A powerful winter storm swept through the Southeast last month, effectively paralyzing the Birmingham area. But it was business as usual for some BWWB employees. Some BWWB employees reported to work on a Sunday afternoon around 5 p.m., a few hours ahead of the storm. They stayed until Tuesday afternoon, during which time they worked to ensure that service was not interrupted. “Water is essential and we are in the water business,” Wa-ter Treatment Manager Joel Rhaly said. “Plant and pump station operators must be in place so there is no interruption of service as the company moves to support essential opera-tions. The plants have to step up their production because all the storage tanks in the distribution must be full in case there are power outages or breaks in the system.” Plant workers literally made the plants their temporary residence, Rhaly said. “The plants have to stay up and operating, no matter what,” he said. “These guys were willing to sleep on the floor and eat out of a can or toaster oven. It takes someone who really cares a lot about this company to get this done.” Employees in the security department and the call center also reported to work. As soon as the frosty forecast was broadcast Call Center Superintendent Ellan Hawkins began making preparations

for her department. She called team leaders Geraldine Sanders and Rosalyn Jemison and made arrangements for them to report to work Sunday evening. Sanders said the experience was somewhat similar to a winter storm in 1996. “That storm was a little worse than this one,” she said, “There was heavier ice. But it was similar. This time we were more prepared.” Hawkins coordinated with Area Field Services Superin-tendent John Dansby, along with team leaders Herman Jones, Terryl Alexander and field technicians Allen Jackson and Lekell Freeman to make sure employees had a way to get to work. Employees gathered at others’ homes and pickup arrangements were made, Hawkins said. “My objective was to coordinate to get the necessary forc-es here to be ready to take calls Monday morning,” she said. “That’s what we did.” The employees stayed the office overnight, camping out on cots and in sleeping bags. The call center received about 300 calls Monday, some of those inquiring whether the lobby would be open, Hawkins said. “It’s really about planning,” Hawkins said of working through the storm. “We are here to serve and that’s what we did.” •

--The Water Current Correspondent

Winter storm doesn’t stop BWWB from delivering high quality water

The “Herminator” results in Employee of the Year honors

B BThe Water Current

The official publication of the Water Works Board of the city of Birmingham

Board of DirectorsA. Jackie Robinson, III

Chairman/PresidentSherry W. Lewis

First Vice ChairmanAnthony L. Barnes

Second Vice ChairmanDavid S. Herring

Secretary-TreasurerAnn D. Florie

Assistant Secretary-Treasurer

Executive StaffMac Underwood

General ManagerDarryl R. Jones, P.E. Assistant General Manager

Operations and Technical Services

T.M. “Sonny” Jones, IV, P.E. Assistant General Manager

Engineering and MaintenanceMichael Johnson, CPA Assistant General Manager Finance and Administration

Binnie Myles Public Communications Manager

Rahkia Nance, Elements Editor

Matt Tanner, Elements Art Director

For the recordConstruction to start on pressure- reducing station The Board of Directors ap-proved construction of a pres-sure-reducing station in Kim-berly. The below-ground vault will reduce pressure in water mains from the Putnam service area to the New Bethel service area. Construction is set to be-gin within the month and should last 75 days.

Other business:• The board is taking bids for

a pipe relocation project in Birmingham. The pipes are in conflict with an Alabama Department of Transporta-tion project. The project is lo-cated along Jefferson Avenue SW, between 50th Street SW and 54th Street SW. It also in-cludes portions of Avenue K and Russell Avenue

• The board awarded a bid to Monumental Contracting Ser-vices LLC for construction of a vestibule/airlock in the lobby of the customer service center. The vestibule/airlock will help maintain the lobby’s temperature. •

