2005030110th UWI Response Part 2.pdf

UNITED WATER IDAHO INC.
CASE NO. UWI-O4-
FOURTH PRODUCTION REQUEST
IPUC STAFF
TT A C H MEN T
RESPONSE TO
REQUEST NO. 127
SEE CASE FILE FOR
SPREADSHEE TS
UNITED WATER IDAHO INC.
CASE NO. UWI-O4-
SIXTH PRODUCTION REQUEST
IPUC STAFF
ATTACHMENT TO
RESPONSE TO
REQUEST NO. 162
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UNITED WATER IDAHO INC.
CASE NO. UWI-04-
SIXTH PRODUCTION REQUEST
IPUC STAFF
TT A C H MEN T
RESPONSE TO
REQUEST NO. 170
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200 Old Hook Road
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Deliver To:
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200 Old Hook Road
Harrington Park. NJ 07640
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Account Number. AO101068Dat~; 01/3112005 Number: 05012818
Payment Torms: Due On Receipt
Retfatftnc;e: Billing Period: 12/29/04.. 01126105
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ProductDQscrlptlQn Comments Unit Price Extended Price
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23.08 N 184.
24.98 N 149.
44.64 N 44.
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Balance Due: 39,962.
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postage. Express Mail
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UNITED WATER IDAHO INC.
CASE NO. UWI-W-O4-04
SIXTH PRODUCTION REQUEST
IPUC STAFF
ATTACHMENT TO
RESPONSE TO
REQUEST NO. 185
Idaho e\'Vs B Ii
United Water Idaho June 2004
Columbia Water Treatment Plant
Scott Rhead and Bill Carr
Plant - Construction of the 6 MGD Columbia
Water Treatment Plant is steaming forward. The
treatment building floor slab has b~en poured and
the 1.2 MG clearweillreservoir completed.
Sedimentation basins have been excavated and
construction workers are forming baffle walls.
Just in time for the 2004 peak season, the 16-inch
and 24-inch transmission mains are in service,
enhancing pressure flows to east Columbia
Village. These lines should alleviate the low
pressure. spikes encountered last summer. UWID
anticipates completion of the project by the target ""
of June 1,2005.
Pilot Plant - In a related project, U.S. Filter and
CDM Constructors installed a small, pilot
membrane filter plant the Marden site to test the new, ultra-filtration system planned for the Columbia Plant.
Data gathered from this pilot project will provide infonnation required to secure DEQapproval. The pilot
also will verify the ultra-filtration system s efficiency at removing particles from Boise River water andhandling the annual spring algae blooms.
Columbia Plant Construction Site
Ultra-filtration Membrane Pilot Plant
Ultra-filtration membranes can remove particles as small as 0.005
micron, compared to the media filters used at the Marden Plant
which remove particles only down to 0.1 micron. The membrane
modules (the long tubes in the picture on the right) contain
thousands of hollow fibers. River water is forced under pressure
through the membranes, causing particles greater than 0.005
micron, including pathogens like Giardia Lamblia and
Cryptosporidium, to be trapped and sent to waste. The purified
filtered water travels through the hollow center of the membrane
and is collected for use.
Ultra-filtration membranes provide a robust barrier to physical
contaminants and the water quality does not deteriorate during
starts, stops and flow changes. Membrane plants lend themselves
to remote monitoring with SCADA computers and do not require
chemical pretreatment to be effective. The ultra-filtration process
promises to provide excellent quality drinking water for customers
under a wide array of river conditions.
.......
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aho ~e~~ Blitz
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!!Ix. 200~
2004 Charity Auction a Success
Thanks to the generosity of United Water s employees and the skills of auctioneer J.B. Salutregui, the 2004
Charity Auction was a tremendous success. The event added $11,513.50 to the charitable contribution fund
including $10,292.50 from the live auction, several cash donations and receipts from the day-off raffle.
Thank you, employees and vendors, for an outstanding effort.
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Cotnpany Slats Em p loyee N ew-s
ptember 2004United Water Idaho
O&M and Non~Contiguous Agreements Change
Greg Wyatt
Eagle O&M Contract United Water Operations Idaho and the City of Eagle
anticipate signing a new Operations & Maintenance (O&M) Contract September
14 to cover water service to more tb,an 1 200 customers in the Lexington Hills
area and Brookwood Subdivision.
The new contract helps
the City of Eagle
build a capital
investment fund and
provides United Water
Operations with a stable
revenue stream to
continue to offer quality
operational services.
Greg Wyatt
Under the new contract, the City of Eagle will receive all water revenues and pay
United a set contract fee to operate and maintain the water system, read meters,
bill and collect payments. This contract caps the cost United can incur for routine
maintenance and shifts responsibility to the city for extraordinary expenses and
capital additions, including customer meters. The City of Eagle approved a 40
percent increase in water rates to go into effect with the implementation of the
new contract, allowing the city to build a capital investment fund for the water
system and to cover water expenses not related to operations. Both parties view the new contract as "win-
win. "
/'. "
F UWID acquiredEM , precursor to United Water Operations Idaho, in the mid-1990s and began
providing operations and maintenance management to the system serving the Lexington Hills area. The
original contract was revised in 1997 and provided for United Water Operations to receive all revenues and
pay all operating expenses. The new contract resulted from negotiations initiated by the City of Eagle in
2002.
Carriage Hill Non-Contiguous Agreement UWID and the City of Nampa entered into a Purchase
Agreement in March 2004 for the sale of the Carriage Hill water system to the city to meet the
development's need for additional source of supply. This transaction requires Idaho PUC approval. The
company filed. an application with the Idaho PUC on August 9,2004, and anticipates a ruling by the end of
October. If the Idaho PUC's ruling is favorable to UWID, the sale should close within 30 days of the
decision and permit further development in the subdivision.
"':"
- ~ The Idaho PUC approved the Carriage Hill Subdivision Non-Contiguous Water System Agreement
in March 1999 and the single source of supply well, associated equipment and Phase I distribution system
were subsequently installed. Phase n distribution network was installed in 2002 bringing the system to 25
lots, the maximum allowed by Idaho DEQ for a single source of supply.
In early 2003, Carriage Hill developers notified UWID that they were ready to proceed with further
development but lacked sufficient funds to construct a second source of supply. At the developer s request,
UWIDpursued an interconnection agreement with the City of Nampa. Although the city did not want an
interconnection, it did express interest in purchasing the Carriage Hill system to connect to the city
. distribution system. Nampa created a Local Improvement District to help finance the acquisition. The
company also sought and received a waiver from Idaho DEQ to allow development of an additional 10 lots
in the subdivision prior to installation of a second source of supply. Approximately 31 lots are currently
connected to the Carriage Hill system.
,.",..""""""""~-......."""
Idaho News Blitz ptember 2004
Company Events
Heart Walk Final numbers are in for the 2004 American Heart Walk. UWID teams recruited 54 walkers
who raised a total of $5,508, far exceeding the first-year recruitment goals of 17 walkers and $2,700 in
contributions. Congratulations for a great effort go to Jeff Lough, company leader, and his team, with special
recognition to top money-raisers Linda D'Orazio and Miguel Castro. Start planning now for an even bigger
event in April 2005.
Conlpany Picnic UWID families invaded Boondocks for their own
version of "Friday the 13th" on August 13. Employees, retirees and their
families, 120 in all, enjoyed an All American Barbecue followed by a
fun-filled evening of bumper boats, go-karts, miniature golf, arcade
games and laser tag.
Community House United Water recently presented a $10 000
donation to Mayor Dave Bieter to help support Community House. As
Greg Wyatt noted, the company selected Community House because it
touches people s lives in practical and meaningful ways.
The Bill Carey family checks out Boondocks,
COl11pany Slats E11t loyee News
2004 August Year-to..Date
FinanciaIs
(all amounts in thousand $)
2004 2004 Difference
Actual Plan
Operating
Revenues $21,673 $23,211 ($1,538)
Operating
Expense $12,183 $13,656 $1,473
Operating
Income $9,490 $9,555 ($65)
Interest
Expense $4,565 $4,498 $( 67)
Income
Taxes
Net
Income $4,925 $5,057 ($132)
2004 YTD Training Hours:
Safety 408
Technical 475
General 283
Mgt. Development 123
Customer Recognition
Rick H eckenlively
Special thanks were sent to Rick
Heckenlively for going the extra mile to
help a 78-year-old cancer survivor. Rick
not only shut the water off so the customer
could repair a leaking faucet, he also
guided his family through the repair. Great
job, Rick!
New Employees
Paul J ozwik - Mechanic
Paul comes to UWID from
Western States Equipment Company where
he specialized in the repair and overhaul of
Caterpillar truck engines. He brings over
10 years of experience as a mechanic. In
his spare time, Paul is a serious cyclist.
Michael Wilson - Accounting Clerk
Michael joined the Accounting
Department in August. A graduate of
Lewis-Clark State College, he brings four
years of experience in accounting and a
strong background in Excel and business
applications.
Customers - Employees - Efficiency July 18, 2003
On Wisconsin!
United Water Milwaukee recently received the
results of an audit that reviewed its operation of
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewer District (MMSD)
facilities. The audit validates United Water
performance as one of the nation s top-performing
wastewater treatment operators and
acknowledges the professionalism of our
Milwaukee team. The audit focused
challenging areas such as flow management and
treatment practices, minimizing the possibility of
bypasses and establishing benchmarks against
industry standards. This review provides both
partners with an objective evaluation of system
performance and presents issues to consider
regarding further efforts that may enhance quality
and service and build an even more robust and
effective partnership.
The MMSD system is among the nation s largest
and most complex. Under United Water
management both treatment plants have received
the Association of Metropolitan Sewerage
Agencies' (AMSA) Platinum Award for five
consecutive years of 100 percent effluent
compliance. The MMSD-United Water partnership
has helped the District achieve savings in excess of
$66 million over the first five years of the contract.
At the same time, performance has consistently
improved. Congratulations to the Milwaukee team
on a job well done.
Productive Teamwork
Springfield
As part of SUEZ' worldwide action plan for 2003-
2004, United Water has been reviewing those of its
O&M operations which have not been sufficiently
profitable. The objective is to identify ways to
improve the projects' performance and efficiency
and, if appropriate, to correct.aspects of the
contracts.
The first review to be completed focused on the
Springfield, MassachusettsO&M operation in the
East region. It identified potential for major
operational improvements and for financial
recovery. With these improvements, the project is
now expected to reach profitability between 2004
and 2006.
The Springfield review was performed on a very
tight sch~dule in just over two months by the local
management team, together with a
multidisciplinary group including a PERFORMAX
team, technical specialists from both United Water
and SUEZ Environment, and members of the
corporate legal and financial departments. It
demonstrated the value of pooling skills and
expertise from the project level clear across the
Group to the corporate departments of United
Water and SUEZ Environment. Other reviews are
underway and on schedule in Gary, Laredo, and
Milwaukee.
Sbi United Water 1(.
..
UWNY Adds AquaDAF
An innovative water treatment system that
improves water quality and water processing is
now online at United Water New York's Lake
DeForest Water Treatment Plant. The technology
upgrade-AquaDAF-uses dissolved air filtration
and is licensed by Ondeo Services. Several such
units are in use in Ondeo s worldwide system, but
this is the first installation in the United States. The
new technology will enable the Lake DeForest
plant to provide customers comfortably with up to
20 MGD of high-quality water. AquaDAF is
particularly well suited to handle problems such as
algae or storm events that decrease water clarity. It
will enable UWNY to treat more water during
heavy use periods in the summer, which will
result in better tasting, higher quality water. The
company provides drinking water to about 260,000
people in Rockland County.
What's On Your Mind?
CEO Tony Harding has taken his What's On Your
Mind?" meetings on the road. He recently visited
employees in California and Idaho where he
outlined his views on values necessary for a
leading water business. Harding also discussed the
need to establish a stable and consistent
framework for performance based on values,
behaviors and results. Following his presentation,
he encouraged employees to ask questions about
things that are on their minds. Both the questions
and answers have been frank and have covered a
wide variety of subjects. Harding has also visited
employees in the Metro NJ/NY and East regions
and plans to hold "What's On Your Mind?"
meetings throughout the rest of the company over
the coming months.
Color Us Ora nge
United Water began its public-private partnership
with the City of Orange Township, NJ, on June
replacing the East Orange Water Commission. The
company will operate and maintain the city
water production and treatment water
distribution, wastewater collection and storm
water collection systems. The water system is
comprised of five ra"W" water wells, two finished
water wells, a water treatment and pumping
facility, a 6 MGD reservoir and several finished
and raw water interconnections. This is a great
example of "proximity" growth: providing new
additional services near our existing operations.
Happenings In Harrisburg
If you re looking for the United Water
Pennsylvania Customer Service Center, you ll find
it in a new location. The entire move was handled
in-house over Memorial Day weekend--May23-25.
Many action items needed to be accomplished by
the transition team in a very short time frame. At
the time of the move, the team was also setting up
a new phone system. Shortly after, they created an
account for the City of Orange and transitioned
Camden Water to the WINS/2 System. With a
customer base of over 75,000 (including PA,
Orange and Camden), the eight customer service
representatives and their manager met these
challenges in the timely manner needed to make
this transition a success. Congratulations for a real
team effort to IT, Customer Service, the UWPA
team and everyone involved in making things
happen in Harrisburg.
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Customers - Employees - Efficiency August 26, 2003
Lights Out!
On Thursday, August 14, the Northeast
experienced a widespread power outage which
affected several United Water facilities. Our
employees responded promptly and
professionally to this serious situation. Many
worked through the night to ensure that
customers had an adequate and safe supply of
water. It was the second" all-nighter" in a short
period of time for United Water Jersey City
employees. Just a weekearlier, a lightning strike
caused a failure to a power grid supplying their
water treatment plant. Despite hot and humid
conditions, they were able to meet customer needs
and maintain water quality under challenging
circumstances. After the August 14 power failure
CEO Tony Harding visited a number of employees
in the Metro Region to thank them for a job well
done.
Do The Right Thing
United Water provides essential services for
millions of people. Therefore, it is essential that we
deliver these services in a manner which fully
complies with the letter and spirit of all laws that
apply to Qur operations. While some decisions are
clearly black and white, there may be times when
you have questions about" gray" areas. You may
also have questions about reporting improper
conductor whether we re conducting company
business in an ethical manner. During those times,
you are encouraged to bring your concerns to any
member of United Water s management team. In
addition, you may also contact any member of the
Ethics Committee. The Ethics Committee is
subcommittee of the Board of Directors Audit
Committee.
The individuals below will take your call and
respond to your question or investigate your
complaint. If you ever have questions about ethics,
please call1800 6644552 and ask to speak to:
Xavier Boulat, EVP and Chief Financial Officer, Ext. 2877
Bob Gerber, VP, Legal and General Counsel, Ext. 2854
Ann Koesterer, Director, Internal Audit, Ext. 4247
Todd Wohler, SVP, Human Resources, Ext. 2880
If you do not want to disclose your name, you
may call the Ethics Hotline at:
1 877 ETHICSS or 1 877 384 4277.
MT Update
The Executive Management Team met at
Harrington Park on August 19. Among the topics
discussed were:
Emergency Response Preparedness
All EMT members agreed that the teams on-site at
the United Water facilities affected by the August
14 power outage had done an excellent job of
maintaining service throughout the night until all
power sources were in working order. In
discussing the company s preparedness for
dealing with similar serious situations, the EMT
identified two key areas which need to be
addressed. A comprehensive review of standby
power generation facilities at all United Water sites
will be conducted. And the company s existing
technical, operational, and communications
emergency response procedures will be updated,
simplified, and consolidated before the end of the
year.
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Health & Safety
Alan Thompson, Vice President of Infrastructure
Management, presented the new United Water
Health & Safety policies manual, which has just
been completed and will be distributed
throughout the company over the coming weeks.
The next step is to ensure that the company
Health & Safety policies become a component of
every employee s measurable professional
objectives.
Optimax
The EMT agreed to set aside a full day on
September 5 for a meeting to discuss and evaluate
the results of the business reviews conducted
during the summer in Milwaukee, Laredo,
Springfield, Gary, and New Jersey. The reviews
were conducted as part of the Suez Optimax
program, which is focused on reducing debt and
improving profitability throughout the Group.
Finance and Budgets
United Water began the year with an ambitious
budget which included revenue assumptions
based on rapid external growth. In the spring, the
new management team reassessed the company
financial objectives in the light of the Suez action
plan. This focused mainly on improving
performance of our core businesses and achieving
" a new set of objectives approved by the
management of Suez Environnement. Although
every effort has been made to keep the company
on track to achieve V2, several factors have made
the task more difficult, especially this summer
rainy conditions in the Northeast, which have had
a significant impact on revenues. To ensure that
United Water meets its objectives, the EMT
committed for the remainder of 2003 to take all
appropriate action to respect V2 requirements.
This includes reducing non-essential costs, such as
certain consulting fees and certain travel expenses.
In order to avoid the time lags that affected
decisions on this year s budget, the EMT also
committed to a strict timetable for the 2004
budgeting process. All regions and corporate
functions have already submitted their
preliminary budgets to United Water s Finance
group, which is now working on establishing an
achievable target for operating income growth.
The key dates for the budgeting process are:
September 26-Submission to Suez En vironnemen t of
the 2004 budget and the 2005-2007 Medium-Term Plan
October IS-Deadline for all detailed region, business
unit, and corporate support budgets
November I-Finalization of all budgets.
The United Water Financial Operations
Management Booklet, which explains the
company s financial and administrative policies,
has been completed. The document is intended to
offer management guidance and to promote
strong management discipline across the entire
United Water organization. Xavier Boulat, Chief
Financial Officer, gave copies to all EMT members.
Booklets will be distributed to all managers
throughout the company.
Political Action Committee
Joe Simunovich, Chairman of United Water
Political Action Committee (PAC), and Ulises Diaz,
VP of External Affairs, made a presentation to
review the role and mechanics of the PAC. While
is often useful for corporations to make
contributions to candidates for federal or state
offices who support their interests, they are not
permitted to make political contributions on a
federal level, and can do so only on a limited basis
on a state level. PACs provide corporations with a
mechanism for making such contributions.
United Water s PAC was formed in 1994 as
volunteer, non-profit employee political action
committee and has, over the years, helped the
company develop and maintain relationships
important to its business. The company is required
to report regularly to the Federal Election
Commission. and various other state election
commissions on the PAC's activities and
contributions. EMTmembers will soon be
receiving the most recent data and will be
spearheading an effort to communicate
information on the PAC and its importance,
through their management teams, to eligible
employees.
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Information Please
The Information Technology Department is
playing a key role in providing tools that will help
United Water meet its challenging business
objectives. Executives Tony Harding, Mel De
Vogue, Hans Schenck, and Xavier Boulat recently
discussed these objectives at the project kickoff
which was held for United Water finance
managers. These include cost control and
increased business functionality as well as
standardized business processes and procedures.
The ITlFinance team is currently implementing
system changes that will enable United Water to
respond to increasingly complex financial
management and reporting requirements.
One major component of this plan involves
creating a single integrated financial system. As a
result, all operations using the Solomon system
will be migrated to the current PeopleS oft system
by the end of the year. This will simplify
consolidation and reporting and provide a
uniform platform for all PeopleSoft functions
within United Water. It will also provide a single
starting point for the PeopleS oft upgrade which
will occur in 2004.
Payroll Changes
United Water will begin converting its Solomon
payroll systems to a single PeopleSoft system in
mid-September. The conversion, which should be
completed by year-end, affects United Water
Services companies and U.S. Water companies.
Employees who currently see three separate
deductions on their paycheck (one each for
medical, dental, and vision) should note that these
will be combined into one deduction. The total
amount deducted will not change. In addition
UWS and U.S. Water employees will receive two
2s in January, 2004-one for earnings received
under the Solomon system and one for earnings
received under the PeopleSoft system. There will
be no change in total taxes deducted because of
the conversion. Employees who will be affected by
this change will receive additional information in
September.
Thirsty for Knowledge?
If you have a thirst for knowledge about United
Water, the information you need is coming soon.
In the very near future, we ll be launching the
new" Quench, United Water employee intranet
site. Look for more information about the launch
date in your e-mail. In order to minimize traffic
during the launch, we re rolling Quench out to
one region at a time.
Human Resources and Information Technology
will be the first departments to go online. Their
sites will offer easy access to forms, policies,
organizational charts, and much more. During the
next several weeks, we ll be testing the new look
and feel of Quench and making changes based on
your input. Once we get your feedback, we
begin adding other departments and region
information. Our goal is to provide you with easy
access to the tools and information you need to do
your job more efficiently.
From The U.K. To The U.
CEO Tony Harding recently addressed The
National Association of Regulatory Utility
Commissioners (NARUC) at their summer meeting
in Denver. NARUC' smembers include the
governmental agencies that are engaged in the
regulation of utilities and carriers in the fifty states,
the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the
Virgin Islands. Harding s presentation, "From the
K to the U.S: Priorities for United Water,
outlined the regulatory environment in the U.
and compared it to that of the U.S. He also defined
United Water s priorities for the year ahead.
