Earlier this summer, the Post asked our readers what issues you wanted to hear candidates running for WaterOne board to address leading up to the Nov. 7 election.
Based on that feedback, we developed a three-item questionnaire centering the issues most important to Johnson County residents.
Each day this week, we’ll publish the candidates’ responses to one question.
Today, we’re publishing candidates’ responses to the following question:
What is the biggest challenge facing the water district today, and what should the board be doing to address it?
Below are the answers the Post received from candidates on this issue:
Member 1
Jerry Cook
Recruiting, retaining and consistent professional development of staff is always a challenge for any organization. Currently, employers across many segments of our community, state and nation are competing to fill their respective employee vacancies. But having said that, I believe cyber security relative to water safety is our biggest challenge.
WaterOne has consistently provided the safest and best-tasting water to its consumers for many years. We should never let our guard down in supporting detailed operational strategies to what we do best by providing safe, reliable and affordable water to our consumers. And we do so by steadfastly focusing upon our mission, vision and goals driven by short and long-term management plans. Resources for protecting cyber security should continue to be a high priority. Always Nurture Nature!
Melanie Kraft (incumbent)
Water District #1 of Johnson County (WaterOne) acquires 200 million gallons of water per day from four possible water sources with approximately 83 million gallons of storage capacity. All of that water then needs to be distributed to the customers of WaterOne.
One of the most important concerns for our water district and many others is aging infrastructure. Some of the homes in Johnson County are 70 to 100 years old and some of these have water pipes that are 50-60 years old in a corrosive soil that can shorten their useful life. I’m very supportive of our robust surveillance program to get the most out of our pipes but prevent breaks.
The challenge in water pipe replacement and all assets is to replace the pipes at the time which extends the financial life of the pipe but to replace the pipe before it breaks, because of the inconvenience to ratepayers and the increased cost of repair and replacement during a break as opposed to replacing the pipe is at the end of its life cycle.
In a perfect world, we can identify the pipes that need replacement before they break, and at the same time work with 17 different municipalities to limit the roadway construction for the citizens of Johnson County. In this way, replacement is most cost effective, and WaterOne customers get the most out of each pipe before replacement.
Tom Fennesy
Did not provide the Post with a response.
Member 2
Brian Glynn
WaterOne’s biggest challenge is maintaining their high level of customer service while retaining their existing high-quality staff as well as recruiting and hiring new staff due to turnover, retirements and additional staffing needs in today’s challenging labor market.
In the coming years, this challenge will be compounded as WaterOne’s water distribution infrastructure — mainly consisting of cast iron and ductile iron pipe — continues to age and reaches the end of its useful life. WaterOne currently replaces approximately 15 miles of water mains per year, but WaterOne’s water main replacement activity is currently projected to increase year over year for the next 15 years or so, when WaterOne will replace nearly 25 miles of water mains per year by 2030 and more than 35 miles of water mains per year by 2040.
Currently, WaterOne performs the vast majority of these water main replacements with their own engineering and construction staff, but WaterOne will have to rely more and more on contractors to perform these water main replacements in the coming years. The WaterOne Board should continue to adopt policies to ensure WaterOne is a desirable employer for existing and new staff and to ensure WaterOne does not fall behind the curve when it comes to maintaining and replacing its existing infrastructure.
Ullyses Wright
Did not provide the Post with a response.
Member 6
Jim McNair
The biggest challenge to WaterOne is cybersecurity. Groups that want to disrupt society are very clever in their approaches. We should not publicly speculate on how they might challenge the system, or what measures we have in place, but clean water supply is the ultimate necessity.
The Board needs to be proactive about protecting the supply, treatment and distribution of water. The Board needs to increase funding in this area and ensure that coordination efforts are strengthened within the industry.
In order to be able to concentrate in this area, while simultaneously maintaining infrastructure replacement and low rates, efficiencies throughout the system need to be stressed and “feel good” projects that are not a necessity should be reduced.
Whitney Wilson (incumbent)
The biggest challenge is keeping up with infrastructure demands in the face of climate change. Extreme weather conditions like the record-breaking temps we experienced this past summer put additional stress on the infrastructure and those conditions make the job the field teams have to service the water pipes across the county more challenging.
While WaterOne has a robust asset management program and the team actively monitors pipe conditions, unanticipated main breaks (which increased this season due to the extreme heat) can have an adverse impact on the customers served. The Board needs to support all process improvement projects including finding ways to monitor emerging vulnerabilities and mitigate those areas before they become more costly.
One improvement process I would support would be to expand our AI and analytics capabilities to proactively monitor our entire system’s operations, which would offer faster response times and the opportunity to keep our water rates low.
Member 7
Renee Dinsmore
Sustainability is the biggest challenge facing the water district.
I listened to the last five years of meetings. WaterOne’s governance needs collaborative problem solvers who will use policy governance to ensure safe, clean drinking water for today and tomorrow’s customers. I am a public administration PhD student and climate policy researcher who specializes in policy governance. My research focuses on how groups use evidence to make decisions. My expertise is in decisions made about natural resources. The WaterOne Board must treat our source water like a wise financial planner: understand the risks, mitigate them when possible and build resilience to anticipated problems or concerns.
This is the substantive leadership we need to maintain Johnson County’s water supply and economic longevity. Given the opportunity to serve as the WaterOne Position 7 Board Member, I will be a sustainability leader, advance collaborative water policy governance and stand by my voting record accordingly.
Mark Parkins (incumbent)
Like all water utilities, the biggest challenge facing WaterOne is infrastructure — including maintaining and renewing aging infrastructure and planning for growth. WaterOne has done an excellent job proactively addressing this universal challenge by adopting a 40-year Master Plan, as well as maintaining an ongoing asset management plan. The Board has worked hand-in-hand with talented WaterOne staff on these issues for many years to make sure this challenge is effectively addressed.
I have proudly served four years on WaterOne’s Operations Committee. It is responsible for guiding these infrastructure plans and approving contracts involving replacement of water mains, updating treatment plant and storage facilities and supporting the growth of Johnson County. Serving as the Chairman of the Operations Committee the past four years, we completed our most recent 40-year Master Plan update. During those meetings I have taken pleasure in stating that WaterOne staff “talks the talk, but they also “walk the walk.” Staff has efficiently addressed the challenge of maintaining aging infrastructure valued at over $1 billion and meeting the needs of our growing county.
My career in the water industry exposed me to knowledge about many utilities throughout the Midwest. I can say with confidence that WaterOne staff executes our asset management and infrastructure replacement programs better than any utility in the country. The WaterOne Board is responsible for establishing the policies related to this infrastructure challenge and making sure the funding is provided to get the job done. We should continue to follow this successful path forward.
Tomorrow, we will publish candidates’ responses to the next question:
In light of extreme weather events, including more frequent torrential rains, seasonal severe thunderstorms and punishing heat waves during the summer, how can WaterOne best prepare and maintain its infrastructure to be resilient and reliable in the face of a changing climate?
