On The Road to Sustainable and Reusable Utilities

A. Randolph Brown, Utilities Director for the City of Pompano Beach

As the utility director for the city of Pompano Beach, what are some of the current that you're seeing from a technology standpoint?

Technology has widespread use in the utility sector, and I certainly say the smarter, the better. We now have automatic metering capabilities, we have SCADA systems, and these new technology advents are performing vital duties and tasks that we rely on. And I expect that trend to continue moving forward, which is ultimately going to affect the operators and other staffing requirements. We are going to require higher-knowledge employees soon to keep pace with the technological overhaul, and soon will be competing with the private industry for such employees as the industry grows.

In your experience in the utility sector, what would you say are some of the misconceptions in the space currently, and how would you advise your peers on these mix-ups?

A large section of these misconceptions comes from legislators. They have the wrong idea as to how quickly we can change the treatment process to accommodate the changing quality standards and regulations. Wastewater utilities have very large, complex systems that require a lot of expense to change, and it doesn't seem like the legislators have taken that into account, nor the cost to the customer.

When adopting new technologies, what are some of the qualities you look for to find the right business partner?

One of the qualities we look for is someone who can upskill our workforce. Because, we believe in training and education for our staff; we attend conferences, trade shows, and expos to keep abreast of the latest technologies. We believe in being on the cutting edge but not the bleeding edge.

We want to be a sustainable, evolving utility for our residents and taxpayers. To facilitate that, we do presentations, learn from case studies from other utilities, and participate in local councils where we share information with others. We like to have a good relationship with prospective partners to ensure good collaboration and make it a two-way street of sharing information.

Could you elaborate on some interesting or impactful projects and initiatives that you're currently overseeing?

Every utility is currently undertaking the Copper Surface Line Identification Program, which is due on October 2024, and is one of our big projects going on right now. Here, we have identified over 10,000 to 19,000 lines without any lead, and we expect that trend to continue down the line.

We're also looking at the future for sustainability and sea level rise for our utility to make sure we're resilient. The weather here is usually our biggest challenge because we get a lot of hurricanes around here. Recently, Fort Lauderdale received 26 inches of rain in under seven hours, although fortunately for us, it was only 10 inches here.

What are some of the strategic points that you implement to steer your city forward?

Sustainability is our key focus. We have a reuse program, also known as the purple pipe project, wherein we're facilitating irrigation throughout the community using reused and recycled water. This endeavor is saving about 3.5 million gallons of drinking water every day, which is one of our biggest conservation tools; every gallon of reuse that we use saves a gallon of drinking water for the future. This is an ongoing program that is growing every year as we expand the purple pipe system. As this reduces the use of water from aquifers, this strategy goes a long way toward protecting the environment.

We believe in the five-year master plan for all of our divisions in the utilities, water, reuse, wastewater, and stormwater. We use them for planning or capital improvement projects, and we build our rates around those projects which offer a sustainable, reliable utility for the future. We don't plan for the next two or three years; we have to plan for the next 20 to 40 years.

With respect to any disruptions or transformations in water quality, how do you see the evolution of the industry a few years down the line?

The challenge to water quality will come from saltwater intrusion as the sea level rises. This is why we must develop other alternative sources for water utilities. One option is the purple pump system that utilizes reusable wastewater. Another is the western well field that we have developed away from the coast. We also are participating in a reservoir project up at North Palm Beach County that is set to provide us with 2 million gallons of water a day.

Is there any singular piece of advice that you would impart to a professional who's about to embark on a similar journey along the lines of your experience and work?

Start your planning process from the bottom up. Include the experiences of the people in the field to participate in projects and look for efficiencies. I believe in Lean Six Sigma; all my people get trained in it so that we can be the most efficient team and waste as little as possible. The more efficient we are, the less often we have to use request rates, and many of our projects have helped delay or lessen some of the rate increases.

I also think that workforce development is very important. Developing a well-rounded workforce is a challenge, but we will soon need to be recruiting people with qualifications that we're going to need down the line. It's demanding, and there's high competition. We have to be better at marketing ourselves as a thriving location for young people to come to and make a career out of. We have to show that we offer stability and career growth. That it's not just a nine-to-five job but a challenging, ever-changing work environment that should pique their interest.