February 2011 Volume 7, Issue 2T h e W a t e r C u r r e n t

10% post consumer recycled paper

February 2011 Volume 7, Issue 2

BWWB has once again received a AA rating, indicating that bond rating agencies recog-nize the company’s sound financial management and stability. A AA bond rating means BWWB can borrow for its capital improvement projects at a lower interest rate and sell its bonds easier. A AAA bond rating is the highest possible rating. Both Standard and Poor’s and Moody’s Investor Service, two leading bond rating agencies, reaffirmed BWWB’s bond rating. “We were pleased that they reaffirmed the rating, but disappointed we didn’t get an upgrade,” General Manager Mac Underwood said. “We felt like we’ve done everything they’ve asked.” A bond rating upgrade would mean reduced interest costs for all BWWB bonds, Un-derwood said. Nevertheless, BWWB continues to move

see Bond inside

2 leading bond rating agencies reaffirm BWWB rating; GM Underwood encourages employees to strive for best possible ratingBy Rahkia Nance, The Water Current Editor

January’s Employees of the Month are Billy Colburn and Richard Newton. Colburn, superintendent of special proj-ects, joined BWWB in 1979. Richard Newton, a meter set-ter, has been with BWWB since 1987. Both were nominated by their manager, Geoff Goodwin, for handling a situation in which a senior citizen’s water service was terminated in error. They worked for more than 20 hours to re-establish the customer’s service. The Water Current recently chatted with Colburn.

How did you get into your line of work? BC: I started working when I was 13 and was in charge of my first crew at age 16. I started working at the Water Works when I was 21, starting as an A- utility backhoe op-erator in the construction department. By 1980 I was a foreman and by 2001, I was construction superintendent. In 2008 I became senior superintendent of special projects.

What are your hobbies? BC: Fishing and raising my dogs

What is the last book you read? BC: Living Off The Land. I live on a farm and I got it for Christmas. It’s about farming and talks about how you build houses, put up fence, start gardens and anything having to do with farming. •

Billy Colburn and Richard NewtonCatching up with...

BWWB Employees Of The Month

Director Sherry Lewis (left) with Richard Newton (center) and Billy Colburn (right).

INS

IDE

Just as BWWB’s financial health affects each employee in-dividually, each employee has an impact on the company’s fiscal condition. Here are some things employees and depart-ments can do to help improve the company’s financial stand-ing and help it achieve the highest bond rating possible:

-- Manage and/or minimize expenditures

-- Do more work with BWWB employees instead of using consultants

-- Maximize efforts to increase revenue by doing things such as shutting off delinquent customers in a timely manner, locating and investigating zero-consumption accounts and changing

customers’ meters in a timely manner

Rated AABWWB plows throughEmployees brave snow, ice to maintain operations, deliver uninterrupted water service

1. James Holsomback (left) and Ralph Abbott (right), E&M Shop. 2. Jimmy Bonner, Security. 3. George Haynes, SCADA, takes a quick break. 4. Mark Kirkland, E&M Shop 5. James

Callins (left) and Anthony Lewin (right). 6. Layers of ice and snow covered the parking lot at BWWB during the storm.

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4 5

6

February 2011 Volume 7, Issue 2T h e W a t e r C u r r e n t February 2011 Volume 7, Issue 2T h e W a t e r C u r r e n t

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will work with local and state officials to better understand the prev-alence of the chemical chromium-6 in drinking water. In December, the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organization, released a report identifying chromium-6 in the water supply of several of the nation’s major cities. The EPA responded to that study, say-ing that it had been reviewing the latest science on chromium and would deter-mine if a new standard needed to be set. The EPA requires all water systems to test for chromium and its most recent data shows that no water systems are in violation of the total chromium standard, which is 100 parts per billion. The EPA said it will issue guidance to water systems to help them develop a monitoring and sampling program. The EPA has also offered to provide signifi-cant technical assistance to the commu-nities cited in the EWG report. BWWB was not among the 30 sys-tems listed in the EWG report.

