What’s this article about?

This article is about how Kachina Village Improvement District (KVID), a small (1400 connections) water and wastewater utility six miles south of Flagstaff, Arizona achieved significant "Greening" of the utility.


KVID employs a total of seven persons; two water operators, one wastewater operator, a millwright/fabricator, a business manager, an operations supervisor and the district manager. Since 2007 KVID has reduced its operational costs in the wastewater treatment plant by close to $89,000 per year. These savings are a result of reducing electrical usage by 60% (a $57,000 per annum savings) and in addition, as part of this cost reduction project, sludge disposal costs have been reduced by about $32,000 per annum. The cost to create these efficiencies is anticipated to be recovered (payback duration) in approximately three (3) years.

Objectives

This paper is written to describe, in a few pages, some of the results produced by the continuous improvement team effort at KVID. Since 2005 the group has implemented "Continuous Improvement" practices, "Learning Organization" methodologies and a "Systems Thinking" approach. Since then and to this day the utility enjoys operational, service and financial success.

Continuous Improvement - The key to efficiency proliferation

No enterprise or human endeavor can achieve all of the efficiencies we desire in a single step or process. We must work continuously to make improvements and to achieve success. There are five areas where efficiency improvements can be found in any enterprise including a water and/or wastewater utility:

• Leadership and Management,
• Process and Methods,
• Planning,
• Administration, and
• Technology and Materials.

KVID has exploited all of these areas over the past five years.

KVID's Mission & Vision

Vision Statement

The Kachina Village Improvement District will be a recognized leader of efficiency improvements for delivery of safe and high quality drinking water and the management, treatment and disposal of wastewater. In addition KVID will participate in activities to expand systems thinking, learning organizations and efficiency improvements to communities within Coconino County and in Arizona.

Mission Statement

The mission of KVID is to provide on-demand potable water and continuous wastewater removal, treatment and disposal for the residents, commercial customers, and emergency service organizations of Kachina Village so they can maintain a quality standard of living.

An Important Definition

The “System”

The word “system” will be used extensively in the remainder of this article. Let’s define what is meant by this term.
The collection of people, processes and utility assets (the components) when operated in an interdependent manner to achieve the aim or goal of the organization constitutes the “system.”