NARUC regards United Water highly," said
Harding. "This was a great opportunity for me to
meet the commissioners, to share our professional
experiences, and to advise them of United Water
focus on customers, employees, and efficiency.
Calendar
September 16-EMT meeting
September lS-Board of Directors meeting
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Customers - Employees - Efficiency September 23, 2003
Water, Water Everywhere
re in the business of managing water under all
types of circumstances. And when Mother Nature
recently tested our skills, United Water personnel
rose to the challenge. Over Labor Day weekend,
record downpours affected our operations in both
Indianapolis and Plainfield, Indiana. The Belmont
and Southport plants, which treat 180 million
gallons of combined sewage on an average day,
were handling 350 million gallons during the
emergency. The garage at the collection facility
was flooded with five feet of water and employees
worked to remove equipment while other crews
worked non-stop, monitoring
lift stations and taking care of
back-up complaints,
underpasses, overflows and
rain routes.
Pennsylvania s Reeser s Estates and Susquehanna
systems. As a result, a boil water advisory was
issued for about 400 customers served by those
systems.
Yet again, United Water employees have
demonstrated their commitment and skill for
getting the job done under difficult circumstances.
United Water Board Meeting
United Water s Board of Directors held a regular
quarterly meeting on September 18 at Harrington
Park. The Board members discussed a range of
subjects, including reports from the
Audi t and Compensation Advisory
committees, year-to-date financial
results, and initiatives related to
health. and safety issues.
. On September 15, remnants of
Tropical Storm Henri created
some of the worst flooding
conditions on record in
Delaware. In fact, a flash flood
resulted in the emergency evacuation of United
Water Delaware personneL A small crew
remained at the plant and maintained contact with
other employees throughout the emergency.
Although waters from the Red Clay and White
Clay creeks threatened our facilities, the staff was
able to return to work the following morning.
And, finally, Tropical Storm Isabel arrived with
less force than expected on September 18. A few
facilities experienced brief power outages with no
interruptions of service. However, a power outage
resulted in low pressure in United Water
The Board recognized the good
work performed by on-site teams in
the Metro and East regions during
the August 14 blackout. The CEO'
recommendation to review
seriously our standby generation capacity and
emergency response procedures was fully
endorsed by the Board.
The results of the Optimax review, which had
been carried out over the summer period, were a
main agenda item. In preparation for the Board
meeting, the EMT met on September 5 to provide
input to the recommendations made by the
Optimax team following its review of United
Water s largest regulated and non-regulated
businesses. The Board received a presentation on
these recommendations and agreed that best
S!Je~r UnitedWater 1('eo
efforts should be made to improve those contracts
that do not provide optimum frameworks for
operational and financial performance.
A large part of the Board meeting was devoted to a
full report by Tony Harding on his initial
impressions of issues and challenges at United
Water. He stressed the company s need for a clear
direction in the wake of the many changes in
organization, leadership, and focus that it has
undergone during the pastfew years. Harding
noted several key priorities for improvement:
establishing clear parameters for measurement
and delivery of customer service
asset management planning, including the
determination of the right level and priorities
for capital investment
design and implementation of an up-to-date
managemen t information system
developing a better approach to procurement
He also stressed other important areas for
attention, including:
security and emergency preparedness
employee support and development
the need for targeted external and community
relations
increased involvement in the development of
regulatory policy
To address all of these issues, as well as the
question of United Water s focus going forward,
Harding proposed the development of a medium-
term Strategic Plan that would set a clear direction
for the company and would include key
objectives, prioritized action plans, and
measurable targets, against which everyone in the
company can follow our progress. It would also
specify a performance framework setting out how
individuals and teams should work together to
achieve results. The Board agreed, and the first
draft of United Water s Strategic Plan will be
presented at the next Board meeting on
December 16.
Key Dates
September 26-Submission to Suez Environnement of
the 2004 budget and the 2005-2007 Medium-Term Plan
followed by a formal presentation to Suez
Environnement senior management on October 15.
. OctoberlS--Oeadline for all detailed region,business
unit, and corporate support budgets.
November I-Finalization of all budgets.
December I6-United Water Board meeting.
Suez News
Gerard Mestrallet, Chairman and CEO of Suez,
recently recorded a 13-minute webcast for
employees in North America. He summarizes the
Group s activities for the first six months, reports
on the 2003-2004 Action Plan and describes Suez
strategy and scope. To view the video, please
navigate to P:\Suez\suez webcast 2003.wmv.
The sound quality is not ideal, so if you prefer, you
can read the transcript in the Quench
announcement" section. To find Quench, just
type "quench.unitedwater.com" (no quotes) into
your web browser. Check with your supervisor
you need access to a computer.
What's On V our Mind?
Earlier this year CEO Tony Harding implemented
his series of What's On Your Mind?" meetings. So
far, Harding has visited employees at locations
the Metro NJ/NY and East regions as well as in
California and Idaho. While he has had a full
calendar during these last several weeks, Harding
plans to get "on the road again" in November to
resume visiting locations in the West and East
regIons.
On The Move
During the weekend of September 13, United
Water began the first of a series of moves that will
bring together the Metro Region team (presently
in rented offices at Oradell) and the Corporate
functional teams into one location in Harrington
Park which is owned by the company. This will
enable the groups to work together more closely,
reduce external leasing costs, and make more
effective use of space.
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During Phase One, the EMT relocated from the
oversized executive wing into more suitably sized
offices. This will open the " old" executive area to
accommodate a larger number of employees.
Other moves will occur in phases throughout this
year and into the first quarter of 2004.
Quench
United Water s "new" employee intranet has been
launched. Human Resources and
Information Systems are the first
departments to go online. You can
visit their sites for easy access to
forms, policies, organizational charts
and much more. To enter the
Quench site, just type
quench. unitedwater .com" (no
quotes) into your web browser.
Don t forget to send your feedback to
the webmaster. Once we get your
ideas on the look and feel of the new
site, we ll begin adding other
departments and region information.
Diving Right In
If someone told you that there was a diver in your
sewer system last week, you might not believe it.
But that's exactly what happened at United Water
Milwaukee on September 16 and 17. Over the
course of two days, divers were 300 feet below the
surface inspecting the Milwaukee Metropolitan
Sewer District's lnline Storage System (ISS) as part
of a scheduled maintenance program.
Contract Ratified
The bargaining unit of United Water New York,
members of IBEW (International Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers) Local 363, ratified a new four-
year agreement with United Water on Thursday,
September 19. Local 363 represents 64 employees
who provide water service to 260,000 people in
Rockland County, NY. "United Water and Local
363 have successfully concluded negotiations that
will benefit our employees, our customers and the
company," said Bob Iacullo, president of the Metro
Region. "d like to thank all the members of the
negotiating teams for their efforts. I look forward
to continuing the positive working relationship
that we have historically had with Local 363.
The tunnel system is 19 miles long and
ranges up to 32 feet in diameter. It
helps protect waterways during heavy
rain events by holding up to 405
million gallons of waste-water until it
can be accepted by the treatment
plants. If the same amount of
wastewater were stored in railroad
tank cars, it would be contained in two
trains stretching from Milwaukee to
Chicago.
Last week, with about 30 million
gallons of water in the tunnel system, divers
entered pump chambers to begin the visuaVvideo
inspection. Next, they performed a power wash
using high-pressure hoses to remove built-up
sediment. After the divers surfaced, the 4,500
horsepower pumps were turned on to remove the
loosened sediment. This process was repeated
several times for three pumps which each have a
capacity of 50 million gallons per day.
The final ISS inspection report is still forthcoming.
United Water s maintenance programs, including
the ISS inspections, have helped the Milwaukee
project earn a place among the nation s top ten
performing wastewater facilities.
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United Way Kick-off
United Water New York and United Water New
Jersey kicked off their United Way campaigns last
week. "I believe that it is time for our company to
reinforce the fact that we see ourselves as real
members of the local communities we serve," said
CEO Tony Harding. "I plan to demonstrate this
personally by rolling up my sleeves and taking
part on the Corporate Day of Caring." He
encouraged employees to help United Way on
October 3 by volunteering to renovate a Habitat
for Humanity home or do site clearing for the
Teaneck Conservancy in Bergen County, NJ.
UWNY employees have been asked to spruce up
facilities for Jawonio, an organization dedicated to
improving the well being of people with
disabilities. In addition to "hands on" help,
UWNJ/UWNY have established a financial goal of
$15,000.
Serving It Rig ht
On Monday September 22, the Metro Region
Customer Service group gathered at the Haworth
Water Treatment Plant to celebrate the progress
they have made as they strive to build a top-
quality call center. Located at Moore Street in
Hackensack, NJ, the team made many changes
over the past several months, with the intent of
improving customer satisfaction, enhancing
training and increasing productivity. The event
included remarks by Bob lacuno, Hans Schenck
and Jim Glozzy. It was followed by a tour of the
plant in order to give the Customer Service Reps a
better understanding of United Water s business
so that they can better serve the customers who
contact them each day.
A barbecue concluded the event, giving the
representatives an opportunity to relax and enjoy
some down time" with their colleagues.
Members of the development and training team
also handed out awards to several CSRs to
recognize their efforts in documenting the
processes that Customer Service follows each day
to serve United Water s customers. These process
designs evolved into the training courses that are
currently being delivered to the CSRs.
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Customers - Employees - Efficiency October 28, 2003
Customer Service Week
Customer service is often the key that
distinguishes an ordinary company from a great
one. In order to acknowledge the important role
that customer service representatives play in
business, the International Customer Service
Association introduced National Customer Service
Week in 1988. This year, Customer Service Week
was celebrated across the country during the week
of October 6.
In 1992, the U.S. Congress declared Customer
Service Week a nationally recognized event.
President George Bush, proclaimed" .
. .
the most
successful businesses are those that display a
strong commitment to customer satisfaction. If the
United States is to remain a leader in the changing
global economy, highest quality customer service
must be a personal goal of every employee in
. business and industry.
" At United W ater~ about 130 individuals are on the
front-line of our customer service effort," said CEO
Tony Harding. "For most of our customers, these
men and women are the face and voice of United
Water. I'd like to thank our representatives for
their hard work and professionalism. One of my
goals is to enhance further our ability to improve
customer satisfaction. Our customer service team
will playa key role in helping United Water
achieve 'best in class' service levels.
The X Plan
United Water s Employee Discount Car Purchase
Program (X Plan) makes shopping for a car a little
easier. The X Plan allows United Water employees
to take advantage of special discounts on Ford,
Lincoln, Mercury, Mazda, Volvo, Land Rover or
Jaguar vehicles.
Just log onto www.fordpartner.com or call the
Ford Information Hotline at 1 877 975 2600. You
need to provide United Water s Fleet ID code
(UH329) in order to receive a personal
identification number (PIN). Then simply visit
your local dealer with your PIN and identify
yourself as a Partner Recognition participant.
Once you ve provided proof of employment and
selected a vehicle, you willbe shown the dealer
invoice. The X Plan is a predetermined discounted
price afforded to United Water employees. It
entitles participants to incentives which result in
substantial savings.
EMT Update
The Executive Management Team (EMT) met at
Harrington Park on October 22. Among the topics
discussed were:
Emergency Preparedness
United Water employees have responded to
difficult challenges during recent power outages,
tropical storms and floods. These events have also
shown us that we need to improve
communications between the business units, the
corporate office in Harrington Park and the Suez
corporate office in Paris. As a result, the EMT
agreed to implement a new emergency
notification procedure. As part of this plan, a
member of senior management will be on-call
hours a day. He or she will serve as the primary
corporate contact in the event of a major
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emergency in any region. The region presidents
have advised their management teams that they
must notify the emergency coordinator when a
serious emergency occurs. The goal is not only to
improve communications but also to help provide
regional operations with additional resources they
may need to manage emergencies. Individual
business units are in the process of preparing or
updating their technical and operational
emergency response plans, with the goal of
completing them by the end of this year.
Budget
On October IS, a team led by Tony Harding
presented United Water s proposed 2004 budget
and medium-term plan to the Suez Environment
management team. Although Suez Environment
has not yet provided a complete feedback report,
the two teams agreed on the main strategic
assumptions underlying the financial proposals.
United Water will submit further detail and
analysis on certain points within the next few
days. The EMT will then meet on November 12 to
resolve a few remaining issues related to projected
expenditures.
Customer Service Right On Cue
Customer service representatives (CSRs) at United
Water New Jersey are right on schedule for
speedier service. The team is centrally located at
the Moore Street call center in Hackensack. Under
the current structure, designated representatives
handle phone calls exclusively for eitherUWNJ,
UWTR, UWJC,UW Hoboken, UW Midatlantic,
UW Rahway,Kearny or UWTR customers. If one
particular company representative is busy,
customers from that company have to wait their
turn for service. Under the new system, calls will
be routed to the next available representative who
will have access to records for all eight companies.
The consolidation of the phone queues at Moore
Street is scheduled to take place on Wednesday,
November 5. This involves the removal of the
splits" that currently designate certain customer
calls for specific CSRs assigned to each company.
Removing the splits -- i.e., allowing all calls to be
routed to CSRs according to their availability -- will
reduce customer wait time and allow the CSRs to
handle an additional 300 customer calls each day.
This will also enhance productivity by creating
more balanced call distribution and reducing the
paperwork backlog.
In preparation for the consolidation, the CSRs
have been attending in-house training classes on
all facets of customer service across all the local
United Water companies they serve, ranging from
rate structures to billing and payments to customer
care. The classes accommodate up to six CSRs per
day, so while those CSRs are in class, the rest of
the staff have stepped up to make sure that
customers' requests are still handled in a consistent
and timely manner. The EMT noted that the
Moore Street team s hard work and flexibility will
enable the company to achieve new levels of
service for NJ customers.
Strategic Plan
At the last United Water Board of Directors
meeting, Tony Harding promised to present the
first draft of a medium-term strategic plan at the
next meeting on December 16. A small team has
been assigned to the task and is now working on
preparing the draft in advance of the scheduled
date.
Kudos
Success In Springfield
On October I, Springfield employees provided a
Performax update to CEO Tony Harding and Mike
Belsante, president of the East Region. James Hill,
Mickey Nowak, Kevin Carney and Rocky Caplette
gave presentations on the initiative s eighth-week
benchmarks. They identified early successes that
include developing consensus on priority
utilization between operations and maintenance,
daily/weekly operating reports, and updating
standard operating procedures which were driven
by operational changes and capital projects.
All employees at the Springfield Project have been
involved in the Performax process. Under the
direction of Oleh Dzydzora and Terry White, they
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receive training on the value and use of the quality
performance tools as well as the processes for
identifying critical indicators that measure
performance and/or system response. The team
then taught how to determine what actions they
may take to have the desired system response, so
that control
strategies
can be
implement-
ed. The
long-term
goal is to
have the
most
efficient
operation
from both a compliance and a cost perspective.
Congratulations to the Springfield team for
making great strides in. a short period of time!
An Extra Mile In Milwaukee
Kudos to United Water Milwaukee employees Earl
Kloss, George Tucker and Kathy Kloss. They were
recently recognized for consistently going the
extra mile" on behalf of their company s summer
internship program. This is the third year that
Washington High School students have
participated in the program. They worked with
employees in the maintenance/custodial,
warehouse, information technology, and a
combinatio~ of maintenance management system
and accounting departments. The Summer 2003
program introduced a rotating work site schedule
for maintenance/custodial interns and improved
the job-shadowing experience by allowing the
interns to work alongside electricians, the network
systems administrator, the maintenance manager
and engineers.
Soaked In Springfield
It was a dark and stormy day when club charter
members Kevin Gervasini and Charlie Robinson
were faced with a sudden downpour on
September 28, 2003 that produced more than four
inches of rain at the Bondi Island Facility.
Nominated by their supervisor, Kevin and Charlie
were recognized for work accomplished under
extraordinary circumstances. They received an
official certificate inducting them into the elite
Drowned Rat Club!" Club membership is likely
to grow since United Water employees always rise
to the challenge of wet and wild weather. It seems
the Hydro Management team maybe the next to
join!
Hydro Management Survives Isabel
Hurricane Isabel plowed into North Carolina with
100 mph winds, flooding roads and knocking out
power for more than 2.5 million people. But our
team in North Carolina was able to maintain
operations and services to our customers.
throughout the state. With North Carolina in a
state of emergency, Gary Stainback (director of
operations for Hydro Management Services, which
was a part of the US Water acquisition last year)
and a dedicated team of employees demonstrated
their skill for getting the job done under extreme
conditions. Thanks for the great work!
DAF Dedicated
On October 24, United Water New York officially
dedicated its new AquaDAF system at the Lake
DeForest Water Treatment Plant in West Nyack.
The dissolved air filtration (DAF) technology uses
air to float sediment and algae to the surface for
removal. This improves the quality of water
provided to customers and has increased the
facility s capacity from 10 million gallons per day
(mgd) to 20 mgd.
The new AquaDAF technology upgrade is licensed
exclusively in the United States by Suez
Environment. Although several units are in use
throughout the world, this is the first installation
in the U.S. "This project at our Lake DeForest
plant is a prime example of how our customers in
Rockland County benefit from the expertise of our
parent company," said Bob Iacullo, president of
the Metro Region.
Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef
was among the officials who attended the event.
He acknowledged the importance of the DAF
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project to the county s water supply. United
Water New York provides drinking water to about
265,000 people in Rockland County.
A Beautiful Day
About 30 employees at United Water Delaware
rolled up their sleeves for "Cleanup and
Beautification Day" on Friday, October 17. The
volunteers spent the day sprucing up the
buildings and surrounding grounds. Some
projects required field personnel's expertise and
skills in the more labor intensive tasks such as
removing root bound and dead bushes and trees,
cleaning gutters and parking lots, and power
washing the entrance. Other employees planted
flowers, weeded, mulched, decorated inside the
building or prepared and fed the gang a delicious
breakfast
and lunch.
They even
made
UWDE
scarecrows!
At the end
of the day,
the place
looked
great and everyone enjoyed the camaraderie they
shared. The hard work ended with a small social
with even more food and a raffle with plenty of
prizes for those who participated! The event was a
wonderful success and UWDE's employees are
already buzzing with ideas for spring projects.
United Way Day of Caring
Metro
NJ/NY
employees
were out
in force for
United
. Way
Day of
Caring" on
October 3.
S1lfl~r
The program partners local businesses with
nonprofit organizations that need a little elbow
grease" to fix up their facilities. In New York, our
employees spruced up grounds for Jawonio, an
organization dedicated to improving the well
being of people with disabilities. In NJ, some
employees helped clean up Palisades Interstate
Park, while others, including CEO Tony Harding
and EMT members, helped rehabilitate a Habitat
for Humanity home. "Volunteering helps to
reinforce the fact that we at United Water see
ourselves as real members of the local
communities we serve," said Harding.
Key Dates
November I2-Special EMT meeting focused on
remaining budget issues
November IS-EMT meeting
December 9-EMT meeting
December I6-United Water Board meeting
Ethics Hotline
Employees who have questions or concerns about
ethics-related issues are encouraged to discuss
these matters with their supervisors. You may also
call The Ethics Hotline at 1877 ETHICSS.
Safety First
The National Safety Council reminds us that the
major Halloween dangers are not from witches or
spirits but rather from falls and pedestrian/car
crashes. Here are a few reminders from the NSC:
Watch for children walking on roadways,
medians and curbs
Use reflective tape on costumes and give your
kids flashlights
Review trick-or-treat safety precautions,
including pedestrian/traffic safety rules
Pin a slip of paper with your child's name,
address and phone number inside a pocket in
case the youngster gets separated from the
group
For a complete list of Halloween safety tips, visit
the NSC at
http://www.nsc.orgilibrary/facts/haloween.
United Water 1("
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Customers - Employees - Efficiency November 26, 2003
Information Please
United Water s information technology and
finance team, under the direction of Mike
Divincenzo and Kerry Tracy, has made substantial
progress rolling out tools that will help the
company meet challenging business objectives.
One major component of the IT plan is the
creation of a single, integrated financial system.
The process of migrating 36 business units that use
the Solomon financial system to the PeopleSoft
system (version 7.2) is well underway. Here are
some of the highlights of what has been
accomplished in just four months:
Migrated detailed G/L data to PeopleSoft for 30
business units.
Converted payrolls for seven legal entities and
went live with the new check run on schedule.
Synchronized field and corporate HR
inform a tion.
Merged multiple vendor listings into a single
corporate master list.
Consolidated asset management information in
the PeopleSoft module.
Provided a web-based accounts receivable
application that is accessible to managers in the
field.
The process involved a great deal of planning and
hard work by corporate and regional staff in IT,
finance, procurement and human resources. The
group had to overcome obstacles that included
the constraints of the existing ADP HR/payroll
system, inconsistent data structures, various
municipal reporting requirements and IT
connectivity issues. "It was a huge undertaking
that succeeded because everyone cooperated,
said Michele Nash, senior accountant. "
already saving time in the monthly consolidation
process and people in the field now have access to
information they need to get their jobs done more
efficiently.
