Several years ago, Marana Water implemented an internal business plan. This plan is intended to be a guiding document for our five divisions to plan appropriately for the future. The Town’s Strategic Plan provides the high level direction, and our plan gives us the detail we need to be successful.
The purpose of the plan is to give Marana Water a snapshot of our current activities, while providing internal staff with the opportunity to detail the future of the functional work areas. The overarching goals of the plan are to incorporate our divisions into one master document while outlining where we are currently, and where we desire to go as a department.
The plan is broken up into the five divisions; water, water reclamation, engineering, water resources, and business services. Each has their own set of duties and will have unique needs in the plan’s five year window. These needs can be related to construction projects, equipment purchase, or new position requests. Putting it all together in one place gives us the advantage of seeing our department as a whole and where to apply resources that will provide the most benefit.
Some of the items outlined in the plan include ways to prevent emergency repairs through managed maintenance plans. Our goal is to have a robust preventive maintenance program, which will allow us to focus on operating and improving our water system.
This long-range planning will result in lower annual costs and a more efficient operations and maintenance program. A successful asset management program is also included in the plan. When this program is fully implemented it will give us the ability to predict where to focus resources based on use and lifespan of the equipment or service area. We will also be able to forecast expenditures year over year a little better as well.
On the water reclamation side, we have identified the need for an infiltration and inflow study. This study would help manage the sewer collection system during wet weather, which contributes excess flows into the system. This study would help prepare the water reclamation team to reduce these infiltration and inflow instances through system rehabilitation and focusing resources where necessary. We also identified the need to manage the Rillito Vista Lagoon systems, which will be accomplished with the new sewer transmission line currently under construction.
Our business services division works diligently to provide timely and effective customer service. With the implementation of online bill payment almost two years ago, our customers now have a variety of options for how best to pay their bill on their schedule. We are constantly growing and finding methods to sustain the high level of service our customers have come to expect is one of the corner stones of this portion of the plan. Staffing of this division is always up for discussion on how best to manage our online presence with the in-person experience. By thoughtfully organizing this plan, we are able to determine the best course of action.
The Marana Water Business Plan is currently in an internal update. While the plan covers a five year period, we are constantly reviewing and modifying the plan based on current conditions. Our dedicated staff are working to provide efficiencies where they are available, and the cohesiveness of this plan helps us do just that. Reliability, redundancy, and resiliency are the basis for our operations, and this plan helps keep us on track.
Want to stay up to date on all things Marana Water? Click the Sign Up button below.