--The Water Current Washington Correspondent

EPA to provide direction on monitoring Chromium-6

Ingenuity at workEmployee invention saves time, money at Sipsey Pump StationBy The Water Current Staff Writer

With some galvanized pipe, a nozzle and a little inge-nuity, Sipsey Pump Station Supervisor Steven Starnes came up with a solution to a long-time problem. He created a system for keeping leaves and debris from the water intake. Sipsey Pump Station sits along the Sipsey Fork of the Black War-rior River, in a densely wooded area. Leaves and other debris are constantly swept toward the wa-ter intake and it’s up to employees to keep the area clear. Previously, em-ployees would use a makeshift spray system—a fire hose nozzle con-nected to a large hose—to clean the debris away. But that method required at least two employees to be effective: one employee to clean and another to stand guard for safety reasons. With that system, there was always a chance of someone falling, Starnes said. “It was still time-consuming, so we decided to come up with something that would cure the problem and

wouldn’t involve somebody standing there for hours at a time.” Starnes took some galvanized piping, hooked it up to a high-pressure line, put nozzles on the piping and then hung the contraption in the direction of the river to help blow the debris away from the intake. The system

mounts onto the intake suction well screen. “We’ve actu-ally gone from getting 15 bags of leaves off every shift to about four bags a day now,” Starnes said. “The employees thought it was the best thing ever made.” The system works well for now, though there is still some work to be done, Starnes said. Dur-ing heavy rains, for example, the river backs up and debris comes over one of the

fences. That only happens once every couple of years, Starnes said. “Now we can concentrate on other job duties and don’t have to concentrate on cleaning the intake,” he said. •

Employee NewsStaffing Updates - Jan. 2011*New hiresSharvon S. Coleman, PT

Clerical AssistantRuth G. Murry, PT Call Cen-

ter RepresentativeKeyoshia Reynolds, PT Call

Center RepresentativeRichard S. Segers, Operator I

TransfersJamie Urbanski, Operator IILuis D. Gesualdo, Worker-

Maintenance-Purification

PromotionsCharles Bowen, Utility Worker ICortez R. Tolbert Sr., HR

Training Specialist

*This list of updates is partial and includes new hires, transfers and promotions that were effective on or before Jan. 27. Any remaining updates will be included in the February newsletter.

BWWB employees soon will have several ways to update themselves on company news. Video messaging, posters and closed circuit television are all planned features of The Birmingham Water

Works News Network, designed to enhance and improve internal communication. “We are excited to launch this new internal commu-nication initiative,” a spokesman for the Birmingham Water Works News Network said. “The network will serve as an umbrella for information related to BWWB, its customers and employees.” The Water Current will serve as the flagship of The Birmingham Water Works News Network. Since its launch last spring, The Water Current has become a primary information tool for BWWB employees. This year plans are under way to make The Water Current more vis-ible by displaying it in newsstands. The Birmingham Water Works News

Network will include bulletin boards and will also explore video messaging as a way to

communicate various pieces of information. Plans are under way to feature video messages via email. As the year progresses, the network will seek to broadcast video messages throughout the

BWWB campus. “Video messaging supplements printed material and

also serves as a vehicle to carry a uniform message to a wider audience,” a spokesman for The Birmingham Water Works News Network said. “ In addition to reports from General Manager Mac Underwood, look for special employee fea-tures, reports from board meetings and periodic summaries of company news delivered by video. •

Crews will begin work to relocate water mains in parts of Birmingham, Fultondale and Jefferson County as con-struction of Corridor X continues. Corridor X, also known as Interstate 22, is a multi-lane highway that will connect Birmingham to Memphis when completed. The project will conflict with some BWWB water mains. New mains will be installed in alternate locations and new service will be installed for affected customers. The old mains will be disconnected and abandoned in place. BWWB awarded a $483,000 bid to Global Construction & Engi-neering Company, Inc. to perform the work. The work will be done in the following locations:

• Ellard Road, Fultondale

• Lewisburg Road, Birmingham, Jefferson County

• Tyler Street, Jefferson County

• 42nd Avenue North, Birmingham

• 54th Avenue North, Birmingham

• 22nd Street North, Birmingham

• 25th Street North, Birmingham

• U.S. Highway 31 (north), Birmingham, Jefferson County and Fultondale

This project began in late January and is ex-pected to last 90 days. •

--The Water Current Correspondent

Corridor X construction to affect water mainsWater mains in Birmingham, Fultondale and unincorporated Jefferson County to be relocated

Birmingham Water Works News Network set to launchInformation ‘umbrella’ aims to improve, enhance internal communicationBy The Water Current Staff Writer

A 90-day project is underway to relocate pipes in conflict with construction of Corridor X.