Happy Holidays
In recognition of our employees' extraordinary
efforts in 2003, CEO Tony Harding has designated
Friday, December 26, as a holiday for United
Water employees. Harding said, "the past year
has been both challenging and interesting for all
us. Through it all, United Water employees
continued to demonstrate that one very important
thing has not changed---their commitment to
providing our customers with excellent service. I
have been impressed by the conviction and hard
work exhibited by our employees all across the
nation. Therefore, as the holidays approach, I feel
that it is important that we all take a little extra
well-deserved time off.
Work schedules must, of course, be coordinated
with managers to be sure that operational needs
are met. Employees who have to work on Friday
will be able to arrange with their supervisors to
take a different day off.
S1J8~r UnitedWater 1(-
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On The Road Again
Tony Harding continued his "What's On Your
Mind?" meetings recently by visiting employees in
Gary, Indianapolis and Pennsylvania. He made
brief presentations describing his goals and
objectives for customers, employees and efficiency.
Afterwards, employees had the opportunity to ask
questions. Key issues for Indianapolis and Gary
employees included health benefits, customer
service and staffing levels. Michael Belsante,
region president, joined Harding on a whirlwind
tour of United Water Pennsylvania s Harrisburg
and Mechanicsburg facilities including the Sixth
Street, Rabold and Hummelstown water treatment
plants and the new operations facilities center.
More Payment Facilities For
Customers
As part of a continuing effort to enhance customer
service, United Water will give New Jersey
customers new payment options. The company
recently signed a contract with American Payment
Services (APS) that will enable customers of eight
business units to make in-person payments ata
wide variety of neighborhood businesses. The
program will be piloted in Jersey City. Other
companies slated to participate include United
Water New Jersey, Toms River, Lambertville, Mid-
Atlantic, Hoboken, Rahway and Kearny. NJBPU
approval is required for the regulated businesses.
The project team is currently working with APS on
details such as collection methods, deposit
processes and interaction withUBS. The APS
project should be completely rolled outin the
second quarter of 2004.
Freeport Improvements
United Water is overseeing the design and
construction of stormwater improvement projects
in Freeport, IL, where we also operate the Freeport
Water & Sewer Commission s 14-MGD water and
18-MGD wastewater treatment facilities. The
groundbreaking ceremony was held on October
to launch the first phase of the $3.1 million project
which will double sewer capacity and reduce
street flooding and basement backups. In total,
the project will add about three miles of new pipe
to the system, which serves 28,000 people.
The current system cannot even handle a two
year rain event," explained Alice Ohrtmann,
regional operations director. "We are expanding
the system to handle a 25-year event The second
phase will begin soon and this will involve the
purchase of up to 40 homes located in a flood
plain. This is being done in accordance with the
Illinois EP A's Compliance Agreement" A recent
editorial in the Freeport Journal Standard noted
that "the sewer project is going to be difficult, but
if it is handled well, the result will be a much-
needed improvement to the city
infrastructure.... ..leavingthings better than we
found them.
Kudos
Power Efficiencies In Pekin
An integrated flow management program has
helped United Water reduce energy costs in Pekin,
, where we operate the city s wastewater
treatment plant and lift stations. The plant has
three separate activated sludge secondary
processes into which primary effluent is pumped
through a common flow splitter structure. The
structure design added nearly a foot of
unnecessary head to the system and would not
allow for even flows.
United Water 1~.
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Don Hughes, project manager, explained that the
Pekin staff planned and executed a bypass of the
flow-split structure and modified the inlet gates to
the three processes. This now provides for an
even flow split and allows us to process an
additional1-MGD of flow during wet weather
events using the same number of pumps. It has
also enabled us to operate the secondary processes
using one blower instead of two. Because blowers
consume a lot of energy, the savings will exceed 50
percent of previous energy costs. Now that's
powerful teamwork!
Laredo Gets The Job Done
The headline in the Laredo Morning Times read
United Water rises to the task." The story
described the "Herculean task" accomplished by
United Water Laredo employees who responded
to a 42-inch sewer line break. It produced a
sinkhole about 24 feet wide and 140 feet long. As a
result, nearly four million gallons of wastewater
per day were being diverted into Zacate Creek.
The only contractor who had the ability to fix the
problem said the work would take three weeks to
complete. But the United Water team came up
with a strategy and resolved the situation in just
five days. They created a temporary by-pass
system comprising 800 feet of pipe and four
pumps to intercept the flow which is pumped into
the Zacate Creek Treatment Plant. Laredo
employees worked day and night, often in sewage
up to their chests, to get the job done. Kudos to
Laredo employees for an exceptional effort!
Well, Well!
On November 5, employees at United Water New
Jersey attended a "Wellness Fair" and "Blood
Drive" in Harrington Park. Employees had the
opportunity to get flu shots, ten-minute back
massages and preliminary evaluations by a
chiropractor. In addition, a variety of benefits and
health care providers were on site with a wealth of
important information.
Holiday Info
UNICEF Contributions
During the holiday season, it is important to
recognize organizations that make a difference in
the world. To celebrate that spirit, United Water
has made a donation to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF
in lieu of giving holiday gifts to clients, vendors,
etc. Our donation to UNICEF supports water,
hygiene and sanitation programs that provide
access to a clean and secure supply of water.
UNICEF's goal is to focus on survival, growth and
development of the world's neediest children.
thanks, they ve printed our holiday card messages.
Gift Policy
At this time of year, you may have questions
regarding whether or not to accept holiday gifts
from outside sources. Our policy states that the
occasional exchange of business courtesies such as
modest gifts, meals and entertainment is an
acceptable practice. These small gestures can be
accepted. However, do not accept a gift if it
appears to be an attempt to influence your
relationship with a vendor or to obtain personal
favors. The complete policy on gifts can be found
in the HR Policy Manual. You can also log onto
Quench (h!!JdLguench.unitedwater.com)and
navigate to the HR/ Policy page. If you have
questions regarding gifts, speak to your supervisor
or contact a member of the Ethics Committee at
1 877 ETHIC55.
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Support Our Troops
The Illinois National Guard MP 333rd Unit is in
Iraq indefinitely, and a holiday supplies drive will
let them know that the folks back home are
thinking of them. United Water and Freeport
Water & Sewer Commission employees were the
largest single contributor to the cause. Here are
some useful links if you would like to support our
men and women in uniform. For tips on mailing
packages to military personnel overseas, visit the
S. Postal Service (USPS) at
www.usps.corn/su2Portingourtroo~. Both the
USPS and the U.S. Army
www.army.mil/operations/iraqffug)remind us
that you cannot send unsolicited packages to "any
service person." Instead, they refer you to other
possibilities including donating a calling card at
www.operationuplinkorg,sending an email
greeting via www.operationdearabby.net
sending a thank you card through
www.defendamerica.miL You can also send a
Gift from the Homefront" gift certificate through
www.aafes.corn/docs/homefront.htm.
Business Casual???
It was chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate in
Idaho where the " dress code" took on a fresh look
for Halloween. Our employees enjoyed an
opportunity to give new meaning to the term
business casuaL" Official winners of the
Halloween contest were Bill Carr, Jarmila Cary,
Patty Foss, Debbie Presley and Karen Saville.
On The Waterfront
The.fust Frontline Management Training Program
concluded on November 18 with a graduation
celebration that included final presentations,
awards and a luncheon. Over the past eight
months, 24 participants from the East and Metro
regions have been actively engaged in a
developmental program focused on leadership
skills and capabilities. All participants shared their
lessons learned" and plans for the future.
Additionally, three group presentations which
detailed "Action Learning" assignments were
provided to an audience of managers and some
members of the EMT. Tony Harding invited the
group to give a presentation on the Frontline
program to the EMT so that ideas for business
improvement, which came out of the program, can
be implemented.
Report Time
The technical services department reminds us that
this is the time of year to begin preparing a
number of reports. As in the past, facilities that
serve 200,000 people or more will be asked to
complete an Annual Operational Performance
Ratio Report. It is expected that spreadsheets will
be distributed in December and returned
January. This report helps Suez develop
worldwide benchmarks and helps local managers
identify areas for business improvement.
addition, annual water quality and environmental
compliance reports will be required by both Suez
and regulatory agencies. Tech services will be
coordinating the reporting for all these areas.
Safety Update
As part of the ongoing United Water/Suez
commitment to safety, Eric Harle, safety director
for Suez Environment, recently audited United
Water s safety program. The ten-point review
involved areas such as record keeping and
reporting, CAPEX as it relates to safety, accident
investigation programs and unique local safety
initiatives. During the four-day audit, Harle
109 Star United Water 1~.e.
visited employees at United Water New Jersey,
New York and Owego/Nichols. Coincidently,
during his visit to UWNJ, the Haworth Plant was
conducting a surprise emergency response drill.
Harle was impressed by the response and
professionalism of the employees and with the
plant's portable emergency response trailer.
Harle commended United Water on many safety
program components and offered suggestions for
improvement. For example, he recommended that
our accident investigation and prevention
programs involve more "frontline" employees and
that safety be a part of management's annual
performance evaluations. He thought we should
also improve how we communicate on the
frequency, severity and lost time related to
accidents. We will be working with Harle during
2004 to enhance our safety program.
Milwaukee Hosts Delegation
United Water Milwaukee recently hosted a
delegation from the Paris wastewater authority.
The "Syndicat Intercommunal d'Assainissement de
l'Agglomeration Parisienne" (SIAPP) is responsible
for choosing a biosolids program for the French
capital. Senior management officials from SIAPP,
Suez and Degremont toured the biosolids facility
and the Milorganite bagging operations.
Milorganite is the nation s leading organic
nitrogen fertilizer.
Terry Tobel, project manager, Milwaukee, and
Mike Link, technical services director, West
Region, conducted the tour and led in-depth
discussions on the technical and environmental
aspects of biosolids. The visit provided SIAPP
management with an opportunity to see first hand
the production, distribution and marketing of an
award-wining biosolids program. For more
information on Milorganite, visit
www.milorganite.org.
EMT Update
Last month, a team led by Tony Harding
presented our proposed 2004 budget and medium-
term plan to the Suez Environment management
team. The two teams agreed on the main strategic
assumptions underlying the financial proposals.
The Executive Management Team met on
November 12 and reviewed the 2004 proposed
regional and corporate budgets. Confirmation of
the 2004 budget is expected from Paris shortly.
Key Dates
December 9-EMT meeting
December 16-United Water Board meeting
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Customers - Employees - Efficiency December 19, 2003
Rake Up Boise
Employees at United Water Idaho continued their
Rake Up Boise tradition on November 15. The
team gave a helping hand to
the community by raking
leaves for three senior citizens,
including UWID retiree Marge
Thomas. Despite the rain,
they finished the task in a
record-breaking one hour and
15 minutes!
Honesty Wins
Customers' Trust
The EPA has cited United Water Delaware
Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) as a "success
story" that shows how CCRs can help build
communities' trust in their water utilities. When
UWDE had a treatment technique violation,
company officials immediately coordinated with
the health department, notified their customers
and included a full disclosure, as required, in their
annual water quality report or CCR. Plant
manager Dave Fournier is quoted in an EP A CCR
poster, "Years ago, mostpublic water system
officials were reluctant to disclose information on
violations, wary of backlash from a frightened
public. Today, with annual CCRs and improved
public notification requirements and customer
relations, there is much more focus on ethics and
reporting. There s a definite correlation between
honesty and building public trust"
You can see the EP A poster at
www.e~ov/ogwdw/publicoutreach/pdfs/mcl QQ
ster-2003.E4!. And, don t forget, it will soon be
time to get ready for next year s CCR!
WPC Handbook
The Water Partnership Council (WPC) is a non-
profit organization comprising the leading water
companies which supply
operational services for water and
wastewater systems in the United
States. The WPC seeks to
encourage partnerships between
private companies and local
governments and organizations
committed to strengthening our
country swater and wastewater
infrastructure. In doing so, the
WPC and its members worked
with over 30 community leaders and industry
experts to create a handbook entitled "Establishing
Public-Private Partnerships for Water and
Wastewater Systems: A Blueprint for Success.
The handbook offers guidance to communities
that maybe interested in public-private
partnerships. It also focuses on diminishing the
most common myths and fears about establishing
a public-private partnership. As a WPCmember,
United Water was an active contributor to the
handbook. You can obtain a copy by visiting
www. waterpartnershi~or by calling
Corporate Affairs in Harrington Park.
Information Please
The finance team is on schedule to complete the
Solomon to PeopleSoft migration for remaining
companies (United Water Milwaukee and former
US Water operations) by the end of the year. As
part of this initiative, IT is upgrading all operating
systems to Windows XP. The completion of these
tasks is the first step in the plan for upgrading to
PeopleSoft Version B.X in 2004. This initiative wills~r United Water 1('e.
help standardize business processes, fully
integrate functional PeopleS oft modules and
enhance financial reporting. In addition, users will
benefit from a web-based tool which will eliminate
connectivity and performance problems, automate
interfaces with third party services and tools (Le.
ADP, UBS, MMS) and eliminate proprietary
software.
UWDE Joins Basket Brigade
United Water Delaware supported the "Basket
Brigade of Delaware" and
their efforts to supply
Thanksgiving meals for
families in need. This
included contributions of
cash, food and time.
addition, company personnel
and vehicles helped distribute
baskets to 47 families on
November 24. The whole
process was staffed
completely by volunteers and
really shows how companies can make a
difference when they come together with the
community. UW Delaware employees were proud
to have been a part of this wonderful effort!
E- Learning Links
Performance Development Review Process
The HR team hopes you enjoy the training
overview and welcomes any comments or
questions you may have. For additional
information, please contact Gerry Franciosa at
X3407.
W2net Online
Suez Environment recently launched W2net, the
new website which replaces the e-
water portal and the SITA
homepage. It displays news
under six different headings that
contain a variety of company-
wide information and useful
tools. You can find the new
website via the Suez internal
network at h!!p:/ /w2netsuez-
env.suez. You can also visit in an
extranet mode from any
computer in the world at
h!!p:/ /www.myw2netcom
PDR Tools Online
December marks the start of the Performance and
Development Review (PDR) and compensation
related activities. If you are responsible for
completing these reviews, you can find a new E-
Learning tool on Quench that provides an
overview of the process. With a run time of about
ten minutes, the module combines a video and
PowerPoint overview of the PDR, compensation
timeline and related actions. In addition, key
documents such as PDR forms and worksheets are
linked to the training module.
You can get access to the training module by
navigating to:
Quench
. Human Resources
Employee Development
Gary Supports Students
United Water Gary presented Ronald Hiller,
principal at Lew Wallace High School, with a
check for $10,000 during a special luncheon held
recently at the Gary Sanitary District "United
Water is a perfect example of a company
demonstrating its philosophy by being an active
community partner," said Hiller. Through United
Water Adopt-School Program,' Lew Wallace
students have an opportunity to take part in an
eight-week summer internship program. Students
gain valuable first-hand work experience and
knowledge that helps them explore career
possibilities.. In addition, the company recently
expanded its commitment to the. high school by
sponsoring the First Annual United Water Golf
Outing dedicated to raising funds for Lew
Wallace.
Key Dates
The December 16 Board Meeting has been
rescheduled for January 14,2004.
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Customers - Employees - Efficiency
M i Iwau kee Sets Record
United Water Milwaukee employees delivered
outstanding performance in 2003. Year-end
figures showed that United Water provided the
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District
(MMSD) with the best water quality ever achieved.
As a result, the project earned a performance
incentive bonus of $100,000 from the client. This
follows an independent
audit last summer that
recognized the project
as one of the nation
best wastewater
treatment facilities.
Under the contract
with MMSD, United
Water can receive
bonuses on two water
quality parameters
penalties based
three key water quality
parameters. While the
company has never
received penalties, it
received an incentive
bonus for excellent
Biological Oxygen
Demand (BOD)
performance in 1998,
1999,2000 and 200l.
2003 marks the first
year that United Water
has received incentive bonuses for both BOD and
Total Suspended Solids (TSS).
The charts show how United Water Milwaukee
actual performance was far superior to both
MMSD contract standards and the Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) state
permits. Achieving such high water quality also
qualifies the Jones Island and South Shore
wastewater treatment plants for the Association
Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies' Gold Award for
facilities that had no
permit violations in
2003. Congratulations
to the Milwaukee team
for providing excellent
customer service and
for protecting
Wisconsin's natural
resources.
Brrrreak Time
Brrrrrr, it's cold out
there! And just as you
expect, as the
temperature goes down,
the number of main
breaks goes up. Despite
record January lows,
United Water
employees have turned
on the heat to make
timely repairs and
respond to customer
needs. In New Jersey,
crews responded to
early morning 16-inch break on Route 3, a major
highway leading to midtown Manhattan. Icing
conditions forced the closure of Jersey-bound lanes
during the morning rush hour, creating huge
traffic jams throughout the NY metropolitan area.
Milwaukee Performance 2003
Biological Oxygen Demand
Contract
Limit
Total Solids Suspended
Contract
Limit
State
Limit
Fecal Coliform
January 30, 2004
""".
Sbft~r
400 Number/100 ml
United Water 8.
Despite bone chilling temperatures, crews restored
water service and the highway was reopened by
noon. Just down the road in Jersey City,
employees repaired five weather-related main
breaks in just one morning. Because of the record
cold, employees throughout the East and Metro
regions have been busy answering phone calls,
conducting inspections and making repairs.
Kudos to everyone who braves the cold to keep
the water running.
The RAID Returns
Suez is resuming the RAID in 2004 and United
Water will send a team to represent us at this
exciting event. This year s RAID will maintain a
physically competitive component but will also
include opportunities for less athletic team
members. Our RAID team will consist of four
athletes/competitors" and three "scouts" who will
be responsible for team logistics and who will take
part in "fun" sporting events.
The RAID will be held June 10 - 13 in France
Eastern Pyrenees. Employees who are interested
in participating should complete an application
indicating their interests and qualifications. A
committee will review all applications and every
effort will be made to select team members from
various United Water locations. Applications
should be returned to your human resources
department by February 12. The United Water
team will be announced by March
Puerto Rico Contract
Ondeo de Puerto Rico and the government of
Puerto Rico have mutually terminated their
Operation & Maintenance contract for the island'
water and sanitation services. Despite significant
improvements in the quality of Puerto Rico s water
service since the contract began in May 2002, both
parties were unable to agree on a way to continue
the contract in its current form. Unexpected
conditions encountered on the island prevented
Ondeo de Puerto Rico from generating the level
efficiency gains expected for this type of contract.
In addition, economic conditions differed
considerably from initial projections.
The 2003-2004 Suez Action Plan also helped shape
the decision to end the contract. The plan defines
the need for increased profitability criteria and
reduced risk objectives. The operating difficulties
experienced on the island are incompatible with
Suez s long-term economic criteria. As a result,
Ondeo de Puerto Rico reached an amicable
resolution of the contract. The Ondeo team will
maintain full responsibility for the island's service
to ensure an orderly transition until Puerto Rico
authorities assume operations on April
Holiday Wrap
United Water employees helped brighten the
holidays for customers in communities across the
country. In Idaho, our colleagues responded in a
big way to "Bring Your Turkey To Work Day.
They donated 45 birds (weighing in at 778 pounds)
to the Idaho Foodbank. They also played "Secret
Santa" for a special family needing a little
Christmas magic. The family included four
children, a mother, and a father who is terminally
ill. UWID elves came out of the woodwork
chipping in to the tune of $1,5001 In the Metro
Region, employees made sure that 75 children in
need received gifts on their "wish list." They also
collected 251" gently used" coats to help families
stay warm this winter. Thanks to all United Water
employees who opened their hearts and their
pocket books to brighten up the holidays for
families who needed a helping hand.
On The Water Front
The second group of United Water employees
completed the Frontline Management Program in
December. Thirteen participants from
Indianapolis and Gary were part of the Action
Learning" teams. Regional management joined
the training participants in Indianapolis where
each of the three teams gave first class" reports on
their final projects. December also marked the
halfway point for the multi-project group taking
the training in California. Plans for additional
Frontline training are being finalized with
tentative March start dates for Group 4 in the New
York/New Jersey area.
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Customers - Employees - Efficiency February 25,2004
That's Beneficial
United Water employees are eligible for a variety
of "voluntary benefits" at reduced rates. These cost
saving programs include discounts on certain
programs and services available through Ford
Flyte Tyme Limousine and MetLife. In fact, in
response to employees requests, United Water is
now offering pet insurance through MetLife.
addition, United Water employees can receive a
$10 Cash Card if they become members of
CaSTCa ,an international warehouse chain that
carries quality, brand name merchandise at
substantially lower prices.
To learn more about voluntary benefits:
Go to http://quench.unitedwater.com/
Click on Human Resources tab
Under the "Benefits" tab, click on "Voluntary
Benefits.
You can also contact Dolores Gennari at
dolores.gennari~unitedwater.com or at 1 800 664
4552 for additional details.
Need Help?
If you require any assistance with hardware,
software or network related issues, help is
available from the United Water Help Desk. The
staff is available to assist employees at all United
Water facilities from 7:30 a.m. (EST) to 7:00 p.
(EST). Technicians will log your call and assist you
over the phone. However, if your issue requires
on-site support, you will be given a ticket number
and a technician from your region will be
dispatched to your location.
