An Incredible Journey: Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) Wholesale Customer Outreach from Regional Conflict to Regional Ownership with the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA)

Wholesale customer collaboration within the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) water and wastewater systems is building on a foundation established by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) that previously operated the systems. The same outreach structure is being carried forward that has proved successful in the past — a Water Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), a Wastewater Steering Committee (SC) and related work groups. Wholesale customers and managers, operators and engineers of the GLWA will continue to address system planning and service issues through the outreach process.The GLWA is the third largest provider of high-quality drinking water and wastewater treatment services in the United States. It provides wholesale water and wastewater services to suburban communities and retail services to Detroit. GLWA’s predecessor, the Detroit Water and Sewerage created a Wastewater Steering Committee to collaborate with its wholesale suburban wastewater customers in 1997, culminating in a Combined Sewerage Overflow agreement in 1999. The wastewater outreach began under the auspices of the 36th District Federal Court, which directed DWSD, and its customers to engage in a facilitated dispute resolution process. As a result of the success on the wastewater side, a Water Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) was created in 2003 with wholesale water customers. Both wastewater and water efforts utilized partnering agreements, professional facilitation, and team based problem solving methods to work on the following superordinate goals:End the long running conflicts between DWSD and its suburban customers, conflicts that the media had characterized as “The Water Wars.”Preserve the contracted water system customer based of 80+ suburban communities.Substantially improve regional operational practices, especially in wet weather management.Engage the customer communities in collaborative master planning.Strengthen DWSD’s role as a regional leader in collaborative problem solving.After more than decade of effort, the outreach effort remains robust. It has transcended several changes in DWSD leadership and has now transitioned to suburban management and operations of the utility, a transition codified in a 40-year lease between GLWA and the City of Detroit. The outreach spans Southeast Michigan, with representation from over 3 million customers. It includes staff from GLWA, from the “new” DWSD, wholesale water and wastewater customers, Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ). For communication and document management, the outreach operates a website referred to as the “customer outreach portal” that provides a resource for these groups and an information source for customers throughout service area.The program continues to evolve and progress, with the creation of the Great Lakes Water Authority. During the formation of GLWA, the customer outreach process expanded into a regional outreach process and involved more than 150 people. In addition, a customer driven Stakeholder Engagement Study Group identified enhancements to the outreach process that focused on using advanced technology for improving communication and engaging new markets.Historically, the TAC has addressed a variety of topics, including emergency preparedness, industry best practices, water rates, and public education. The most significant accomplishment of the TAC is the development and regional implementation of a standardized 30-year contract for wholesale water customers. Like the TAC, the Wastewater Steering Committee has addressed a variety of topics through the years. A significant collaborative accomplishment was the institution of a 100% fixed charge sewer rate model. It has virtually eliminated DWSD-Suburban customer billing disputes as well as delivering positive cash flows in a time of great financial stress.This paper will provide information on the need for a wholesale customer outreach program, its successes in water and wastewater utilities as measured through customer surveys from 2004 and 2013, and the vision for the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) customer outreach program.