BWWB Employee of the YearHerman Jones and “The Herminator” take home EOY honors

The 2010 Employee of The Year is Herman Jones, a team leader in the field services department. Jones, a 12-year veteran of BWWB,

was nominated by his supervi-sor, John Dansby, training and development officer Rhonda Lewis and co-worker Ray-mond Childs for his creation of a steel meter box lock, nick-named “The Herminator.” Jones has no background in de-sign—“I just have a natural knack for stuff like that,” he says. After realizing service technicians had to remove meters from the resi-dences of customers with dis-connected services, one of Jones’ supervisors approached him about coming up with a locking device. Pulling meters from the ground was very labor-intensive and time-consuming. Jones began studying the idea in late 2009 and came up with preliminary designs. After tinker-ing with the designs, he finally came up with what he called “The Beast,” a steel lock designed to keep people from tampering with meters. In some cases,

those with disconnected services would tamper with the meter and reconnect service. Jones initially dubbed the lock “The Beast,” a nod

to President Barack Obama’s impenetrable limousine. But co-workers began calling it “The Herminator,” a name that has extended to Jones himself.

“Just about everybody in the company calls me that now,” he said. Workers tested the locks for about four to five

weeks. After board approval, Jones teamed up with a fabricator and more locks were produced. “I’ve gotten really positive feedback, especially from the me-ter readers,” Jones said. “I really wasn’t expecting this. I was just trying to improve our ability to do our jobs.” As a result of using the locks, fewer meters are pulled and rev-enue has increased in the depart-ment, Jones said. “Nobody can get in it unless they try to cut it off,” he said. “It’s steel. Once they look at that thing, it really deters them from messing with it.” But that doesn’t mean they won’t. Jones once had a lock on his desk that had been beaten with a hammer. Some have gone as far as ripping the entire water system from the ground, resulting in a huge mess, Jones said.

“They come on in and pay the bill rather than go through all that.” • --The Water Current Staff Writer

This spray system, created by Sipsey Pump Station Supervisor Steven Starnes, helps keep debris away from the intake.

This metal lock box fits over meters as a way to prevent and deter water theft. Created by Herman Jones, a team leader in the field services department, the device has been nicknamed “The Herminator.”

toward being a AAA rated agency, Underwood said. The company will continue to employ practices that could lead to a bond rating up-grade, such as keeping the reserve fund at a favorable level. At the end of 2004, BWWB had almost no reserve funds. In 2005 the company adopted a plan to improve its operating reserve balance and its capital pay-as-you-go balance to improve its financial condition. Within three years the company had shored up approximately $52 mil-lion, well exceeding the $40 million goal. “The plan we put in place was not very am-bitious, but it’s a good long-range plan,” Under-wood said. “Our budget planned for a certain amount in reserve each year and each year we have exceeded that amount.” Some of that was due to rate increases, Un-derwood said, but a significant portion of the cushion was generated by reduction in expen-ditures. That, in addition to long-range planning, management of capital projects and plans for a

new water source provides justification for a bond rating upgrade, Underwood said. “There are some water systems that have a little debt and low reserves that are AAA rated,” Underwood said. Other companies in apparently sound financial condition have been downgraded, he said. “There are water systems that have a lot of debt and a lot of reserves that are AAA rated. Ultimately, each water system needs to be evaluated individu-ally to determine the right balance of debt and reserves.” Underwood said BWWB will continue to advocate for a bond rating upgrade and added that employees and departments can help the company move toward that goal. “Operate as efficiently as possible,” Underwood said. “Evaluate your current procedure and look for ways to do more within the 8-hour standard workday or 40-hour workweek. By doing that we don’t have to add new employ-ees and we can hold down operat-ing expenses.” •

Bond continued