You can contact the corporate Help Desk at 1 800
3178055 or by em ail at
uwisservice&requestC?iJunitedwater.com, If you
reach the voice mailbox, please leave your name,
number and a brief message and a technician will
return your call as soon as possible.
Web Meeting Service
United Water has access to an Internet-based
conferencing capability that Suez has developed
using Webex technology. This Web Meeting
service provides the ability to hold interactive
online meetings using a telephone and a web
browser. Using this service, meetings can be set up
quickly and effectively without the need to travel.
The tool enables online attendees to chat, share
presentations and applications, edit documents,
and hold interactive discussions.
To learn more about the United Water Web
Meeting Service:
Go to: http://quench.unitedwater.com
Click on "Suez Intranet"
Under "Tools and Resources , click on "Web
Meeting.
You can set up an account, request a user ID and
password and begin using this powerful tool
about 48 hours.
What's New In Training?
You can find out by checking out the Human
Resources Development Catalog. It provides a
listing of internal training programs as well as an
overview of each program and participant
objectives. Many of these programs have little to
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no cost. The material is also cross-referenced to
reflect the competencies that are addressed by
each training program.
New to the Development Catalog is a half-day
training program on "Managing Conflict." The
program explores the skill of Managing Conflict
from two perspectives: 1) participants identify the
strengths and weaknesses of their natural style in
dealing with conflict and 2) they learn to use a six-
step process to improve their effectiveness in
conflict management.
Sound interesting? Talk to your HR manager or
review the catalog on Quench.
To learn more about the development catalog:
Go to http://hr.unitedwater.com
Under the "Employee Development" tab, click on
Development Catalog.
For more information, please call Gerry Franciosa
in Corporate HR at 201 7503427.
Out Of This World
United Water Milwaukee is expanding its
partnership with Washington High School. This
time, employees Mark Krueger, Craig Heisel and
Darin Heibnan are mentoring students who are
participating in the NASA Robotics Education
Project (REP). REP encourages high school
students nationwide to become involved in science
and engineering, particularly robotics. NASA'
goal is to contribute to the future exploration of
our solar system through the development of an
educated robotics technology workforce.
Using a combination of disciplines - math, science,
and information technology - students must
conceive, design, test and build a robot. Students
participate in regional competitions leading to the
national event. The Washington High robot and
team will participate in the regional competition at
the end of March at Northwestern University. For
more information on REP visit
www.robotics.nasa.gQY
Turn Up The Heat
The competition is heating up in Laredo, TX,
where the Border Olympics are underway. United
Water is an official sponsor of the 74-year old
sporting tradition. This major springtime attraction
features high school and college competition in
track and field, baseballi tennis, golf, softball and
soccer. The Border Olympics take place now
through April. The event draws thousands of
visitors to Laredo where United Water operates
the water and wastewater facilities.
Located on the Rio Grande, Laredo is the principal
port of entry into Mexico and is the second fastest
growing city in the nation. The Border Olympics is
a tradition that unites the community and
contributes to its economic growth.
The Shadow Knows
Several students from River Dell High School in
Oradell, NJ, know a little bit more about careers in
the water business. The group took part in Job
Shadow Day on February 11 and spent time with
New Jersey based employees. The students had an
opportunity to visit many areas including human
resources, legal, communications, metering,
security/safety, customer service and the
laboratory.
Thank You!
Employee volunteers in the New York/New Jersey
area were honored at the First Annual Volunteer
Recognition Lunch on February 3. Employees who
helped at various 2003 events were invited to the
festivities. Special Awards and Recognition were
given to the employees who volunteered for three
or more events. Employees honored for taking
part in six or more events include Kim Azzolino,
Jane Dolan, Janis Hoey, Paula McEvoy and Marge
Moore. Peggy Andrews, Mary Gustofson and Les
Maier were also recognized for their efforts. CEO
Tony Harding and Bob lacuno, president,
regulated businesses, were on hand to distribute
the certificates of appreciation.
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Notable Notes
Mike Algranati, assistant treasurer for United
Water in Harrington Park, NJ, has been appointed
to the board of directors of Jawonio. Based in
Rockland County, NY, Jawonio is dedicated to
advancing the independence, well-being and
equality of people with disabilities or special
needs. Emily Nichols, public affairs manager at
United Water Indianapolis, has been appointed to
the board of directors at Keep Indianapolis
Beautiful and at Horizon House, an advocacy
group for the homeless.
At Your Service
As part of an ongoing initiative to improve
customer service, United Water has implemented
a program which will provide customers with
more locations to pay their water bills. The
program was launched this week at our operation
in Jersey City,NJ. Those customers can now pay
their water and sewer bills in person at small retail
stores in their neighborhood. This new program
expands the number of places where residents can
pay their bills from two to 19. An added
convenience is that many of these retail shops
have business hours well into the evening. Seven
other New Jersey business units are slated to
participate in this program.
Safety First
United Water Direction for the Medium Term
defines the need to create a genuine health and
safety culture. In order to help raise awareness
about workplace safety, the Shooting Star will
report key safety numbers on a regular basis. The
information is compiled from Quality Control
Reports submitted by our business units across the
country. (Thanks to the team for their efforts last
month.) The chart below shows the trend for time
lost due to accidents. We will be looking at the
underlying reasons for the apparent increase and
communicating our progress throughout the year.
Accidents Resulting in Lost Time
Monthly Average 2003 Actual January 2004
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Customers - Employees - Efficiency
Heroic Catch
When Mark Wilmoth and Chris Ross of United
Water Arkansas set out for a day of fishing, they
never dreamed their" catch of the day" would lead
to a recommendation for a lifesaving award from
the governor. Thanks to their efforts, Sylvia Smith
was rescued after her car hydroplaned into the
bottom of a flooded ditch shortly after 4 a.
Smith climbed out of the submerged car and spent
two life-threatening hours on the roof surrounded
by turbulent
waters brought
, on by the
pouring rain.
Finally, a passing
motorist noticed
her plight and
flagged down
Wilmoth and
Ross. The two
men, along with another friend, launched their
boat into the flooded area and pulled Smith to
safety. "Those men saved my life," she said. "The
turbulence was so bad, they risked their lives
coming after me." The Arkansas State Police
agreed and have submitted their names for
lifesaving awards from the governor.
Information Please
The U ni ted Water Information Network Proj ect
(UWlN) is in full swing and building upon last
year s Windows XP upgrade and the migration of
business units with Solomon financial systems to
PeopleSoft 7. The UWIN project, which was
officially kicked off last month, involves finance
personnel nationwide and consultants from four
specialized firms. The goal of the project is to
Sb8~r
March 26, 2004
implement a financial system that better supports
United Water s business needs. Upon completion,
financial processes will be standardized and
simplified and many manual steps will be
eliminated. In addition, employees will have
access to more timely and more accurate data,
In the months ahead, the team will focus on
upgrading the entire company to PeopleSoft 8.4
and upgrading the human resources and payroll
systems to ADP's latest version. The team is
currently conducting configuration workshops,
designed to map the requirements identified late
last year to deliver system functionality. The
anticipated dates that the systems go into active
use are as follows:
. ADP Enterprise Horizon, (HR & Payroll), May
2004
PeopleSoft Time & Expense, July 2004
PeopleSoft Financials, October 2004
You can find additional information on Quench at
h!!p://finance.unitedwater.coll1. You can also
email the project team at
UWINProject0!UnitedWater.com,or contact
Michael DiVincenzo directly with any questions
you may have.
Solid Thinking
Some solid thinking at United Water Garyresulted
in a new approach to an old problem. For our
client, the Gary (Indiana) Sanitary District, this
means improved water quality without capital
upgrades or investments. For the industry,
means that one single calculation may be a more
significant process control tool than three other
more widely used calculations.
UnitedWater
..
The United Water Gary experience is the subject of
a paper entitled" One-Step Control." The article,
based on the work of the operations group, will be
published in the Indiana WEA magazine. The
group faced many challenges at the 60-MGD
wastewater facility. This included operating
Secondary Clarifier Effluent
. Running Average
. Actual
C3 5
.Jun .Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec .Ian Feb03 '03 '03 '03 '03 '03 '03 '04 '
during three plant upgrades and a variety of wet
weather/ flow conditions-all while meeting very
stringent permit requirements for Total Suspended
Solids (9.6 mgll). The Gary team responded to
these challenges by developing an approach to
process control that allows for better treatment
using the Solids Loading Rate calculation. The
result has been remarkable consistency with a very
good quality secondary clarifier effluent. The
chart above illustrates the improvements. The
accomplishments are even more impressive when
you consider that the facility is operated with only
seven of 24 final clarifiers in service. To read the
entire article, please visit Quench. The document
can be found under " Announcements.
Traveling Safely
Have you received emails warning you about
hotel key cards and identity theft? Have you
checked out the urban legends websites? They tell
you two important things: there s a lot to worry
about-or there s nothing to worry about it.
For the most part, the warning is a false alarm,
according to hotel and police officials. The email
warning was based upon the early stages of a
Pasadena, CA Police Department investigation
into whether hotels put personal guest
information (including credit card numbers) on
the key cards. The fear was that thieves might be
able to swipe the cards (no pun intended) using
magnetic readers and steal the information. Upon
the completion of their investigation, the Pasadena
PD (www.ci.pasadena.ca.us/police) concluded that
most large hotels using newer technology do not
store personal information on key cards.
What's the bottom line? Key card fraud is unlikely
but the "urban legend" has a grain of truth.
personal information is stored on a card and if it
falls into the hands of a thief, he or she can read
the data with a scanner. A prudent course of
action is to inquire at check-in, keep your card in a
safe place and either return it to the desk or
destroy it when you check out. Hotel key cards
are not a typical source of credit card fraud.
help protect yourself from more common types of
credit card fraud visit the Federal Trade
Commission website at
htlp://www .He. gov /bcp/ conline/pubs/credit! cards.
. If you think you are the victim of identity
theft, visit htlp://www.consumer.gov/idtheft.
Hit Parade
The George Washington Birthday Parade has been
an annual and extremely popular event in Laredo,
TX, for 107 years. In fact, Laredoans camp out the
night before throughout the parade s route just to
get a good seat. Sponsored by Anheuser-Busch
the theme of the 2004 parade was "Education: Our
Key to the
Future.
This year
United
Water
Laredo
joined the
parade for
the first
time and
entered a float with the theme "Water gives you
life and knowledge gives you a future." The float,
covered in blue and silver metallic colors, featured
a miniature water fountain with running water, a
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miniature lab, two safety barrels and two fire
hydrants. To give the illusion of water gushing out
of the fire hydrants, blue metallic streamers were
attached and an air pump hidden within the
trailer pumped air into the hydrants causing the
streamers to appear as if water was coming out
from them.
The Activities Committee put this float together in
one and half months. The members are Araceli
Thatcher, Margie Rendon, Beatriz Gonzalez, Irma
Sanchez, Rosario Jimenez, Antonio Mora, Jose
Santos, Jorge Enriquez, Alex Garza, Natividad
Hernandez and Luis Ibarra,
Performing To The Max
There was a lot to celebrate in Springfield
Massachusetts, where United Water operates the
67-MGD regional wastewater treatment facility. The
Springfield team was on target for achieving their
Performax goals at the 32-week milestone on March
3. Executive Management Team members Tony
Harding, Xavier Boulat, Henry Saint Bris and Alan
Thompson were in attendance to support the
Springfield team s accomplishments which
included:
Short Interval Controls (SICs) applied and
results tracked.
Implemented Management Controls and
Reporting System; Work Order process
remains fully aligned and sustainable with
continuous improvement.
. Operation s processes are accurately measured
by Daily/W eekly Operating Reports and
continue to be predictable.
Key Standard Operating Procedures were
implemented and are in use.
Annual savings run at the rate of $400, 000
(versus agreed bases) achieved in area of
sludge production, chemical, and utilities.
Ken Maltese, the project director, made a
presentation to describe the progress through
week 32. Other participants presenting that day
included Don Goodroe, project operations
manager; Allen Yelle, maintenance manger;
Kevin Carney, senior plant operator and Judson
Swiminer, residuals technician. The Springfield
staff expressed their appreciation to Oleh
Dzydzora for his efforts in assisting the team to
achieve their Performax goals.
Safety In Numbers
United Water s lost time incident rate (frequency
rate) dropped from 6.27 in January to 5.32 in
February. While the rate is still a little higher than
years past, we re making progress. Whenever an
accident occurs, especially a lost time accident, it'
important to form a small team to look into what
happened. The team should typically consist of a
supervisor and work crew or the individuals
involved in the accident. Together they can
Accidents Resulting in Lost Time
2003 Annual Actual January Actual FebruaryAverage 2004 2004
conduct a root cause analysis (RCA) to determine
the true cause of the accident. This involves
digging beyond the obvious to see if anything else
may have contributed to the problem. The goal
to identify the true cause and prevent future
accidents. For information on conducting RCA
email john.ekman((i)unitedwater.com
be1JtIiigStar United Water
..
Need Feedback?
Ed Koch used to stand on New York City street
corners when he was mayor and ask passers-by,
How am I doing?' . That's one way to get
feedback on job performance but you might want
to consider programs offered by human resources.
The department recently rolled out Advanced
Presentation Skills" training to provide the tools
and strategies that increase the success
presentation skills. For those who attended, the
surprise was that everything was videotaped for
instant feedback!
Speaking of feedback, 360-degree assessments
continue to be regularly implemented for a large
number of supervisors and managers. This tool
provides the individual with feedback from their
personal viewpoint as well as their boss,
peers/colleagues and direct reports. In addition to
feedback tools, HR is planning and finalizing
customized training to help specific work groups
with development opportunities. You can also find
additional information on Quench at
b!!p:/ /hr. uni ted water. co m/
Cumberland Wins Award
The Indiana Section of. the American Consulting
Engineers Council recently awarded a Merit
Award to Cumberland, IN,for its new Water
Pollution Control Facility. This award recognizes
specific projects that demonstrate initiative and
ingenuity in the field of engineering. United Water
played a significant role during the design and
construction phase of this new plant, serving as
overall program manager. By providing these
oversight services to the town, a successful project
was ensured and the transition of operations from
the old plant to the new plant was streamlined.
With a new plant average design flow of 1.5-MGD
and peak design flow of 4.5-MGD, this facility has
already exceeded expectations by capturing all wet
weather flow since its start-up during November
2002. To date, a one-day record of nearly 6-MGD
has been recorded!
Calls (And Cash) For Kids
United Water Idaho employees joined Miss Idaho
(pictured top-center.. the one with the tiara!) on
March 12 to help raise money for a much-needed
expansion of the Pediatric Inpatient
MedicaVSurgical Unit at the St. Luke s Children
Hospital in Boise. United Water employees not
only fielded phone calls, but also pitched in $500.
A challenge was extended ovet: the radio airwaves
for other local utility employees to match this
contribution. Phone calls and cash pledges jingled
in to the tune of $5,000 during UWID's watch. Our
phone team included Camille Brown, Bob
Lawrence, Roger Dittus, Mike Waters, Pete
Benkert, Kevin Smith, Bill Carr, John Lee, Rob
Barrett, and Mary Cahoon.
In Memoriam
United Water extends its deepest sympathy to the
family and friends of John Vandegriff who passed
away on March 21. John was a senior technical
analyst at United Water Idaho. Prior to joining
the Idaho team J ohnwas a member of the
UWM&S technical services group. Our hearts and
prayers go out to his family including his wife
Kelly, and their sons, Preston, Ian and Cole. An
educational trust fund has been established for the
boys. If you wish, you may make a contribution
to: The Vande griff Family Fund, 5660 N. Star
Ridgeway, Star, ID 83669.
Sb~UnitedWater
..
Suez News
The Suez Board of Directors met on March 3 and
approved the results for the financial year ended
December 31,2003. The accounts will be submitted
for approval to the Annual General Shareholders
Meeting on April 27. The board also approved the
Group strategy which is based on the
simultaneous and sustainable development of its
two business sectors~energy and the
environment.
A recent press release issued by Suez stated that
the 2003-2004 Action Plan has been executed and
exceeds the objectives announced in January 2003.
The full cost of the plan has been charged to 2003
income. In a difficult economic environment, Suez
posted good operating performance and vigorous
organic growth in its main business sectors. With
its divestments in the communications sector and
disposals of its equity investments, the Group has
strengthened its core-business focus and stabilized
its corporate structure.
The key points covered in the press release
included:
Action Plan-- Every objective for year-end
2004 met by February 2004
2003 Results-- Good operating
performances in a year marked by the
implementation of the Action Plan
Outlook for 2004-2006-- Strategic focus on
energy and environment, return to net
profit and pursuit of growth of operating
results
Board of Directors-Recommendation at
Annual General Shareholders' meeting to
maintain net dividend at EUR 0.71 per
share. Payment May, 3,2004.
You can read the entire press release on the Suez
web site at
h!!p://www.suez.com/upload/up 1151. 2ili
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Customers - Employees - Efficiency April 30, 2004
Buying Right
United Water Indiana was recently awarded the
Circle of Excellence Award by the Indiana Regional
Minority Supplier Development
Council (IRMSDC). Their
primary mission is to promote
and cultivate successful minority
' enterprises within the Indiana
business community. The
IRMSDC is an advocate for the
economic well-being and growth of Minority
Business Enterprises (MBEs) and Women-owned
Business Enterprises (WBEs).
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The Circle of Excellence Award goes to one
company from each of three regions in Indiana
who are nominated by the suppliers for their
achievements and commitment to the mission
the organization. Jon Kessen, from Indy
purchasing department, received the Buyer of the
Year Award. Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson
specifically recognized United Water as a company
that had "blown the doors off the MBE/WBE
program for the city. He cited us a great example
of how well this program can work. Kudos to
United Water Indianapolis and to our entire
United Water procurement team for their
MBE/WBE leadership efforts.
Driving While Tired
re all familiar with the dangers of DWI"
(driving while intoxicated) and "DUI" (driving
under the influence). Now the State of New Jersey
has a law that recognizes the dangers of DWT" or
driving while tired. The new law defines
fatigued" as being without sleep for more than 24
consecutive hours. While the law doesn t prohibit
driving while fatigued, it provides for severe
penalties if the driver.causes a fatal accident after
being awake for 24 hours. Fatigued driving is now
considered" reckless" under the state s Vehicular
Homicide Statute. A driver involved in a fatal
fatigue-related accident can face jail time and fines
up to $150,000.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Adminis ITa tion (htlp ://www .nh tsa. dot. gov D
driver fatigue causes at least 1,500 deaths; 71,000
injuries and 100,000 car accidents each year. Some
studies indicate that driving while tired is just as
dangerous as driving drunk. Most fatigue-related
crashes are serious, happen after midnight, on
highway and when the
driver is alone. While
there is no substitute for
being properly rested,
the NHTSA reports that
two risk-reducing
actions may help limit
the danger. They
suggest that a 20-minute
nap and consuming caffeine the equivalent of two
cups of coffee can help for short periods. Drivers,
however, should not rely on these methods to
overcome fatigue-related performance.
So, whether you are a New Jersey resident or just
passing through, the Vehicular Homicide Statue
applies to every driver who has been awake for
hours. More importantly, it reminds us that
driving anywhere while tired can have serious
consequences which can be prevented with proper
rest.
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ve GotVour Number
United Water facility listings, including addresses
and phone numbers, are now available on
Quench. You can find the numbers you need on
the Quench home page at~uench. unitedwater.com/.
Severance Update
United Water has recently completed a two-year
process that moved the company to a regional
structure and then to a structure that supports our
regulated and non-regulated businesses. Our new
organization clearly defines our lines of business
and our Direction for the Medium Term provides a
blueprint that will help us shape a successful
future for our company. United Water has now
completed its major restructuring activities. As a
result, we will conclude the program implemented
to help transition affected employees to new
careers while the company made critical
organizational changes. Effective April 30, 2004
the Enhanced Separation Program (ESP) is being
terminated and we will return to our normal
severance practices. While organizational changes
will always be a part of business, we do not
anticipate any major structural changes like those
that have occurred over the past two years.
That's Beneficial!
United Water is pleased to announce a variety of
voluntary" benefits that are available to our
employees. They include discounts with men
clothier, JoS. A. Bank, as well as Eddie Bauer and
Eddie Bauer Home. You can also take advantage
of special savings with National Car Rental and
AT&T Wireless. And, if you re visiting New York,
you ll find great prices on entertainment events,
including Broadway shows, through SVM.
You can find additional information on Quench at~uench.unitedwater.com/. Just follow the
link for Human Resources/ BenefitsN oluntary
Benefits.
Good Deeds
From The Heart
United Water employees have been getting their
exercise while raising money for a worthy cause.
Over 50 United Water Idaho employees and
family members teamed up to raise money for the
American Heart Association. Under the direction
of Jeff Lough, T &D crew chief, the team raised
$5,363. Linda D'Orazio and Miguel Castro
received "Top Walk Awards for bringing in the
BIG bucks! Customer Service slam-dunked the
Team Award by bringing in $2,7001 Committee
members included Anne Osler, Jane Wood, Kevin
Smith, Don Mays and Greg Wyatt.
