To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
From: Mark Marlowe, P.E., Director of Castle Rock Water
Matt Benak., P.E., Water Resources Manager
Title
Update: Gold Leader Award from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) Environmental Leadership Program
Body
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Executive Summary
Castle Rock Water received the Gold Leader Award from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) at the 19th Annual Colorado Environmental Leadership Program awards event on October 9, 2018, at the Infinity Park Event Center in Glendale, CO.
The Gold Leader Award recognizes businesses, municipalities and other organizations that have gone above and beyond compliance with state and federal regulations, and are committed to continual environmental improvement. Involvement in the ELP is voluntary, and Gold Leaders are organizations with a fully operational, facility-specific Environmental Management System (EMS).
Discussion
On June 5, 2018, Town Council was presented with an update on the Gold Leader application, which Castle Rock Water submitted to the CDPHE at the end of June of this year.
In August of 2014, Castle Rock Water received the Bronze Environmental Achievement Award, the entry-level tier to the program. Continued improvements in water quality, water conservation, energy-use reductions, and environmental education allowed Castle Rock Water to receive the Silver Award for the Environmental Leadership Program in 2015, 2016 and 2017. As a Silver Partner, the requirements are to commit to develop and implement an environmental management system (EMS) within a three-year timeframe of achieving silver status and to subsequently apply for the Gold level.
After two years as a Silver Partner and with goals to achieve the Gold Leader status within the program, Castle Rock Water developed an Environmental Policy Statement in 2016. This statement documents the department’s commitment to environmental excellence, continual improvement, pollution prevention, compliance with applicable environmental regulations, as well as acknowledging the importance of communication with employees and the public. With the Environmental Policy Statement in place, Castle Rock Water then embarked on the development and implementation of an Environmental Management System, which was recently completed and was included with the June 5 Council update.
Castle Rock Water’s EMS is a tool for managing operations and the environmental aspects associated with them. The current EMS identifies five goals for Castle Rock Water:
• Reduce the Town’s dependence on non-renewable water sources;
• Reduce the number of sanitary sewer overflows (SSO’s) per year;
• Reduce overall water demand;
• Optimize the existing recycling program;
• Reduce overall electrical energy consumption.
For each goal identified, there are targets to track and record progress. The EMS utilizes a plan-do-check-act approach to achieve goals and assist in continual improvement for operations, safety, efficiency, and environmental protection. Since both internal and external audits of the EMS took place this past June, Castle Rock Water completed the requirements necessary to apply for Gold Leader.
Achievement of the Gold Leader Award is an example of Castle Rock Water’s Vision Statement,
“We will be a national leader among water utilities, focused on customer satisfaction and delivering outstanding quality and value.”
The Gold Leader Award is also in-line with Castle Rock Water’s Mission, “We provide our community with exceptional service that protects public health and balances social, environmental and fiscal responsibilities in a sustainable manner.”
History of Past Town Council, Boards & Commissions, or Other Discussions
Staff announced that Castle Rock Water achieved the Environmental Leadership Program Silver Award to the Castle Rock Water Commission on August 26, 2015.
Staff presented the Environmental Policy Statement to the Castle Rock Water Commission on April 13, 2016. The Commission unanimously recommended that Council approve the policy statement.
On April 19, 2016, Town Council approved Resolution 2016-038: Execution of the Environmental Policy Statement for the Utilities Department.
Staff announced that Castle Rock Water achieved the Environmental Leadership Program Silver Award, for the third year in a row, to the Castle Rock Water Commission on October 25, 2017. The award ceremony took place at the 19th Annual ELP Awards breakfast on October 4, 2017.
On May 23, 2018 the Castle Rock Water Commission unanimously endorsed staff to proceed with the ELP application.
On June 5, 2018 Town Council was presented with an update on the Gold Leader ELP application, which was submitted to CDPHE the end of June, 2018.
Budget Impact
Being an ELP Gold Leader will not have an impact to Castle Rock Water’s budget; however, positive economic benefits may be realized through the implementation of the EMS.