Publisher's Synopsis
Although water utilities are usually viewed as clean facilities, their operations can have both direct and indirect effects on the environment. From impacts on source water and land use, to energy consumption, chemical usage and residuals disposal, drinking water utilities may find that implementing an EMS that evaluates ongoing utility activities and includes performance measures, based on the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle, the heart of an EMS, will demonstrate continually improving environmental stewardship.
The initial objective of this project was to investigate the potential benefits of developing a model environmental management system (EMS) specific to drinking water utilities. Originally envisioned as a sector-specific EMS model for utilities to customize and implement, it was determined that a more useful product would be guidance on how to implement an EMS based on the existing International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 voluntary standard, supported by examples from water utilities with established environmental management systems.
The initial work for the project included a review of available literature relevant to developing and evaluating EMS options for drinking water utilities, and a survey of industry professionals to (1) assess current views about key issues facing utilities and to (2) evaluate how an EMS might help manage these issues more effectively. The project was guided by two workshops with participation from 13 utility representatives. The first workshop clarified the issues that are of prime importance to drinking water utilities and also explored the EMS structure that was favored by the participants. The second workshop focused on the elements of an EMS and their relationship to drinking water utilities.