Spring Cleaning
A team of 76 folks from United Water Delaware
took part in National Youth Service Day and the
Annual Christina River Watershed Cleanup. They
joined 500 of their neighbors who pitched in at
sites along the Christina River and its tributaries to
pick up trash. The 13th annual cleanup was
sponsored by the Delaware Department of Natural
Resources and Environmental Control, the
Christina Conservancy and a variety of businesses.
Venture Capital
Richard Ofeldt, production superintendent at
United Water New York, was recently honored for
his lasting commitment to Venture. The agency
serves people with disabilities by providing
residential, educational, employment and
transition services. He was integral to the
development of a memorial pond. In addition
Ofeldt and co-workers also host an annual classic
car show which benefits Venture.
Sb(J~r United Water 1(.8.
Books In A Bag
Volunteers from United Water New Jersey joined
Read Across America and honored Dr. Seuss on
his 100th birthday. In cooperation with the
Volunteer Center of Bergen County, our team
supported the local effort to promote literacy and
the importance of reading, especially at preschool
programs such as Head Start where children are
from low-income families. United Water
employees collected new books and enough cash
to meet their goal of 350 books. They visited two
local pre-schools and provided each child with a
book bag, a bookmark, a reading list and five
brand new books. They also read to the kids and
shared a pizza lunch. Thanks to Jane Dolan, Peggy
Andrews, Donna Koeniges, Christine Mednick
Sara Kom and Simone Reeves for their efforts.
Earth Day Adventure
Families in Boise were treated to a film described
as "Jurassic Park in Your Own Backyard." The free
showing of "Microcosmos," was co-sponsored by
United Water Idaho. The "thriller" is an amazing
chronicle of the insect world and it was shown in
the perfect setting-
Boise s historic
Egyptian Theater. The
venue is said to the be
best remaining
example of Egyptian
revival style, which
was popular after
King Tut's tombs were
discovered in the
1920s. Microcosmos
features memorable
images, including a
caterpillar traffic jam,
a frog s bout with a
rainstorm and a bird
that turns into Godzilla. According to the New
York Times, "with its tiny cast of thousands,
Microsomos leaves no doubt that Mother Nature
remains the greatest special effects wizard of all.
Check out the May edition of the Shooting Star to
see how other United Water companies celebrated
Earth Day and Mother Nature.
Christmas In April
It didn t feel like winter but Christmas was in the
air in Jersey City, NJ, two weeks ago. A team of
employees volunteered their Saturday to help
refurbish a home and make repairs for family that
did not
have the
means to
do it on
their
own. This
has been
an annual
event for
many
employees. Rose Nichols, who coordinated the
activities, reported that the family they assisted
was moved to tears. In fact, the homeowner, who
requires a wheelchair, insisted on walking into his
newly renovated kitchen. Kudos to Rose, Chris
Fennell and family, Simone Reeves, Mike
Grochulski, Pete Krempa, Bill Foley, Steve
Cirino, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Kaps Jr. and Steve and
Denise White.
Training, Training, Training
April has been a busy month for Frontline
Management Program participants. Members from
the five California projects concluded their
program on Tuesday, April 27 with combined
personal presentations and four action learning
group presentations. A lot of time and effort has
been spent by all since FLM was launched in
September 2003. A new group of 23 New York and
New Jersey participants began FLM training on
April 20. Additional supervisor/manager groups
are also in queue to begin later this year.
Information Please
The UWIN project team has now completed over
70 configuration workshops. They were designed
to validate system requirements, identify any
customizationsor process changes required to
support the successful use and implementation of
the new system. The team s accomplishments
include:
Sh~r United Water 1(.eo
. ADP Enterprise Horizon, (HR & Payroll)
system testing and training in preparation for
the May 2004 implementation date.
The Financial Leadership Team has approved
the Business Unit Structure used in the system
and the system is being set up using this
information.
. A GAAP standard chart of accounts was
designed and approved.
Discussions around process changes and
customizations that are needed for the system
are now underway, in support of developing a
prototype system, due for completion at the
end of May.
Configura tion and programming for the base
system has begun.
You can find additional information on Quench at
h!!p://finance.unitedwater.com/. You can also
email the project team at
UWINProjectCO!UnitedWater.com or contact
Michael Di Vincenzo directly with any questions
you may have.
In Memoriam
United Water extends its sympathy to the family
and friends of John Holmes who passed away in
March. John was a supervisor in the operations
department at United Water Indianapolis. Before
joining the company, he worked for the city of
Cumberland. He is survived by his wife, Jennifer,
and their daughter, Kendy1. The family has
requested that donations be made to a memorial
fund in lieu of flowers. If you wish, you may make
a contribution to: The John Holmes Memorial
Fund for the Benefit of Kendyl Holmes, C/O
National City Bank, 21 W 38th St, Indianapolis, IN
46208.
News from Suez
Shareholder Meeting
Two thousand people attended the annual
shareholder meeting on April 27. The company
financial statements for fiscal year 2003 were
approved and the net dividend for the year set at
EUR 0.71 per share, plus a tax credit of EUR 0.355.
The dividend will fall due for payment May
2004. The audiocast and presentation slides from
the meeting can be found online at
h!!p://www.suez.coml
Suez Online
W2net is the new Suez Environnement website. It
displays news under six different headings that
contain a variety of company-wide information
and useful tools. You can find the newwebsite via
the Suez intranet at h!!p:/ /w2net.suez-env .suez
You can also visit in an extranet mode from any
computer in the world at
h!!p://www.myw2net.com. The Suez intranet also
provides information on RAID 2004, their
international competition which challenges the
athletic ability and strategic skills of employees
from its companies around the world. From your
United Water browser, visit
http://intranet.swan.suez/and click on "Suez and
You/Raid 2004". United Water is being represented
at the RAID by Doug Beesley (Indiana), Jarmila
Calf (Boise), Susan Coughlin (Harrington Park),
Jason Fuchs (Harrington Park), Matthew Hobba
(Harrisburg), Bill Lenart (West Nyack) and Iris
Muralles (Burbank).
Senior Managers Convention
Suez, Mastering Our Future," was the topic of the
Suez Senior Managers Convention held March 21-
23. Four hundred top executives from Suez
companies around the world gathered in Marne la
Valle, France to review 2003 and define priorities
for 2004 and beyond. CEO Gerard Mestrallet was
the keynote speaker. After two difficult years, he
noted that Suez is on the road to recovery. Action
plan goals, established in 2003, have been
achieved. For the first half of 2004, Suez will
generate net current income and net income after
exceptional items that will both be in the black.
The company s corporate structure has been
determined, with a focus on energy and
environment, and asset sales are completed.
Challenges ahead include managing and
optimizing strengths, controlling financial risks,
committing to corporate values, sharing
knowledge and focusing on safety.
Shd~r United Water 1(.e.
Customers - Employees - Efficiency May 27, 2004
Award Winners
Learning Together
Eric Schweizer (United Water) and Joseph
Supemeau (Executive Director, Springfield Water &
Sewer Commission) were on hand when basketball
hall of famer and former Boston Celtic, KC Jones,
presented them with the Community Education
Award at the American Public Works Association
regional meeting on May 12. The award recognized
the company for an innovative, hands-on curriculum
that is based on the wastewater treatment process at
United Water s plant at Bondi's Island. The goal is to
teach and inspire tomorrow s scientists, engineers
and public works professionals. The program,
originally geared for fifth graders, was developed in
conjunction with the Springfield School Department
and Springfield College.
A World Outside the Classroom" has expanded its
curriculum to include math and language arts, while
still maintaining the original goals of encouraging the
study of science, technology and engineering;
helping students meet state standards in these
areas; and inspiring students of all backgrounds to
pursue related careers. Youngsters will continue to
have hands-on participation in activities such as
the water cycle, design challenge and a plant tour.
This program is a perfect example of how United
Water can have a positive, powerful and long-term
impact on the communities it serves.
Buying Right
United Water Milwaukee received the "Award for
Excellence" from the Wisconsin Supplier
Development Council (WSDC). Jane LeCapitaine,
community relations manager, accepted the award
at the WSDC'Partners for Profit Dinner on May 6.
The WSDC is a nonprofit organization consisting
2004 Year to Date MBE/WBE/SBE
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
Actual Contract Goals
of companies and public agencies from
throughout the state. Members work together to
increase the amount and quality of business
transacted with minority-owned firms. United
Water Milwaukee has consistently surpassed its
contract requirements for minority, women and
small business enterprises. The trend continues in
Milwaukee in 2004, as does the commitment
Sb:United Water 1(0
..
throughout our company. Kudos to United Water
Milwaukee and to our entire United Water
procurement team for their leadership efforts.
That's The Spirit!
Congratulations to Linda Lesnewski of United Water
New Rochelle who received United Way s Spirit of
Caring Labor Award. Linda.was honored at a
luncheon held on Apri129. She was recently elected
to serve on the board of directors for United Way of
Westchester and Putnam in New York. Linda works
in the water quality department and has been with
the company for 13 years.
Walk This Way
Folks in New Jersey wore out some shoe leather for
March of Dimes Walk America onApri125. Joan
Patzer, Chris Fennell, Colleen Russo, Kim Azzolino
and Janis Hoey walked with Patty Bogosian who
collected the most donations and Shonya Jordan
who brought the most walkers to the event. United
Water provided water at various checkpoints
throughout the route. Wayne Riordan, Gregg
Jordan, Ilene Lusch, Simone Reeves, Michelle
Winder-Etterbeek and Mel Mann made sure there
was plenty of our favorite beverage for the thirsty
crowd.
Water Crazy
Tori Morgan, IPP coordinator, and Sharon Marsh,
business development manager, for Non-Regulated
Businesses, helped Cedar Crest College celebrate
HydroMania on May 13. The college hosted the
annual Lehigh Valley (P A) Water Suppliers
daylong program in honor of National Drinking
Water Week. Over 1, 000 third and fourth graders
assembled in small groups to be part of interactive
educational presentations. These included sessions
on ground water and surface water,
understanding watersheds and protecting the
water supply from contamination. The students
also had the opportunity to create their own
watershed and learn how actions of residents,
companies, farms and factories affect the water
quality in their watershed. Finally, the kids
gathered under a large tent to complete a
scavenger hunt by participating in the various
exhibits. Exhibitors provided short presentations
and answered questions, while the volunteers
from United Water assisted students and
exhibitors throughout the day.
Got Trash
In Bergen County (NJ), United Water employees
were joined by volunteers from the Hackensack
Riverkeeper organization and local Boy Scouts for
cleanups of the Woodcliff Lake and Oradell
reservoirs. Volunteers worked on foot and in
canoes to collect trash that accumulated over the
winter. A team of employees from United Water
Rahway also worked to cleanup the RahwayRiver.
The event was cosponsored by the City of
Rahway, NJ, the u.s. Army Corps of Engineers
and the Boy Scouts. Thanks to Peggy Andrews
Kim Azzolino, Patty Bogosian, Peg Brandes
Sh8~United Water 1("e.
Patrick Cairo, Charlene Cassarello, Ray Cywinski
Daisy Carpenter, EJ Flynn, Jim Glozzy, Mary
Gustofson, Gary Harstead, Rich Henning, Janis
Hoey, Puspal Hore, Kara Kennedy, Mike and Sean
Kozick, John Koerkle, Marge Moore, Joan Patzer
Deb Rizzi, Greg Roupp and Steve Wondrack for
their efforts.
Water Awareness Week
United Water Idaho participated in the state s 10th
annual Water Awareness Week from May 10-14. This
statewide program, implemented regionally,
promotes water education for sixth grade students.
The southwest portion of Idaho is the responsibility
of Region 3 participants: United Water, Idaho Water
Resource Research Institute - University of Idaho,
Boise City, Idaho National Engineering and
Environmental Laboratory, Boise Office, and the
Idaho Water Policy Group.
Several school districts are involved in Region 3,
which includes approximately 176 teachers and 5,500
students. Region 3 has made concerted efforts to
ensure that the educational materials sent out are
consistent with the state and local school standards.
This year, our theme was "Weather and Atmosphere
and one of our educational products was a video.
This video was developed with the assistance of
Boise State University, Channel 7, Channel 12, J.
V evig' s sixth grade class from Koelsch Elementary
School and UWID's Mary Cahoon. The video aired
on community television so all the sixth grade
classes could easily tune in from their classrooms.
In addition, each teacher in the region received a
resource packet consisting of a poster, field trip
materials, as well as information on classroom
presentations and outstanding websites. Last
month, UWID celebrated Earth Day by setting up
a booth at Boise State University and making
presentations on water efficient landscaping for
local NYK Line employees.
Random Acts Of Kindness
Earlier this year, employees at United Water New
Rochelle celebrated "Random Acts of Kindness
Week." During that time they were asked to do at
least one act of kindness every day that week. The
initiative launched UWNR's new Outreach
Program which has since included a blood drive,
an eyeglass collection and awalkathon for the
Lions Club. More activities are planned for the
year ahead. To see what others are doing you can
visit the the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation
at www.actsofkindness.org. The organization
inspires people to practice kindness and to "pass it
" to others. They provide free educational and
community ideas, guidance, and other resources
through their website.
Safety First
Workplace safety continues to be an important
priority for United Water. The chart shows the
trend for time lost due to accidents. While
accidents increased in March, they dropped again
in April, a trend that we re working on continuing
Accidents Resulting in Lost Time
2003 Annual ActualAverage January
2004
Actual Actual Actual
February March 2004 April 2004
2004
Sb~r UnitedWater 1("e.
throughout the year. If you have questions on safety
related issues, contact the following members of the
tech services team: Stacey Christian, John Ekman
Judy Grzegorski, Mike Luker, Mitch Mosier, John
Marra, Scott Para and Dave RoncarL
Go Raiders!!!
Good luck to the United Water Raid team as they get
ready to compete in the Suez Raid. This year s event
takes place June 10 -13 in the Eastern Pyrenees,
France. Athletes include J armila Cary (Boise, 10),
Matthew Hobba (Harrisburg, P A), Bill Lenart (West
Nyack, NY) and Iris Muralles (Burbank, CA). Susan
Coughlin and Jason Fuchs (Harrington Park, NJ)
and Doug Beesley (Indianapolis, IN) will serve as
scou ts for the team.
Suez News
Suez and the Argentine government recently
signed is a memorandum of understanding
allowing Aguas Argentinas to continue its
operations in 2004 and to complete the investment
program needed to provide quality service to 11
million customers in the Buenos Aires region.
Under the terms of this agreement, the teams will
be able to renegotiate the contract, a necessary
provision in view of the changed economic
and social context in Argentina. This agreement
marks the end of a troubled period, during which
the Argentine government raised serious doubts
about the concession s future. It allows Suez to
meet its commitments to the population it has
been serving for almost 12 years. In a recent
announcement, Jean-Louis Chaussade, CEO of
Suez Environnement, commended Jean Bernard
Lemire (former COO of United Water) for leading
Aquas Argentinas through difficult times.
SI1~r United Water e.
Customers - Employees - Efficiency June 29, 2004
Welcome South County
United Water has completed the purchase of South
County Water Corporation and South County Sewer
Corporation, which provide water and wastewater
services to about 400 residential customers and
several commercial operations in Orange County,
NY. The new entities will be called United Water
South County Water and United Water South
County Sewer. The transaction was approved by the
New York State Public Service Commission (PSC).
The acquisition is in line with the company s medium
term plan to pursue 'proximity' growth in the regions
where United Water has robust existing operations.
South County operations will be managed through
United Water New York.
South County Water Corporation s customers will
now benefit from the resources of a larger, well-
managed water utility that has committed itself not
only to making improvements to the water systems,
but also to freezing current rates for anotheryear
said Bob lacuno, chief operating officer. "We agreed
with the PSC to freeze water rates for one year and
make a number of improvements to the five water
systems. The most significant improvement will be
the installation of a new water filtration system at
Sterling Lake by the fall of this year.
New Water Supply Project
United Water New Rochelle has begun the first
. phase of a project designed to improve the
community's water supply. Contractors are
conducting test borings in Eastchester where the
company plans to construct a new peak capacity 50-
million gallon a day (MGD) pump station. United
Water is making these improvements to meet the
standards of the federal Surface Water Treatment
Rule. The company currently purchases its water
from New York City s Croton, Catskill and
Delaware aqueducts. The Croton water supply
does not meet the EP A requirements for filtration.
In order to meet these water quality standards, the
company must find a new water supply source.
a result, United Water New Rochelle will
implement a comprehensive construction program
designed to meet EP A criteria. The componentsinclude:
. A connection to the Delaware Aqueduct in
Yonkers.
. A new transmission main from the Delaware
Aqueduct to United Water s existing
transmission lines in Yonkers that supply water
from the Catskill Aqueduct.
. A new peak capacity 50-MGD pump station
(the Delaware Pump Station) in Eastchester.
. New interconnections in Eastchester.
The Delaware Pump Station, shown in the
rendering, is scheduled to be online in the fall of
2006.
Sh~r UnitedWater 1("e.
Lighting Response
Whoever said "lightning never strikes twice" wasn
in Owego, NY, at 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 17. A
sudden massive storm flooded the streets and a
lightning strike near Owego s primary well field
created a fireball in the sky. It also burned out motors
at both wells that were in service at the time, taking
out two thirds of Owego s production capacity. A
second lightning strike near the office destroyed the
SCADA system. The Owego team quickly swung into
action and put a single, undamaged well online.
They also notified fire and health officials and the
media. In
addition, two
major
industrial
clien ts were
asked to
cutback on
production
during the
emergency.
The office looked like a war room for two days," said
Allan Watkins, manager of United Water Owego.
We stabilized the situation as best we could. We
found and ordered a replacement motor for our
largest well and we worked with United Water New
York (Mike Pointing, Don Distante and Jim
Schneider) to locate additional motors. We also
worked with corporate communications to address
the concerns of local media." Owego was back to full
pumping capacity by 10:15 p.m. on Friday. By
Monday SCADA was 90 percent restored with help
from a local contractor and the second production
motor was restored and online with help from the
local Lockheed Martin machine shop.
The Owego team s experience and commitment were
evident in that they were able to maintain 60 percent
of the system demand throughout the emergency.
Customers always had water and all water quality
standards were maintained. Kudos to the United
Water Owego team of Pat Lord, Stacey Ulrich, Allan
Watkins, Steve Wildenstein and Pennie Williams
for showing us how well a small company can do a
big job.Sb~r
United Water 401 (k) PlanReminder
After June 30, 2004, Vanguard(/!) WindsorT" II Fund
and Vanguard(/!) Total Stock Market Index Fund
will no longer be investment options in your fund
lineup. Don t forget you have until 4 p.m., Eastern
Time, on June 30,2004, to exchange money out of
these funds into other plan investment options.
you do not make an exchange, any balance in
Vanguard Windsor II Fund will move to
Vanguard(/!) WindsorT" Fund; any balance in
Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund will
move to Vanguard(/!) 500 Index Fund. You can
make your change online at www.vanguard.com
or by calling Vanguard at 1800 5231188.
The Show Must Go On
The folks in Freeport, IL, will have a traditional
Fourth of July fireworks show, thanks to some
help from United Wate!. When the previous
fireworks sponsor dropped out, United Water
advanced $20,000 to secure the show. The
company won t be the sole sponsor, however, as
area businesses will be contributing to help United
Water cover the costs associated with the show.
United Water operates the water and wastewater
system in Freeport which serves about 28,000
people. In addition, the team has made sure that
the community will have bang-up time on the
Fourth.
Playing It Safe
A $20,000 donation from United Water has paid for
brand new playground equipment that completes
Jackson Street Park in Hoboken, NJ, just in time for
the summer season. The state-of-the-art
equipment is designed for safety. It includes
special safety padding to help decrease injuries if a
child should fall. United Water operates
Hoboken s water system which serves about
33,000 people in the mile-square city.
When construction of the park's basic elements
was completed toward the end of last winter, there
wasn t enough money left in the budget to
United Water e.
purchase all of the equipment that was need to
entirely fill the playground, explained Mayor David
Roberts. At that time, he personally reached out to
local business leaders for donations. "I would like to
thank United Water for making a significant
contribution to the future of our community," said
Roberts. "These are investments that improve the
quality of life for our residents, especially our
children." The park's construction was mostly funded
by $600,000 in state Green Acres funds. The program
is administered by the New Jersey Department of
En vironmen tal Protection.
Play Ball!
Future baseball greats are enjoying the Great
American Pastime in Rahway, NJ, thanks to sponsor
United Water. Last year s 10-12 year old girls softball
team finished
first in the Police
Athletic League
(PAL). Mary
Gustafson, office
coordinator, and
EJFlynn
production
supervIsor,
accepted an
award from the
PAL for last
season s
accomplishments. This year United Water Rahway is
sponsoring a team for boys ages 12-15.
Drive On
United Water New York employees responded in a
big way to a
clothing/toiletry/
food drive
sponsored by
United Way of
Rockland. Items
were donated to
three of their
agencies which
havegrou p
homes. These
include the Rockland Family Shelter, Volunteer
Counseling Services, Mental Health Association,
and Y AIIRockland County Association for the
Learning Disabled.
