertises the availability of the report in local print media.
2013 was a notable year for the Onondaga County Water Authority (OCWA) as it received three awards during the year recognizing the Authority for its efforts related to overall utility excellence, commitment toward improving water quality through optimization of system operations and completion of a major construction project that significantly reduced the energy use of two major pumping facilities.
The Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies recognized OCWA as one of six 2013 recipients of its prestigious “Platinum Award for Utility Excellence”. OCWA, which qualified for award consideration by previously being awarded the AMWA Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance, has been recognized for continuous efforts related to improving product quality, customer satisfaction, employee leadership and development, operational excellence, financial viability, infrastructure stability, operational resiliency, community sustainability, and water resource adequacy.
OCWA also received the 2013 Partnership for Safe Water “Director’s Award of Recognition” from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) for 15 consecutive years of compliance with the Agency’s voluntary selfassessment and optimization program for water treatment plants. OCWA’s Marcellus Water Treatment Plant is one of the original program partners and was the 8th plant in the nation recognized for Phase 3 compliance in the voluntary program and has now sustained compliance each year since joining the program.
The Central New York Branch of the American Public Works Association also recognized OCWA by presenting the utility with its 2013 “Environmental Project of the Year Award” for improvements to OCWA’s Thurber Street and Seneca Pump Stations. OCWA overhauled the two aging pump stations, replacing oversized and inefficient pumps with new, properly
sized and energy efficient units. Lighting and HVAC units at both stations were also replaced with energy efficient equipment. Both stations were also outfitted with back up emergency generators. As a result of the completion of the project OCWA has successfully reduced the energy consumption of the two stations by 30%.
OCWA also continued its consolidation and cost saving initiative related to water service in and around Onondaga County. On January 2, 2013 the Authority assumed the operation and maintenance of the Camillus Consolidated Water System. Based on the efforts of the OCWA’s Distribution Operations, Distribution Maintenance and Meter Repair personnel, water loss in the Camillus system was decreased by more than 820,000 gallons per day during the first year of operation, and further improvements are anticipated. Design work for pump station improvements has begun with completion anticipated in 2015. Similarly a review of the systems tanks in underway and tank improvements will be completed over the course of the next three years. The results obtained are in line with improvements seen throughout the OCWA with respect to numerous other consolidations implemented over the past 20 years. While Camillus was a focus area for 2013, similar efforts have been and are ongoing throughout the entire system on a regular basis.
To learn more about the OCWA water system and water supply, you are urged to read the information included in this report. Readers that have questions regarding the report or that may require additional information can contact OCWA’s Water Quality Manager, Bob Rusyn by calling 315-673-4304, extension 11.
Michael E. Hooker Anthony J. Geiss, Jr., P.E. Geoffrey G. Miller, P.E.
Executive Director Deputy Executive Director Executive Engineer