News

New Haven, Conn. (Sept. 23, 2015) – Larry Bingaman, president and CEO of South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority (RWA), announced that the RWA was recently honored with New England Water Works Association’s (NEWWA) Utility of the Year Award in the large size utility category. This award furthers the RWA’s goal to become the best in class as a provider of an abundant and reliable supply of water, which is essential to a healthy, thriving and economically vibrant community.

The RWA earned this award as recognition of its significant contributions to the water system infrastructure, customer service, staff training and operations, all of which further protect the wellbeing of the community while promoting the preservation of watershed land and aquifers.

“We are honored that the NEWWA recognizes the RWA’s commitment to its stakeholders and conscious business practices,” Bingaman said. “This award is certainly a testament to the dedication and determination of our staff as they are integral in moving the organization forward. We have an incredible team that continually allows the RWA to ‘Tap the Possibilities’ by leveraging the life-sustaining properties of water and creating new economic development opportunities.”

The Utility of the Year Award also acknowledges the RWA’s recent accomplishments including:

• Mitigating customer rate increases by 12 percent via an internal savings of more than $12 million through improved operating efficiency as well as reduced operating expenses and debt service.
• Replenishing discretionary capital reserves by 2.6 times since January 2009, which translates into lower cost interest rates on new debt, and ultimately lower rates for customers.
• Expanding RWA Laboratory Services, which performs more than 100,000 tests annually to ensure that the RWA’s water quality meets or exceeds state and federal standards.
• Securing one of the lowest main break records in the industry at four breaks per 100 miles (industry average is 20 breaks per 100 miles), which was achieved by investing millions of dollars annually to improve and maintain RWA’s water system, protecting quality and maintaining reliable service.

“These results are only the beginning for the RWA. We are committed to continually innovating, furthering our conscious capitalism business practices and improving upon our efforts to provide new opportunities for the region,” Bingaman stated.

About the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority (RWA):
The RWA provides customers with high-quality water and service at a reasonable cost while promoting the preservation of watershed land and aquifers. On average, the RWA supplies 45 million gallons of water per day to 430,000 people in a twenty-town region centered in New Haven, Conn. The water utility maintains 1,700 miles of distribution mains and more than 118,000 service connections across 260 contiguous square miles in its district. Committed to its community and educating on the value of natural resources, the RWA connects with over 13,000 students annually through its educational programs.

For more information about the RWA, visit www.rwater.com or call 203-562-4020. Be sure to stay up-to-date by following the RWA on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.