Special Delivery
Procurement analyst, Barbara Reilly, based in
Oradell, NJ, is heading down under" to deliver a
paper forthe Organisation for Economic Co-
operation and Development (OECD). The OECD
is a group of 30 member countries that share
commitment to democratic government and the
market economy. Its work covers a wide variety of
economic and social issues.
Reilly took advantage of United Water s Tuition
Assistance Program and received her MBA in
Management in May of 2003 from Ramapo College
of New Jersey. She is presenting the paper
developed for her master s project entitled "1997
OECD Convention Against Bribery of Foreign Officials
in International Business Transactions: The Response of
the Republic of Italy and Major Italian Companies.
The paper is being presented at the Academy of
WorId Business, Marketing & Management
Development Conference which will be held July
13-16 at the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
The presentation by one author of the paper will
ensure publication by the Academy. A large
percentage of the funding for the trip is being
provided by Ramapo College, while additional
funding is being provided by the conference itself.
Financial Times
Thirty members of United Water s financial team
from across the country met in Haworth, NJ, on
June 16 and 17 to attend the company s Finance
Conference. The purpose of the conference was to
confirm roles and responsibilities, set priorities,
discuss critical topics and create an integrated
finance team. About half the participants had an
opportunity to make formal presentations on
variety of specific topics. In addition, team
members attended breakout sessions on
budgeting, working capital, procurement and
career paths.
Sh~United Water 1("
..
It was a great opportunity to meet colleagues from all
business units and to establish a common
understanding of the company s financial role, goals
and objectives. Participants will bring this
information back to co-workers who did not attend
the conference due to budget constraints. The event
was such a success that discussions are already in the
works for next year s conference. The company
hopes to expand the number of financial
professionals who attend this important event.
Information Please
The United Water Information Network (UWIN)
Project continues to make progress and is on track for
an October "go live" date. The project team
completed the prototype review sessions which
provided United Water with a first look at the new
system. These sessions were the means through
which the system design was validated, providing an
opportunity for users to offer suggestions for system
refinements. The finance leadership team and others
involved in the design process provided feedback.
The project is now ready to move on to the testing
phase which will involve additional end-users. The
test process will help ensure that the system is "bug
free" and further validate that the system meets all of
United Water s business process requirements. In
addition to testing for problems and issues,
participants will help the team test interfaces,
converted data and custom reports.
Just Ducky
It was a bright sunny day in Killingly, CT,when Lou
Chartier, process technician, found a mother duck in
an aeration basin and nine baby ducks in another.
According to Marlyn Cutler, momma must have
jumped in and the ducklings followed her not
realizing that she could jump out but they could
not! Mter constructing a makeshift ramp from the
inside to the outside of the tank, the Killingly
rescue team of Chartier, Dick Emond and Randy
LeBeau
walked away
in hopes that
momma duck
would lead
her ducklings
to safety.
Unfortunately,
this strategy
didn t work.
The team then
8I8r7
resorted to catching them with a net and moved
them down to the river and let them go. It was a
success-or so they thought. The next morning the
ducklings were back in the aeration basin. Two
weeks have gone by and the ducklings insist they
are going to grow up in the aeration basin. They
have even learned how to use the makeshift ramp!
RAIDERS Return
The Suez 2004 RAID was held June 10-13 in Font
Romeu, France, located in the breathtakingly
beautiful Pyrenees. The United Water RAIDERS
arrived on June 8 and quickly became familiar
with each other, the local citizens and the
spectacular location. The events over the next few
days were challenging and grueling. Our team
competed with other teams, some of whom have
trained together for months and in some cases,
years. The RAIDERS were competitive, but in the
cooperative spirit of "WeAre SUEZ" and the RAID
Charter, helped other teams along the way. As a
mixed team, the Raiders took 5th place and overall
came in 62nd
One highlight for the team was meeting Suez
chairman and CEO, Gerard Mestrallet. Other
RAID highlights and photos from the Font Romeu
are posted on SWAN, the Suez Intranet. From
Sh~United Water e.
your United Water browser, visit
http://intranet.swan.suez/ and click on "Suez and
You/Raid 2004.
United.Water was represented by Susan Coughlin
(Harrington Park), Doug Beesley (Indianapolis),
Matthew Hobba (Harrisburg), Bill Lenart (West
Nyack), Jarmila Cary (Boise), Jason Fuchs
(Harrington Park) and Iris Muralles (Burbank).
Safety in Numbers
Accidents Resulting in Lost Time
2003 Actual Actual Actual
Annual January February March
Average 2004 2004 2004
Actual
April
2004
Actual
May
2004
Helping Hand
Kudos to Steve Howerter, who works at the water
treatment plant operated by United Water in
Phillipsburg, NJ. Howerter was quick to lend a
helping hand when a report of trouble came over
his radio. He immediately headed to a nearby
fishing spot on the Delaware River where two
other Good Samaritans had pulled a drowning
man from the bottom of the river. They were
unable to bring him over the tenfeet of sharp
rocks to the riverbank. Howerter jumped in and
assisted with the effort. The man was flown to a
hospital for treatment.
Suez News
Award Winner
Suez Environnement has received a Wodd
Business Award in recognition for their
contribution to the United Nations' Millennium
Development Goals. By 2015, the UN aims to
reduce the number of people living in extreme
poverty by 50 percent through eight primary
development goals including one that addresses
access to water and sanitation. The Suez Water for
All program is one of 10 projects worldwide to
have received a 2004 World Business Award.
Water for All is a research and development
program that aims to improve access to water and
sanita tion services for underprivileged
communities in developing countries.
P Upgrades Perspective
On June 2, Standard & Poor s issued a press
release confirming the A- rating on Suez and
upgrading its perspective to stable from negative.
This demonstrates the company s good operating
performance in 2003 and the quick pace at which
management implemented its 2003-2004 strategic
business plan, especially regarding the net debt
reduction level and the cost reduction program.
Suez has been rated A- for its long-term debt by
Standard & Poor s since Aprl12001. The company
is listed on the Euronext Paris, Euronext Brussels,
Luxembourg, Zurich and the New York Stock
Exchange.
Sh~United Water 8.
Customers - Employees - Efficiency July 30, 2004
Owning Our Success
The Contract Services (non- regulated businesses)
Segment held its first annual project managers
conference in Indianapolis on July 20-22. This year
theme was Owning Our Success." The conference
focused on defining the importance of project
managers in United Water s business model.
Significant time was spent identifying the skills
required to be a successful project manager.
Tony Harding, chief executive officer, Xavier Boulat,
chief financial officer and Ed Imparato, vice president
of finance, also attended. Harding talked about the
state of the
company
while Mike
Buchanan,
executive
director of
finance,
Boulat, and
Imparato
lead a roundtable discussion about the current
financial picture and the 2005 budgeting process.
Presentations were given by technical services,
human resources, client services, legal and finance
representatives. Each presenter introduced their
team and the services they offer in support of our
projects and customers.
JC Goldman, president and COO, Contract Services,
discussed the company s commitment to the
environment, quality, safety and integrity. He also
explained the philosophy that we create own our
success" and discussed the team s commitment to
providing leadership and support in the effort to
fulfill our obligations to our employees and clients.
The Wheel Thing
United Water employees just love their wheels.
This summer they ve turned out to support "Hot
Rods and Harleys" as well as "Classic Cars." In
New Jersey, our folks supported the Rahway
Center Partnership s efforts to revitalize the
downtown. Nearly 8,000 people crammed into the
business district where they enjoyed a rainbow of
hot rods, ranging from muscle machines to
customized classics as well as a full array of
motorcycles -- or HOGs as the Harley Owners
Group sometimes calls them.
Meanwhile in West Nyack, United Water New
York sponsored their annual Classic Car show to
benefit the Camp V entureFoundation (CVF). This
non-profit organization cares for people withdevelopment
. . , .
al disabilities
in Rockland
County.
United Water
employees
raised over
600 this
year,bringing the
total donations for the past seven years to $30,000.
The funds have been used to support a variety
CVF projects including rehabilitation of a summer
camp and the construction of a memorial pond.
Sold!
It was going, going, gone in Boise, Idaho, where
United Water employees and friends engaged in
the all-time favorite "Live Auction." Generous cash
contributions by employees and friends exceeded
Sb~r United Water e.
$11,500 at United Water Idaho s annual Employee
Charitable Contribution s Event held on June 24..
This fun-filled afternoon included barbecued
hamburgers, chicken, salads, chips, and brownies.
Once hungry bidders were properly fed, bidding
cards flashed in hot pursuit of 120 items ranging from
tents, cameras, tires,
rounds of golf, original
water colors painted by
employees, photographs
taken by retirees,
handcrafted birdhouses
and hand-tied fishing
flies, just to mention a
few.
Nextel equipment can be purchased at
substantially discounted prices, sometimes
exceeding over 50 percent off the list prices.
When purchasing new or replacing your
existing company Nextelequipment, please
sure to contact procurement for order
processing. If you
want to activate a
new line or replace
exis ting equi pmen t,
contact Chris Lee in
corporate
procurement for a
new order form.
The program also
extends the same
benefits to all United
Water employees
and family members
who wish to make
purchases for
personal use. Please
contact the Nextel
rep for more information on purchasing new
phones and services and enrolling your
existing personal N extelline under the
program to take advantage of the discount.
Our rep is Martin Pavlinec, cell 862-849-6900 or
email martin. pavlinec(g?nextel.com.
U1ftDtS C IIAIUT A8LB
CONTIUBVIIONS co.
Proceeds from previous
years have gone to
support over two dozen
charitable organizations in
the areas of education,
youth activities,
wildlife! domestic animals,
health and human services, fire and police services
and service organizations. Special recognition goes
out to company vendors who help to make this event
possible by their donations, as well as UWID
committee members Clayton Noble, Bob Lawrence,
John Lee and Joyce Sanford.
Purchasing Power
A corporate-wide initiative to streamline the supplier
base and reduce expenses, has great benefits for both
company and personal N extel
accounts. Our corporate
procurement department has
negotiated and established a
national program that enables all
United Water employees to take
advantage of services and
products offered from Nextel
Communications. Highlights of
the corporate program include:
. New and existing Nextel accounts under the
United Water corporate program will receive a 10
percent discount off the monthly recurring
charges.
Walk FAR For NAAR
Ray Cywinski (United Water New Jersey) was up
before the birds on June 6 as he prepared to serve
our favorite brand of water to
000 walkers raising funds for
autism research. Walk F.
(Family and Friends for Autism
Research) For NAAR is the
signature fundraising event of
the National Alliance for Autism
~ Research (www.naar.org). The
organization is dedicated to
funding biomedical research
focusing on autism spectrum disorders. Autism is a
complex brain disorder that often inhibits a
person s ability to communicate, respond to
surroundings or form relationships with others. ItSb~r United Water e.
is typically diagnosed by the age of two or three and
affects people of all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic
backgrounds. This is the third year running that
Cywinski has been at Manhattanville College in
Purchase, NY, helping to quench a thirsty crowd.
This year the local walk raised over $600.000.
Suez News
We Are Suez
Four thousand employees from European-based
Suez companies recently gathered in Paris to launch
the "WeAre Suez" campaign. This is an educational
project aimed at helping employees develop a
common
understanding of
Suez' future, the
issues facing the
business, and
each employee
role in achieving
organization goals. Gerard Mestrallet, chairman and
CEO, was the keynote speaker. He focused on the
three Suez-corporate level topics:
. Identity-An industrial and services group
focused on energy and environment activities.
. Ambition-To be the best with the best
performance.
. Strategy-Simultaneous and sustainable
development of energy and environment
activities.
are~'-~e
All Suez subsidiaries, including United Water, will
develop a plan that addresses each of these three
areas. In the summer edition of Terre Bleue, the Suez
magazine, Jean-Louis Chaussaude, executive vice
president of Suez Environnement, was asked about
the company s main growth areas. He responded,
we clearly need to refocus on the developed
countries, primarily the U.S. and Europe, while not
turning our backs on other international
developments, provided we take managed,
calculated risks." In the coming weeks, United Water
will develop its "WeAre Suez" plan that reflects the
company s identity, ambition and strategy within the
Suez organization. In October, Mestrallet will hold a
WeAre Suez" conference for. North America
employees.
Financial Results
During the first-half of 2004, Suez achieved
organic revenue growth of +5.2%, to EUR 19.
billion as of June 30, 2004 (versus EUR 19.5 billion
at June 30, 2003).
Organic growth stemmed principally from:
Electricity & Gas International (+ 37.7%, or +
EUR 712 million) thanks to the continued
expansion of LNG activities in the United
States (+ EUR 143 million), the success of
Tractebel Energy Services Inc (TESI) in its direct
sales activity in the United States to industrial
and commercial clients (+ EUR 153 million),
and to the start-up of four new power plants in
2003 and early 2004 (+ EUR 309 million).
. A rise in electricity sales in Europe (+ 5.6%, +
EUR 180 million), and especially from
wholesale transactions.
The water activity in Europe (+ 4.8%, + EUR
88 million), particularly in France and Spain
and with industrial customers.
Overall, other Group activities recorded stable
revenue reflecting solid positions.
To read the entire press, visit Quench at
h Up://quench.unitedwater.com
Safety
Accidents Resulting in Lost TIme
Actual
April
2004
Actual
May
2004
Actual
June
2004
2003 Actual Actual ActualAnnual January February MarchAverage 2004 2004 2004
Sb~r UnitedWater
..
Customers - Employees - Efficiency August 30, 2004
Arkansas Rates A Success
Earlier this year CEO Tony Harding implemented a
plan to focus on the specific needs of our regulated
and non-regulated businesses. This included
incorporating regulatory planning into the
company s business process. The plan yielded its first
success last month when the Arkansas Public Service
Commission (PSC) approved an overall 12.6 percent
rate increase for United Water Arkansas. The PSC
approval culminated more than a year of work by a
team consisting of United Water Arkansas and the
. regulatory business, finance and technical services
departments. Mark Gennari, of the regulatory
business department, led the group s efforts.
United Water Arkansas customers have not had a
rate increase since 1997. Since then, the company has
incurred costs related to various improvements and
capital investments which ultimately benefit the
customer. By law, a utility is entitled to recover its
expenses and earn a reasonable rate of return on its
investment. On September 30,2003, after months of
preparation, the company filed an
application with the PSC. What
followed was an unprecedented
seven-month discovery period
during which the PSC requested
information to further substantiate
our request. During that time, the
team responded to more than 300
data/information requests (in
contrast to approximately 40 in the
prior rate case). They also filed testimony rebutting
the PSC's initial recommendation and then entered
into settlement discussions.
The case was settled a few days before the hearing
in Little Rock scheduled for June 21. The new rate
structure will result in a 5.98 percent authorized
rate of return and additional annual revenue of
$920,834 for facilities and consumption-based
increases. In addition, there is an opportunity to
earn an additional $144,234 based upon new
connection charges and late payment fees. The
new rates were approved June 22nd and became
effective July 30th
United Water s last rate case was filed in 2000. The
company plans to file rate cases for United Water
New Rochelle and United Water Idaho by the end
of the year.
A Charity for Water
Professionals
For many years United Water has contributed its
resources, both human and financial, to
organizations that provide a full range of services
that help make the communities we serve better
places to live. These have included
such national charities as United
Way and American Red Cross.
This year United Water made its
first major donation of$10,000 to
Water for People, an international
humanitarian organization that
helps deliver water services to
communities throughout the world that lack
access to drinking water and adequate sanitation.
Pictured to the left of our CEO Tony Harding is
Steve Werner, the Executive Director of Water for
People.
Sb8~~nited Water
..
Water for People gives us the chance to connect our
business with an organization that provides
workable water solutions for people throughout the
world," said CEO Tony Harding. "It provides a great
opportunity for us to share our resources and have
an impact on present and future generations of
people.
United Water employees will also be able to help
contribute to Water for People. This fall the company
will kick off a workplace giving campaign, where you
will be able to make a financial contribution through
a user-friendly, payroll deduction form. There will
also be opportunities to get involved in helping
Water for People out in the field at one of their
projects.
Good Deeds
What A Walk
Elaine O'Brien put on her walking shoes, covered
miles in three days and raised $4,200 to fight breast
cancer. O'Brien, an executive assistant in the
corporate legal department, recently completed a
Day Breast Cancer Walk for the benefit of the
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the
National Philanthropic Trust. More than 1 000
walkers (including 60 survivors) raised over $3
million to fund access to care and to find a cure for
breast cancer.
Brien s walk took her through four boroughs of
Manhattan. She strolled over the famed Triborough,
Brooklyn and Bayonne bridges with their spectacular
views and enjoyed a short rest on the Staten Island
Ferry before pounding the pavement again. If you
see O'Brien strolling on her lunch hour, she s already
in training for next year s event. To learn more about
the walk, visit www.the3day.org
Safe Haven
United Water Idaho and United Water Resources,
recently made a combined $10,000 contribution to
help support Community House in Boise. "For ten
years Community House has been providing a safe
place for many individuals and families in need of
emergency and transitional housing," said Greg
Wyatt, general manager of United Water Idaho. "ThisSb~
work is vital to the health of our community
because it really touches people s lives in practical
and
meaningful
ways. We at
United Water
believe this is
an important
area for our
involvement."
Mayor David Bieter accepted the donation on
behalf of Friends of Community House during a
press conference on August 5. Wyatt made the
presentation along with Bob lacuno, chief
operating officer of United Water s regulated
business segment.
Notable Notes
United Water contributed $1,500 to the Freeport
Illinois Library Building Fund. The new 40,000
square foot library replaces a Carnegie library that
was built in the late 1890s. Volunteers from United
Water operations in New Jersey assisted with a
painting project at a group home in Paramus for
Children s Aid and Family Services. Barbara
Reavis, Mercedes Pedemonte and Sue Crawford
of United Water New Rochelle raised $400 for the
American Cancer Society Health Walk.
Continuing Education
United Water Indianapolis has completed another
successful year with the students of Arlington
High School. The farewell luncheon held on
, ..
August 13
completed
the eleventh
summer for
; the Adopt-
School
program.
Committed
developing and improving young peoples' lives,
the employees of United Water have continued to
volunteer their time and talents to serve
mentors for this internship program. Their
UnitedWater*"
..
commitment provides the students with valuable on
the job training that focuses on work ethics, positive
attitudes, communication, adaptability, teamwork,
attention to detail and attendance.
This year the program concentrated on the
importance of entrepreneurship. Special guest
speakers at the luncheon included the CEOs from
National City Bank, Milor Supply,T&T Cleaning and
Construction, Byerly Insurance and Professional Data
Dimensions. As a wise investment in our future and
our community, United Water will continue to
strengthen its partnership with Arlington High
School.
Fantastic Friday the 13th
They re at it again in Boise. The famed Friday the
13th superstition was turned inside out and upside
down as United Water Idaho families gathered at
Boondocks (a local amusement park) on Friday,
August 13
for an
evening of
fantastic
" fun.
Employees,
retirees and
family
members enjoyed an "All American B-Q" and after
dinner thrills. The night of splashes and crashes
included bumper boats, go-karts, miniature golf,
arcade games and laser tag. Diane Baird'
granddaughter Makenzie (age 8) summed up the
evening when she said, "Please you tell your boss we
want to do this again!" Greg, it's time to make next
year s reservation!
Picnic Season
United Water New Rochelle held an employee
recognition picnic at Five Island Park on July 2. The
team enjoyed barbequed picnic fare and visits with
retirees who joined in the fun. Chris Riat, operations
manager, recognized employees who received
service awards, community outreach volunteers and
those who had not taken sick time during the year.
United Water Delaware held its annual picnic on
August 7 at the
Brandywine
Picnic Park.
Employees, one
retiree and their
families and
friends enjoyed a
cool day of fun.
There were
activities for everyone including horseshoes,
volleyball, a rock climbing wall, tubing, boating,
amusement prize games and carnival rides. And in
true United Water style, the food was plentiful and
the crowd chowed down on a full menu of great
picnic food.
In Memoriam
Vinny Delanzo
United Water expresses its condolences to the
family and friends of Vinny DeLanzo who passed
away on August 11 after a brief illness. DeLanzo,
an employee of 10 years, was supervisor of the
United Water Jersey City meter shop. He is
survived by his wife, Viola; and their 17-year-old
son, Johnathan. Contributions in his honor can be
made payable to Viola DeLanzo, C/O Rose
Nichols, Human Resources, Harrington Park, NJ.
Vandegriff Family Fund
Friends of John Vandegriff have organized a golf
outing to support the Vandegriff Family Fund.
Vandegriff, a senior technical analyst at United
Water Idaho, passed away in March. The outing,
which will benefit his three young sons, will be
held on September 17 at the Valley Brook Golf
Club in Rivervale, NJ. To participate or contribute,
please visit www.vffgolfouting.org or contact
gary .albertson (g!uni ted water. com.
Sb8~r UnitedWater
..
Customers - Employees - Efficiency September/October 2004
We Are Suez
In early October, 150 United Water managers
attended the We Are Suez Convention in. New York
City. This educational project is aimed at developing
a common understanding of Suez' future and the
issues facing the business. Gerard Mestrallet,
chairman and CEO, focused on the group s identity,
ambition and strategy. Jean
Louis Chaussade, CEO of
Suez Environnement, and
Alain Chaigneau, who heads
the Americas operations,
reiterated the group s support for United Water and
its commitment to the North American marketplace.
