Annual Report 2001

Delivering Regional Service | Building a Better Environment

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The spectacular view of the ridge at Lake Saltonstall, the morning mist rising from Maltby Lake, a deer on a trail, or a fisherman casting at one of the state’s best fresh water sites. These photos are just a few of the images that were captured by folks who enjoy our recreation programs on the more than 24,000 acres of property we own throughout our region.

It is our privilege to work with a team of talented professionals at the Regional Water Authority who are committed to preserving these images for future generations and ensuring a plentiful supply of drinking water for those generations as well. In our distinguished 152-year history, the Authority has established a reputation for service built upon a strong foundation of quality people, operational excellence, infrastructure investments and vigilant environmental stewardship. Our 2001 Annual Report contains not only images captured by people enjoying our lakes and trails, but photos of our dedicated employees who serve our customers and our region. Beginning on page 6, you will read about individuals who exemplify the commitment of our employees to maintain our high standards for quality service, and make the region better for all of us through their volunteer efforts.

Customers First
Providing efficient, economic service at the customer’s convenience
Our customers come first. While we may be the only water utility serving the region, it doesn’t mean that we can be complacent. We continue to identify and implement ways to improve on our efficient, economic and customer-friendly service. We have re-engineered our operations, streamlined our organizational structure, aligned functions to eliminate redundancy, and enhanced coordination of services. For example, during this past year, we laid the foundation for electronic billing as well as an interactive voice response system. These systems allow customers to pay bills, provide meter readings and schedule work by our service personnel at their convenience. These communication initiatives are two of the ways we are committed to providing high-quality service to our customers.

Rate Stabilization
Saving money for our customers
Saving money and stabilizing the pattern of rate increases for our customers are important. In an effort to do this without detracting from the quality of customer service or burdening employees, we spent the summer and fall developing a new strategy of debt management. Since almost half of our $68 million operating budget goes to the payment of debt service, this strategy has a significant effect. Our proposal to stretch out debt service payments beyond the original maturity of the bonds and thus minimize and regularize rate increases for our customers was well received by the bond rating agencies. This restructuring will be completed in 2003. We also seek additional business opportunities that will help us minimize water rate increases by providing revenues from other sources. We seek out such opportunities where we can leverage our core competencies to the benefit of our customers. Two examples of these efforts are PipeSafe™ and our initiative to provide water testing services for other water utilities throughout the state. Earlier this year, our laboratory signed a multi-year contract with a major business in the region to be their primary water-testing firm. PipeSafe gives its subscribers the security of knowing that if anything should happen to their water line between the curb and the house, we’ll take care of it. Thousands of our customers now subscribe, and the number grows every week.

Watershed Protection
Preserving open space and ensuring water quality
Across our region, challenges to preserving open space continue as acre after acre is developed. We take our stewardship of over 24,000 acres of land seriously. Our Land Use Plan guides us in the management of this open space to not only strengthen our multi-barrier approach to ensuring drinking water quality but also to ensure that open space is maintained. We have been vigilant in purchasing watershed lands. In 2001, we acquired nearly 350 acres of land in Durham, Killingworth, Guilford and Hamden. We were able to purchase some of the property ourselves and in other cases were aided by over $343,000 in grants from the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Open Space Grant Program. In addition, we acquired conservation easements over 11 acres. All of the land is within the watershed of our reservoirs.

Other ways we protect the quality of water are through watershed inspections, environmental analysis of short and long-term land use changes and environmental education of current and future policy-decision makers. To help homeowners and businesses avoid contamination of surface or groundwater, the Authority conducts more than 2,500 watershed inspections annually. The Authority also reviews site plans and helps local commissions guide development plans away from sensitive natural resources that help protect drinking water quality. This review is part of an ongoing effort to monitor and mitigate land use-related environmental impacts on water-supply watersheds and aquifers.

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