The speakers' key messages focused on sustainable
development, the financial recovery process and
redirecting activities to low risk countries, including
the U.S. Both Chaussade and Chaigneau attended
the United Water Managers Conference on the
following day.
~.s'-"ez
United Water Managers
Conference
Tony Harding, CEO, opened the conference with a
report on the company s strategy and progress
against the Direction for the Medium Term, which was
approved by the board earlier this year. He
emphasized the need for clear and consistent
direction after a long period of change and
instability. He also reviewed the rationale for distinct
regulated and contract services business models.
During his presentation, Harding discussed the
importance of shifting the company s focus from
growth at all costs" to "continuous performance
improvement"
Bob lacullo (COO, Regulated Business), JC
Goldman (COO, Contract Services), Alan
Thompson, (Sr. VP, Technical Services) and
Xavier Boulat, (EVP & CFO) led team
presentations highlighting their areas of
responsibility. They discussed optimizing
regulated and
con tract services
portfolios, improving
performance and
profitability,
renewing and
refining existing
contracts and
pursuing profitable,
proximity growth, when appropriate. Other key
areas, including rate strategy, capital expenditures,
customer service, client relations, employee
development and health and safety, were also
addressed.
At the end of the presentations, Harding
moderated a question and answer session with the
Executive Management Team. He concluded the
meeting by acknowledging the hard work and
achievements made by United Water employees in
a short period of time.
Harding will resume his "What's On Your Mind?"
meetings beginning with United Water Idaho. He
will review highlights from The Managers
Conference and answer employee questions about
the company s plans and progress.
ho11t1iigSiar United Water
..
Stormy Weather
It was a hurricane season the likes of which we can
only hope we never see again. United Water
employees rose to the challenge of providing the best
service possible under some of the most difficult
flooding conditions imaginable. Harrisburg, PA, saw
the worst flooding in years when Hurricane Ivan
showed up in town. The Hummelstown Plant was
flooded out and
operations were
severely
curtailed at the
Sixth Street
Plant. Residents
were under a
boil water
advisory from
September 18-23 and then again from September 29-
October 2. The United Water Pennsylvania team
worked around the clock to restore service as quickly
as possible. Plans are currently underway to move
the Hummelstown facility out of the flood plain and
to upgrade the treatment technology at the Sixth
Street Plant.
And in Phillipsburg, NJ,
Hurricane Ivan caused the
Delaware River to rapidly rise
feet above flood stage. As a
result, the Riverside Way lift
station, located on the
riverbank, was taken out of
service on Saturday, September
18. Good planning and quick action by the United
Water team minimized the impact of raw sewage
overflowing into the Delaware. Much of the normal
flow was diverted to an alternate route to the plant.
On Monday, the water had subsided enough to
allow personnel to install a bypass pump, and
remove and repair damaged motors, pumps and
electrical components. By working around the clock,
the team was able to get the station back online by
Wednesday.
Up and down the east coast, all United Water
operations worked hard to weather the storms. In
Florida, where four hurricanes hit in six weeks, the
Jacksonville team did a great job of keepingtheir
systems up and running. Hurricane Jeanne was
accompanied by tornadoes in Delaware where the
Christiana Plant was out of service due to flooding
but operations were maintained at the Stanton
Plant. United Water teams in North Carolina
New York, New Jersey and New England also
braced for each of the hurricanes. Our business
units rolled out their hurricane plans and staffing
strategies for each event. Kudos to everyone who
prepared for or responded to these emergencies.
Security Matters
United Water was recently selected to represent all
privately owned water companies on a national
security council. Scott Para, security manager for
the regulated segment, is the company s designee
on the Water Sector Coordinating Council
(WSCC). The WSCC is a panel of drinking water
and wastewater treatment utility officials who will
act as advisors to the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) and the Environmental Protection
Agency (EP A) on water security issues. One of the
first issues that the group will tackle
is the mechanism used to
communicate sensitive information
to all water and wastewater sites,
regardless of size. The WSCC will
look at the existing Association of
Metropolitan Water Agencies
Water Information Sharing and
Analysis Center (WaterISAC) and
the DHS' Homeland Security
Information Network (HSIN). The group will also
address a variety of other detailed substantive
issues and make recommendations to the DHS
and the EP
Water Rights Agreement
United Water New York, the Palisades Interstate
Park Commission and the New York State Office
of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation
have signed a letter of intent for United Water to
purchase water rights associated with the
Letchworth Water Treatment Plant. The parties
will now enter into negotiations to formalize theSh~United Water
j(...
specific terms of the agreement. This agreement is an
important step in adding a new source of supply for
Rockland County residents. As outlined in the letter
United Water will be able to purchase 1.5 million
gallons of water per day from the three reservoirs
that supplied the Letchworth water system, an
existing water supply that once served the
Letchworth Mental Health Facility. In addition, the
company will operate and maintain the plant and
make improvements. The Palisades Interstate Park
Commission and the State of New York will retain
ownership of the Letchworth water system.
Wall Promoted
Charlie Wall has been promoted to senior vice
president of human resources and has assumed
responsibility for overseeing the company s human
resources strategies and programs.
His selection was based upon input
from an outside executive search
firm, as well as his outstanding
performance during his career at
United Water. Wall has worked
human resources at U ni ted Water
since 1996 and he has held positions
of increasing responsibility since joining the
company. In addition, he brings a wealth of
experience from previous employment in the
manufacturing, wholesale distribution and retail
industries. His fields of expertise include such areas
as pension and welfare funds, labor relations and
benefits administration. We wish Charlie every
success in his new position and as a member of the
Executive Management Team.
Confined Space Training
United Water Gary, the Gary Sanitation District and
the Gary Fire Department recently hosted a three
day confined space rescue training program. East
Chicago Water District employees also participated in
the event. The training, which is mandated by the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration,
involved scenarios where workers were rescued from
manholes or air vaults using a tripod and rescue
winch. Each participant was lowered and then raised
in and out of the space and each operated the lift
device. The training also involved classroom work
with Alexander Williams, safety and security
coordina tor for United Water.
By working together with community
organizations, we can share our knowledge and
strengthen our capabilities," said Dwain Bowie,
general manager of United Water Gary. "While
our ultimate goal is to prevent accidents, we must
always be prepared for the unexpected. This is a
great example of how we can improve work place
safety by encouraging collaboration between our
employees and neighboring agencies.
Good Deeds
Favorite Dad
Purpose, passion and perseverance are three
things that go a long way when embodied in the
right person. And the right person just happens to
be a United Water Indianapolis employee,
volun teering
effortlessly to
help
strengthen the
community.
Anthony
Wallace, the
co- founder
and
coordinator of Arlington High School's Security
Dads Program, was a recipient of the Mayor
Community Service Award given on
September 20.
The Security Dads program is an opportunity for
. fathers to get more involved with the school and
give back to a community that has given much to
them. Their goal is to discourage violence while
encouraging peace and strong values. Security
Dads are positive influences and role models to
many students who may be from fatherless
households. Since the inception of Security Dads
in 1989, the program has logged more than 250;000
hours of volunteer time at Arlington High School.
Sb~United Water
..
Making Strides
Juanita Alaniz, O&M specialist in Gary, IN,led the
way for the American Cancer Society's "Making
Strides Against Breast Cancer" walk on October 17.
The 49-year-old cancer survivor was joined by 2,700
people who raised about $160,000 for research,
education and support programs.
Alaniz participated in the walk with several United
Water co-workers who raised $1 000 for the event. In
a recent Post-Tribune newspaper article, Alaniz
acknowledged United Water employees who offered
her support during the treatment and recovery
process. For more information about "Making Strides
Against Breast Cancer" visit the American Cancer
Society at www.cancer.org
Day Of Caring
United Water employees in New York and New
Jersey rolled up their sleeves for United Way s Day
of Caring on October 1. About 24 employees spent
..
the day sprucing
up Camp Visions
for the Blind in
Spring V alley, NY
and Spectrum for
Living s newest
facility for adults
with disabilities in
Teaneck, NJ. Todate, area employees have raised
over $18,000 for the United Way campaign.
Arts For Kids
United Water Idaho helped kick off the City Arts
Celebration last month by sponsoring
1/ Arts for Kids.
The company s generosity created an opportunity for
disad van taged children
to attend free hands-on
art workshops that were
facilitated by
professional artists and
art educators. In addition
to four 45-minute art
workshops, audiences
also were entertained by the area s best musicians
and multicultural performing groups. The
celebration was held around the fountain at Boise
Centre' on the Grove. The fountain, a centerpiece
for many Boise events, was donated to the
community by United Water Idaho in 1990.
Cross-Functional Teamwork
What is the most effective way to obtain the best
value when purchasing 180,000 radio frequency
(RF) units and 90,000 meters? The $15-$20 million
question focused on preparing a Request For
Proposal (RFP) to replace existing HOMER
equipment in New York and New Jersey. The
capital expenditure (CAPEX) project would take
place over a five-year period and required careful
planning.
In early 2004, the corporate procurement
department (now known as supply chain
management or SCM) answered the question with
input from a cross-functional team of employees.
They included representatives from operations,
customer service (including the meter shop), legal
and information systems. The goal was to create a
clear, detailed and comprehensive RFP to present
to major meter and RF manufacturers. The team
identified equipment specifications, meter shop
issues, customer service implications, pricing,
scheduling and capital budget impacts. Members
also conducted vendor sessions at both pre-bid
and short-list meetings and made a final
recommendation to management. Negotiations
are currently underway to finalize an agreement.
The successful bidder will be announced in the
near future.
By working together, the team addressed a wide
range of concerns, ensured the best decision for
the company and maximized significant cost
reductions. Since this approach was so successful,
the SCM group will actively promote cross-
functional teams for future major sourcing
initiatives.
Sb~UnitedWater
j(.
8.
Finance Project
The Finance Project is reaching completion and the
majority of the new system is live. There was a
tremendous effort put forth to get the new system
ready and rolled out across the organization. The
changes afford us an opportunity to improve our
business processes, streamline or simplify work in
some areas and provide new functionality,
particularly for the non-regulated businesses. Going
forward, there will be new tasks to learn, system
refinements that must be made and problems that
must be resolved. As a result of everyone s hard
work, United Water will be able to benefit from the
new system and from efforts to optimize and
simplify the business processes.
Open Enrollment Reminder
Your 2005 Open Enrollment kit should arrive at your
home next week. If you do not receive your kit by
November 12, please contact the benefits department
at 800 664 4552, extension 3052. The Open Enrollment
period begins on November 8. Please note that this
year s Open Enrollment is an ACTIVE enrollment
for the medical plans. If you do not actively enroll,
your 2005 medical election plan will default to
UnitedHealthCare s Choice Plus 2 Plan at your
current coverage level. Your other elections, with the
exception of flexible spending accounts, will remain
the same. Check your enrollment kit for more details.
Remember, choose well, use well. . .live well!
Safety In Numbers
Accidents Resulting in Lost TIme
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In Memoriam
United Water extends its deepest sympathy to the
family and friends of John Rapp who recently
passed away. Rapp, 66, was a distribution
inspector at United Water New York where he had
been an employee for 40 years. He is survived by
his wife, Arlene, and their children and
grandchildren.
Suez News
2004 Half-Year Results: Net Income of EUR
Billion
The Group s half-year results reflect fine operating
performances by Group businesses:
Solid organic growth in revenues and gross
operating income (EBITDA): +5.2% and
+8.1 %,
Strong growth in net current income, Group
share (NCIgs): $695 million (+32.5%). The
Group s four business lines and their divisions
all contributed positively to net current income,
Group share. Suez Environment recorded a
swift turnaround: an increase of $117 million in
NCIgs,
$960 million in capital gain on the sale of M6,
Net income, Group share: $1.73 billion for 1st-
half 2004 reflecting further improvement in the
Group s operating performance and the M6
capital gain.
The business strategy implemented by Suez
focuses, in particular, on ongoing financial
discipline.
Contract Developments
Suez recently signed two new water agreements in
China, which the Group has been identified as a
stable environment for sustainable growth. The
company has entered into a public-private
partnership to construct a new drinking water
plant for the municipality of Qingdao. In addition,
Suez was awarded a 35-year drinking water
concession in Tangu to serve residential customers
as well as one of the busiest ports in the world.
Mexico, Suez extended its service supply contracts
with the Mexico City municipal water company.
Sh~United Water
*-...
Customers - Employees - Efficiency November 30, 2004
Regulated Managers Conference
Senior managers from United Water s regulated
business segment attended a company conference on
November 9 - 10. The event took place in
Weehawken, New Jersey where United Water was
founded in 1869. COO Bob lacullo noted the
significance of the location
in his talk which
addressed preparing for
the future by getting "back
to basics." He noted that in
recent years, the growth
at all costs" philosophy
had shifted focus away
from fundamentals.
However, in 2004, the
company adopted the
Direction for the Medium Term" and made a
commitment to "continuous performance
improvement" Along with that comes the
recognition that operations and customer service are
still the keys to our success.
Consequently, the regulated businesses have
developed a plan to make improvements through the
right mix of capital and operating expenditures. This
includes implementing a rate case strategy that will
involve input from business units and corporate
departments alike. By focusing on the "basics
United Water will strengthen its position with
customers and regulators. and prepare for future
growth in proximity markets.
Jim Glozzy, John Hollenbach, Mike Pointing and
Greg Wyatt each provided updates on the business
units in their divisions. Representatives from
corporate departments spoke on information
systems, human resources and customer service
issues. In addition, financial, supply chain,legal,
rate and technical service matters were also
discussed. Many of these specific topics will be
addressed in future issues of the Shooting Star.
Customer Service Conference
United Water s first Customer Service Conference
was held on November 3
.;...
4 at the Emerson Golf
Club, Emerson, New Jersey. Customer service
managers
from all
United
Water
locations
attended.
The theme
for the event
was
Bridging
Services to Deliver Customer Value." Several
executives also attended and spoke of the
importance of customer service as a function and a
philosophy throughout the organization. Key
members of other United Water departments
attended including information systems,
communications, accounting, internal audit and
operations.
The first day of the meeting focused on "shared
learning" where best practices were shared
through presentations of local and corporate
business plans. The day concluded with a
presentation by Utility Business Services showing
enhanced functionality of the current billing
system, Wins II. The second day focused on
generating ideas" to determine how United Water
b..tiffIngstAr UnitedWater
..
can differentiate itself in service to customers and
strengthen its internal customer service network.
Topics included leveraging technology (Interactive
Voice Response), financial success stories (finding $1
million in unbilled revenue in UWNJ) and
understanding regulatory parameters (Sarbanes-
Oxley Act).
CEO Tony Harding complimented Lynne Allaker
executive director of customer service, and her team
for two outstanding days, "Congratulations. The
content and atmosphere of the conference were both
excellent I really feel that everyone is pulling in the
same direction and is willing and eager to learn from,
and adopt, best practices. We have made huge
progress in the last number of months." COO Bob
lacuno also commended the customer service group
for a great conference and for their hard work
throughout the year, "The exchange of ideas and
practices will surely benefit all and enable us to
provide 'excellent value for money services' to our
customers.
Good Deeds
Delaware Supports The United Way
United Water Delaware recently raised $1 270
through their local United Way Campaign.
Employees contributing on the first day of the
campaign were entered into a "same day" raffle for
prizes donated by United Water and Susan Rife.
Dave Fournier, production superintendent, was the
luck winner!
Rhode Island Supports The Stars
United Water Rhode Island helped sponsor
Wakefield Elementary School's production of a play
called "Hydroscope." It covered the entire water
cycle and played to a full house of parents, friends
and members of the community. At the cast party,
each of the students was presented with an invitation
to pick up a water conservation kit at the United
Water office. The kits will be used in their math
classes where they will learn to calculate how much
water they can save by changing their water use
habits.
Support Our Troops
Here are some useful links if you would like to
support our men and women in uniform during
the holiday season. For tips on mailing packages to
military personnel overseas, visit the U.S. Postal
Service (USPS) at
www.usps.com/suJ2Portingourtroo~. Both the
USPS and the U.S. Army
www.army.miVoperations/iraqLfug.htn11 remind us
that you cannot send unsolicited packages to "any
service person." Instead, they refer you to other
possibilities including
donating a calling card at
www.operationuplink.org
or sending a "Gift from the
Homefront" gift certificate
through
www.aafes.com/docs/hom
efronthtm.The gift
certificates enable military personnel to purchase
items at military facilities around the world
including those associated with operations in Iraq
and Afghanistan. You can also make a contribution
to the usa www.usocares,org to sponsor a "care
package for the troops. For more ideas, visit
www.defendamerica.miVsupport troops.html.
Gift Policy
At this time of year, you may have questions
regarding whether or not to accept holiday gifts
from outside sources. Our policy states that the
occasional exchange of business courtesies such as
modest gifts, meals and entertainment is an
acceptable practice. These small gestures can be
accepted. However, do not accept a gift if
appears to be an attempt to influence your
relationship with a vendor or to obtain personal
favors. The complete policy on gifts can be found
in the HR Policy Manual. You can also log onto
Quench (http://quench.unitedwater.com) and
navigate to the HR! Policy page. If you have
questions regarding gifts, speak to your supervisor
or contact a member of the Ethics Committee at
1 877 ETHICSS.
Sl1o~r United Water
j('..
Flyte Tyme Reimbursement
In an effort to enhance the payment approval process
and streamline invoice processing, starting December
2004, employees are required to pay for Flyte Time
ground transportation services using a personal
credit card. The employee will be reimbursed
through the PeopleSoft Travel and Expense (T &E)
system. The new procedure mirrors the current
expense reimbursement policy on hotels, meals, and
other travel related incidentals.
Flyte Tyme is United Water s preferred supplier for
all ground transportation in the New York/New
Jersey area and should be utilized for all business
related trips requiring ground transportation services
in that area. In addition, Flyte Tyme provides
preferred rates for United Water employees and the
benefits can also be extended to personal travel
needs. You can find more information about the
services they offer by visiting
www.flytetymelimo.com or by calling 1 800 920LIMO.
Halloween Celebrations
Who says Halloween is just for kids? The United
Water New Jersey customer service department
enjoyed the day in style.
Not to be outdone, United Water Idaho employees
showed up for work in good spirits and great
costumes.
ho1ltfi1iSi1r United Water
..
Customers - Employees - Efficiency December 22, 2004
News From Idaho
Renewable Resource Initiative
United Water Idaho has launched its Renewable
Resource Initiative. The goal of this program is to
shift reliance on new sources of water from ground
water wells to surface water. The initiative is
designed to meet the current and future water needs
of the Boise Valley. The new Columbia Water
. Treatment Plant is a
key element in this
plan. The state-of-the-
art plant will treat
water from the Boise
River, initially
expanding the
company s water
capacity by 6 million gallons per day (MGD). The
facility is designed for incremental capacity additions
of 1-2 MGD, as required. The anticipated build out
capacity of 20 MGDs could occur over a 15-20 year
period. In addition to using a renewable surface
water supply, the plant uses cutting-edge membrane
filtration technology which results in higher quality
finished water. The plant is expected to be online in
March of 2005 and will be featured in future issues of
the Shooting Star.
Rate Case Filing
United Water Idaho has filed an application with the
Idaho Public Utilities Commission (IPUC) requesting
a 21.46% ($6.768 million) rate increase. The
company s last rate adjustment was in September
2000. Since then, United Water has invested more
than $41 million in water supply, treatment, and
storage and distribution facilities in order to maintain
and improve service to customers. These investments
include the construction of the Columbia Water
Treatment Plant and new water storage reservoirs
that provide stable pressure and improved fire
protection. The company has also renewed the
water system infrastructure by replacing over
miles of water mains, almost 3,000 water services
and about 22,000 water meters. These
improvements are critical to the long-term
integrity of the water system, to meeting Boise
present and future water needs and to
maintaining customer satisfaction. The rate case
filing is part of the Medium Term Plan to develop
an integrated rate case strategy that focuses on
optimizing our performance in customer service
and efficiency, arid investing in Capex at
appropriate levels.
United Water Idaho s requested. increase would
raise rates for a typical residential customer by
about $6 a month (20 cents a day), bringing the
average annual bill from $323 to $395. To temper
the effect on lower income households, United
Water has proposed that key parties conduct
workshops to collaboratively develop a 'low
. ,
Income assIstance program. The IPUC will
perform a complete investigation and analysis of
United Water s request before authorizing any
adjustment in current rates charged to customers.
The process could take until the summer of 2005 to
complete.
Security Matters
United Water recently took part in an important
tabletop exercise on tularemia, a potentially
dangerous biological weapon. The Business
Executives for National Security (www.bens.org
sponsored the event. BENS is a nationwide non-
partisan organization comprised of senior
executives who work cooperatively with
Sb:United Water
government to enhance homeland security. Prior to
the event, the New Jersey State Police Exercise and
Design Planning Unit disseminated alerts using the
NC4 secure alert mechanism.
Scott Para, United Water New Jersey s security
manager, represented the company at the exercise
held at New Jersey News Network headquarters in
Trenton. Companies from the pharmaceutical,
financial, information technology and health care
fields were among the industries that participated.
This exercise enabled the attendees to understand
how different sectors would respond to an outbreak
and helped them further develop their emergency
response plans.
According to Para, this was an excellent opportunity
to help build relationships with emergency
management officials. This type of drill helps ensure
an effective and coordinated response in the event
that a real crisis occurs. If anyone needs assistance in
conducting a similar exercise, please call Para at 201
7672849.
Play Ball!
Congratulations to United Water Laredo s men
baseball team for finishing second in their league
with a record of 9-2. Slugger Tony Mora III led the
way with nine home runs to earn the homerun title
for the season. Back: Joel Lopez, Jorge Garcia, Jesus
Melendez, Tomas Hernandez, Joe Salazar, Hector
Cadena, Juan Vasquez, Tony Mora III. Front: Felix
Rodriguez, Juan Bernal, Martin Dominguez, Felix
Melendez, Santos Segura.
Good Deeds
Volunteers Honored
Employees from the New York!New Jersey
metropolitan area were recently honored at a
volunteer recognition breakfast. More than 100
employees were recognized for their outstanding
contributions to community and not-for-profit
organizations throughout the year. Their projects
ranged from reservoir cleanups to collecting books
for needy children to helping seniors and citizens
with disabilities. CEO Tony Harding and COO
Bob lacuno were on hand to honor the volunteers.
Special Delivery
John Bohajian, from United Water New Jersey
meter department, is helping the homeless this
! holiday season. Rather than
i discard an abundance of great
! food from holiday parties,
( Bohajian has been making
\ deliveries to the Bergen
County Community Action
Program. His kindness has
enabled the homeless shelter
in Hackensack to offer special meals to people in
need.
Tis The Season
It's the season for giving and United Water
Delaware employees gave from the heart.
Employees participated in the "Basket Brigade of
Delaware" by
donating food
items and
delivering
, Thanksgiving
dinners to
needy families
around New
Castle County
The spirit of
giving continued with their third annual Toys for
Tots drive. They collected toys and donated
proceeds from a 50/50 raffle held at their holiday
party. All the donations were delivered to the loca:
S. Marines office.
Sbld~r United Water
'III
A Capital Review
United Water s capital expenditure plan recently
received a very positive review from Suez
Envrionnment's Martin Heinrich. Heinrich is
director of risks and investments for the Americas.
He spent the first ten days of December conducting
an in-depth review of our regulated businesses. Gary
Albertson, VP of Engineering & Asset Management,
facilitated Heinrich's efforts which included site visits
in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Idaho.
The review also covered all aspects of our capital
investment program, from initial planning and asset
management policies through budgeting, approvals
and project delivery.
During the review process, Heinrich took the
opportunity to fully understand United Water
business and strategy. He is taking a message back to
Paris that our Medium Term Capital Plan has been
developed with solid asset management
fundamentals, taking into account the real needs,
appropriately timed, and in coherence with the
regulated business strategy. The capital plan is in line
with our Regulated Business Strategy and our
Medium Term Plan. The forecasted capital
expenditures are well above United Water s historical
amounts. The outcome of this review is consistent
with everything we have done recently and should
help support our capital funding needs going
forward.
Congratulations to the entire team for their
ou tstanding efforts in making the review process a
success.
Safety In Numbers
III
III
...
2003 J.n
AnnuliAn,.g.
Fob M., Apr M.y Jun Jul Aug Sop Oct No. VOIr-To-Olt.
Have A Safe And
Happy Holiday Season
Shf
. "
109 Star United Water 1e.
Customers - Employees - Efficiency January 21, 2005
Suez Environnement Introduces the R+i Alliance:
new entity to develop research and innovation projects for the main subsidiaries of Suez Environnement
On January 7th, 2005, the main subsidiaries of Suez Environnement introduced the R +i Alliance, a newly
created entity that will select, fund and coordinate the execution of common research, development and
innovation projects of Suez Environnement's main subsidiaries and associated companies in the water
business.
The companies establishing this new entity are: Lyonnaise des Eaux in France, Northumbrian Water Limited
in the United Kingdom, Ondeo North America/United Water in the United States of America and Suez
Environnement. Other companies may be invited to join the R + I Alliance in the future.
The mission of this new management and funding program is to:
Integrate Research and Innovation (R + I) needs of the member
companies and increase their management role in R + I activities.
Facilitate visibility in the selection and financing of R + I projects.
Facilitate the cooperation by and between the R + I resources of the main
subsidiaries and associated companies.
Coordinate the design and execution of a joint R + I program.
Increase economies of scale and synergies.
Obtain a better value from the results of R + I projects.
The R+i Alliance is a legal and independent entity, established in Paris and the Alliance members are equal
shareholders of the company. While the R +i Alliance program will certainly be addressing joint global water
interests, the new entity will also look for its members to run their own R + I activities on specific issues.
Coordinating and directing the research and innovation activities of the R +i Alliance will be the
responsibility of the following three entities:
1. The Board of Directors, comprised by the CEOs of the member companies, will be responsible for
providing strategic direction and approving the annual program:
Jean Michel Theron, representing Lyonnaise des Eaux, France
John Cuthbert, representing Northumbrian Water Limited, United Kingdom
Tony Harding, representing United Water, USA
Bernard Guirkinger, representing Suez Environnement
Tony Harding has been appointed Chairman of the Board.
United Water 1e.'. e.
- .
2. The Steering Committee, comprised by two senior executives of the member companies, including the
Technical Director and/or the Operations Director, will be in charge of identifying the needs, preparing
the annual program and monitoring the progress. The Steering Committee members will oversee and
consolidate the work conducted on specific topics by dedicated expert groups from the member
companIes.
Alan Thompson and Mike Link will be the Steering Committee representatives appointed from United
Water.
3. The Management Team, including a General Manager, will be in charge of organizing the internal
process, supporting the Steering Committee, ordering the projects to accredited centers, and monitoring
the progress in both technical and administrative issues.
At its initial meeting in Paris, the Board of Directors appointed Carlos Campos as General Manager of the
R +i Alliance. Carlos is a graduate of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in Barcelona (Spain) with a
degree in Civil Engineering. He also holds both a Master and Doctorate degree from University of Illinois
at Urbana Champaign (USA) in Environmental Engineering. Carlos joined the SUEZ Group in 1999 to
workon R&D projects on water treatment processes in the Water Quality & Treatment Division of the
Direction des Operations, de la Recherche et l'Environnement (DORE) at the Suez Environnement
headquarters in Le Pecq, France. For the past 3 years he has been the manager of the Technical Support
Unit of the Water Quality Division, a group of specialists that provide engineering services to the water
companies of Suez Environnement worldwide.
Sb,ctt1ting Stii United Water
..
Customers - Employees - Efficiency January 28, 2005
Your Support is Their Lifeline
Ever wonder what happens with your money once
you write a check to the American Red Cross for
something like the tsunami disaster? We did too,
especially in light of the tremendous employee spirit
displayed during our call to action. Here s what we
found out about how your donation helps the people
who need it most.
Ron Matthews, a grandfather from Ames, Iowa and a
veteran disaster volunteer with the American Red
Cross, is part of a six-person team working under the
auspices of the
In terna tional
Federation of
Red Cross and
Red Crescent
Societies
(Federation),
which is
coordina ting
relief efforts
Ron Matthews assists with relief supplies ! among the Sri
distribution in Sri Lanka. I Lankan Red
j Cross and sister
Red Cross societies from around the world.
Ron has been working with staff of the Sri Lankan
Red Cross branches to identify what items are most
useful to families at this point in their recovery. In
the course of his activities, Ron also talks to residents
of the hard-hit coastal communities to find out what
their current needs are.
The American Red Cross team has been providing
logistics for the distribution of non-food items
needed by people who have taken refuge in local
schools and Buddhist temples. Immediately after the
disaster, people needed water containers, family
hygiene kits and cooking supplies. Gradually, as
people can use them, items such as tents, blankets
for use as sleeping mats, and bed sheets have been
added to the distributions, which have reached
more than 4,500 families.
Our employee contribution of $17,000, matched by
United Water, totaled approximately $34,000 for
the people affected by the natural disaster. That'
outstanding, and it will go a long way to providtng
necessary items for victims of this tragedy.
CEO Tony Harding presented Vernon Reed, CEO
of the Bergen-Hudson Chapter of the American
Red Cross, with a check for our contribution on
January 25. In addition, we learned that Suez will
match our total contribution of $34,000 with a
donation to
; ,
Foundation
Suez
Disaster
Relief Fund.
Your
donation is
\ just one way
; you can
; help,
! however.
Volunteers
who have
technical
and rebuilding skills are needed to assist in the
reconstruction effort that will certainly take place
over the next few years. If you are interested in
volunteering, please contact the communications
department for more information.
Vernon Reed, American Red Cross,
accepts our donation from Tony Harding.
Sb~r United Water 1('e.
Raising the Water level
It is, in its own right, quite an impressive showing
when you think about. Introduced in the fourth
quarter this year, our Water for People fund drive
netted about $9,300 for the organization. And more
than 20 percent was raised by the good folks at
United Water Arkansas! Major Kudos to people of
Pine Bluff!
CEO Tony Harding also committed an additional
corporate donation of $10,000 to help Water for
People assist communities around the world benefit
from clean drinking water and new and improved
treatment plants that are often taken for granted in
our country. You will hear more about Water for
People in future publications.
Welcome Back, Susan!
There s a song by George Thoroughgood and the
Delaware Destroyers entitled" One Bourbon, One
Scotch, One Beer," that describes the kind of day it
was for Susan Skomorucha on her December 28th
return to United Water Delaware. Waiting to greet
her were about 2 500 customers that woke up that
morning and found that they had much lower than
normal water pressure. It didn t take her long to find
out about a 16-inch water main break that occurred
during the night.
She quickly found out that customers would not
have had any water at all if it wasn t for the quick
actions taken by employees who responded during
the frigid early morning hours. The 16-inch water
main broke during the night and the emergency
response procedure was implemented. Calls went
out at 2 a.m. and employees reported to the main
break, while others went to the office, issued press
releases, answered customer calls and coordinated
work with outside vendors. An interconnection with
Artesian Water Company was turned on to provide
service to customers in the River Road system. Work
went on throughout the day and by 6 p.m. the
repairs were made and service restored. Kudos to the
Delaware team for focusing on customers' needs and
for making Susan Skomorucha s first day as general
manager a whole lot easier.
It's High Tide in Delaware
On January 19, the Delaware River Basin
Commission approved United Water Delaware
proposed revised operating plan for the Tidal
Capture Structure, which is an inflatable
dam. When it is inflated at peak high tide, it
essentially extends the period of high tide allowing
the
company
to pump
the supply
into the
Stanton
Water
Treatment
Plant. Once
the dam is
deflated, it
again
allows the
stream to flow naturally. The Commission
approval is significant because the revised plan
im proves operating conditions during droughts as
well as low stream flows. The plan is the
culmination of work that has been in progress for
two years. Plant operations and customers will
. benefit greatly from this change. The new
procedure also positively impacts our water
supply deficit as calculated by the State of
Delaware s Water Supply Coordinating Council
and the Water Supply Self Sufficiency Act, which
became law in July 2003.
Tidal Capture Structure,
Del~ware s inflatable dam
Sharing The Knowledge
Time and knowledge are two great gifts and
United Water Milwaukee s IT staff generously
shares both. Larry Patterson, Karen Livingston,
Darin Heiman and Gary Schuyler recently
donated several weekends to help the Prairie Hill
Elementary School upgrade its Information
System. The school purchased the necessary
equipment and software and the IT staff
volunteered to assist with installation. The team
also actively participates in the Adopt-School
program and Career Day at the high school.
SbifJ~r UnitedWater
Now They are Certified!
Several of United Water s executive assistants in
Harrington Park, NJ, recently earned the Certified
Professional Secretary rating from the International.
Association of Administrative Professionals. They
were required to satisfy education and experience
requirements and pass a comprehensive three-part
exam that addressed office systems and technology,
office administration and office management. Lisa
Carlino-Boyd, Sherry Corvino, Mary DeLuise
Donna Koeniges, Christine Mednick, Nancy
Richman, Elaine O'Brien and Joan Patzer are now
preparing to take the Certified Administrative
Professional exam in May.
Reaching Out in Our Backyard
United Water employees were helping others from
coast to coast during the holidays. Customers in
communities from chilly New Jersey to sunny
California were the beneficiaries of our employees
generosity. In New Jersey, the team collected 38 gifts
for the Bergen County Foster Parents Association and
obtained all of the gifts requested by the "Adopt A
Family." Winter days are little warmer for the needy
because employees also collected 87 coats for the
New Jersey Cares Coat Drive. In addition, employees
donated 42 bears for the North Jersey Media
Group Bear Hug for the Holidays." Special thanks to
the following volunteers who helped "tag" more than
000 bears (in two days) for distribution to
surrounding hospitals: Lisa Asala, Karen A yon, Kim
Azzolino, Lisa Carlino-Boyd, Charlene Cassarello,
Chris Fennell, Illinca Ford, Genine Jackson, Kabrina
Jackson, Colleen O'Malley, Simone Reeves and
AnnmarieR u ti gli ani.
On November 22, the Idaho Food Bank's refrigerated
truck drove up to our loading dock in Boise to pick
up 45 frozen turkeys weighing in at 756 pounds. This
is the second year that United Water Idaho
participated in the "Take Your Turkey To Work" food
drive. The turkeys were distributed to area families,
shelters, rescue missions and outlets that help the
needy and homeless. In December, generous
UWID employees delivered some Christmas magic
and cheer to two adopted families. Their combined
cash and gift contributions nearly topped $1,000.
Our employees in Banning, CA, enjoyed the
holiday season with outdoor lights and a
Christmas tree. The staff also hung stockings with
care at the city wastewater treatment plant. The
real reason for the season came into focus when
the project
employees
vol un teered
to help a
community
family by
su pporting
the Banning
Chamber of
Commerce
Adopt A
Family
Program." A
I selected
family
reaped the benefits of United Water s generosity
with a dinner on December 25 along with two very
'pecial gifts. The family s youngest, a train loving
httle boy, was granted his wish for a remote
controlled train while his older sister entered the
world of music when she received her own new
saxophone. Our community minded employees;
Stephen Anderson, Lorenzo Amis, John Holub,
David Lanhardt and Ronnie Lomeli also added
clothing, children s gifts and personal items to
keep the family warm during the winter. Our teaIT
expressed their gratitude to the Banning Chamber
of Commerce and especially Debbie Franklin for
enabling them to be an active community member
during this very special time.
Banning, CA employees celebrated the
holidays with a giving spirit
Sb,ng Star United Water
There s Safety in Numbers
Workplace safety continues to be an important
priority for United Water. The chart below shows the
trend for time lost due to accidents. The year end
total for 2004 was 4.23 accidents, well below our year
end goal of 5. Congratulations to all!
Accidents Resulting in Lost Time
...
ffi -
- ~ ~ - ~ - ~ -
/lnnu.1 Yo., EndA..'q. T...I
If you have questions on safety related issues, contact
the following members of United Water ssafety
team: Stacey Christian, John Ekman, Judy
Grzegorski, Mike Luker, Hector Martinez, Mitch
Mosier, John O'Mana, Scott Para, Dave Roncari and
Alex Williams.
Suez Increases Dividend
On January 19, the Suez Board of Directors
conducted a detailed review of the Group s activities,
profitability and growth prospects in the context of
its strategy based on the simultaneous and
sustainable development of its two business sectors:
environment and energy. The board announced that
the action plan, implemented two years ago, had met
or exceeded its objectives. They also proposed a
dividend increase of nearly 13% relative to 2003 that
it intends to sustain over the medium term,
consistent with net income evolution and offering
competitive investor return. The board also approved
the launch of a new Optimax plan for 2005 and 2006.
A press release with more details on the board
meeting is available for review on Quench.
United Water Joins R+i Alliance
United Water is member of the newly formed R
Alliance, a Suez Environnement entity focused on
research and innovation. Lyonnaise des Eaux in
France and Northumbrian Water in the United
Kingdom are also members. Other companies may
be asked to join the alliance in the future. The R +i
Alliance will select, fund and coordinate common
research, development and innovation projects of
Suez Environnement's main subsidiaries and
associated companies in the water business. Tony
Harding, United Water s CEO, is chairman of the
R + i Board of Directors. Alan Thompson, senior
vice president for technical services, and Mike
Link, senior technical director for the non-
regulated segment, will represent United Water on
the steering committee. An announcement with
more details on R + i is available for review on
Quench.
Sble~r United Water 1t.
Customers - Employees - Efficiency February 28, 2005
Safety in Numbers
United Water Direction for the Medium Term defines
the need to create a genuine health and safety
culture. Tracking performance is one way to improve
workplace safety. The chart below shows the number
of accidents resulting in lost time. The goal is to
reduce these accidents by increasing awareness of
safe work practices. In the
year ahead United Water's
...
safety training program
will focus on employee
safety training needs,
OSHA regulatory training
requirements and our 2004
recordable, frequency and
severity rate issues. More
information is available by
following the technical
services link on Quench.
Winners
co 2004 Jon Feb Mo, Ap, Moy Jun Jul Aug Sop Ocl NoY V..,.To-;) I Annuo' DOlo
Forty seven United Water Ayo,ogo
facilities completed 2004 with no lost time accidents.
This excellent performance proves that diligence and
attention to details really make a difference in
creating a safe work environment. John Ekman,
director of health and safety noted, "these
outstanding, results show that teamwork enables us
to make progressive changes and have a positive
impact on the overall safety of our workforce. As we
continue to drive safety throughout the organization
and empower our local safety committees, we will
further improve our safety record. I'm confident that
at the end of 2005 we will add to the list of sites with
no lost time accidents." For a complete list of
winners, please view the announcement posted on
the home page of Quench.
Boise to the Rescue
United Water Idaho recently demonstrated their
commitment to excellence when an adjacent water
system was contaminated with trichloroethylene
(TCE),a substance used for degreasing. Test
results for Terra Grande Water, which served
about 117 residential customers, showed TCE at 10
to 19 times the
maximum contaminant
level (MCL). On January
21, the Idaho
Department of
Environmental Quality
(DEQ) required public
notifica tion urging
customers not to drink
or cook with the water.
....
2005 Safety Goal
is Less than 4
...
What distinguished
United Water Idaho
during this crisis was not
only their willingness to
assist their neighbors, but the speed with which
they solved a dangerous problem. Within a week
after the DEQ approached United Water, the
company built a new interconnection consisting of
140 feet of four-inch pipe, a three-inch meter in a
concrete meter vault followed by a double check
valve backflow protection device in another vault.
Most importantly, the 117 families quickly had a
new and reliable supply of clean, safe drinking
water.
During that same week, Greg Wyatt, general
manager, attended a Public Utility Commission
hearing granting United Water the right to serve
the subdivision as an individual customer under
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our standard tariff. In addition, DEQ agreed to pay
for all construction costs, except the meter, under
their EP A Emergency Fund. This program targets
funding solutions to water quality or pollution issues
when systems such as Terra Grande have no means
of making the needed investments. DEQ was
extremely grateful and said that they have never
seen such responsiveness and cooperation from a
utility.
(DNR) state permits. In addition, both wastewater
treatment plants qualify for the 2004 Association of
Municipal Sewerage Agencies Gold Award.
Congratulations to the Milwaukee team for
providing excellent customer service and for
protecting Wisconsin s natural resources.
Freeport: Past, Present And
Future
The City of Freeport, IL, celebrated its 150th
birthday on February 14 and the United Water
team helped pay tribute to the community's
history. One of the highlights of the day included
the unveiling of the "Lost Freeport" photo
collection. The exhibit was created from recently
discovered glass
photographic negatives
that date back to 1914.
United Water also
displayed some real
treasures from the city'
past They included
wooden water pipes first
used in the city during the
late 1800s. "We had a
whole display of artifacts
from the Freeport water
system dating back to the
late 1800s," said Alice
Ohrtmann, project
manager. "We also had
new pipes on hand so
people were able to see
how the system developed
over the years. It was great
to help the residents look
back on the city's heritage.
For United Water, it's even more of a privilege to
be part of Freeport'future.
For The Record
United Water Milwaukee employees continued their
excellent performance record in 2004. During the past
two years, United Water provided the Milwaukee
Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) with the
best water quality effluent ever achieved during the
past 27 years. As a result, Milwaukee Performance 2004the project will receive a
Biological Oxygen Demand
er ormance Incen ve Contract
bonus of $100,000 from the Limit
client Under the contract
with MMSD, United Water
can receive bonuses based
on two water quality
parameters or penalties
based on three water
quality parameters. The
company has never
received a penalty and has
earned several bonuses
based on excellent
performance.
Total Solids Suspended
Contract
limit
State
Limit
Fecal Coliform
The charts show how
United Water Milwaukee
actual performance in 2004 400
was far superior to both
MMSD contract standards
and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Number/100 ml
Actual
log Star United Water 1(.