CAWASA Inc. E Source magazine January 2017 | Caribbean Water & Sewerage Association Newsletter

January 2017Caribbean Water and Sewage Association Inc.
CAWASA starts 2017 on a high note!
The Caribbean Water and Sewage
Association (CAWASA) has started
2017 on a good footing after closing
2016 on a high note.
This year started with CAWASA
attending the 30th annual confer-
ence of the Association of Boards of
Certification (ABC) in Fort Lauder-
dale, Florida (story on Page 3) and
CAWASA preparing for the 5th Ca-
ribbean Water Operators Confer-
ence in Dominica in June 2017.
CAWASA President Christopher
Husbands closed 2016 with an ad-
dress to the Caribbean Infrastruc-
ture Finance Forum in The Baha-
mas, which took place on the 6 and
7 of December (story on Page 6).
Also late last year, the CAWASA
President and the Executive Direc-
tor, Mr Ignatius Jean, both attended
the 2016 annual conference of the Caribbean Water and Waste-
water Association (CWWA), which took place in Trinidad &
Tobago, on October 23 (See Pages 7 and 8).
At that conference, they also participated in the High Level
Forum (HLF) that discussed the plastic challenges to bottled
water (Related articles on Pages 2, 12 and 17).
Another major CAWASA event in 2016 was a workshop held
on September 19 and 20 on the island of Barbuda on Managing
Non-Revenue Water that was well attended by delegates from
around the Caribbean (Coverage in full on Pages 10 and 11).
This first issue of e-Source for 2017 also contains several other
reports from CAWASA members across the Caribbean (see
Secretariat News on Pages 3, 4, 5 and 6)
Meanwhile, the CAWASA Secretariat wishes a Happy New
Year to all member associations and utilities and to all water
In this Issue
Editorial – Page 2
CAWASA Secretariat News - Pages 3 - 6
CWWA Conference T&T 2016 - Pages 7 - 8
Managing Non-Revenue Water - Pages 10 - 11

Trough Damage Repaired in SVG! - Page 9
Not Just Another Day at Work - Pages 13 -16
The Great Bottled Water Debate - Pages 2, 12 and 17
Asia’s fight over fresh water! - Page 17

operators at all levels across the Caribbean.
Thanks also go to the many affiliated and cooperating agen-
cies within the region and beyond that cooperated with CA-
WASA during 2016 and looks forward to continuing coopera-
tion for the rest of 2017 and beyond.
SAVE THE DATE
CAWASA 5th Caribbean Water
Operators Conference
June 29-30, 2017 – Roseau,
Commonwealth of Dominica

e-SourcePage 2 January 2017
Editorial
World Without Water?
Time and time again, the world offers events and situations that draw
our attention to how important water is and why it should not be wast-
ed.
Several situations in the news in 2016 – and already in 2017 --have
highlighted the importance of water and why increasingly people are
willing to not just stand up for it, but also to kill and die for it.
For the Caribbean, the Flint and North Dakota crises in the USA are
close enough examples.
In Flint, people were drinking life-threatening water as a result of a
commercial decision and they are still fighting for justice.
In North Dakota, the biggest gathering of native Indian tribes gath-
ered in solidarity with the Standing Rock tribe to prevent a pipeline be-
ing driven through their clean water source and sacred burial ground.
Further afield, and with as much importance, is the situation in Af-
rican, Asian and Arab countries where nations fight water wars and
those that can afford even build their own rivers.
In Africa, the River Nile runs through several nations that share con-
tinuous running disputes over it, with lower-tributary nations accusing
those up-river of engaging in practices that negatively impact nations
downstream. That is only one of several cases.
China is taking strong steps to ensure its capital Beijing gets more
water, while other steps to ensure its water future have led neighbors to
complain can reduce their own future water possibilities (See article on
Asia’s Fight Over Fresh Water! in this issue).
Similar trans-border disputes between India and Pakistan also often
trigger tension between the neighboring nations.
Most recently, the United Nations had to intervene in trying to get
Syrian rebels and government forces to stop fighting that damaged the
main source of water for the capital Damascus, leaving millions of resi-
dents thirsty as victims of armed conflict and water blackmail.
When put against all the statistics put out annually by UN Water
about the state of the world’s water, it is clear that water continues to be
increasingly important to more people and countries worldwide.
While the Caribbean may not yet be at the crisis stage of people dying
of thirst, the impacts of weather variation and Climate Change have
become more evident.
A study on the water sector conducted by the Caribbean Develop-
ment Bank (CDB) in 2013 reported that over the last 40 years, fresh wa-
ter availability has declined in the northern Caribbean to as much as
50% in some countries.
Fortunately, there are still options in some islands for abstraction of
groundwater, desalination and rainwater harvesting.
The main sources of water in the Region are: Groundwater (52.5%),
Surface water (35.8%), Rainwater harvesting (0.1%) and Desalination
(11.6%).
We still have water problems: Quality, storage, distribution, conser-
vation, waste, etc.
We have just ended yet another year during which we got all the
usual warning signs that we still continue to ignore.
Climate Change and Acts of Man have had combined effect on our
weather and how it affects us.
More bad weather results in more damage to our water systems.
More sustained drought parches land and ruins agriculture.
Yet we continue to have mass-crowd entertainment events that fea-
ture waste of water, just for fun.
We complain about erosion around our homes but don’t use gutter-
ing. We complain about water bills, but still leave the tap on all the time
while washing or bathing. We complain about water rates, but comfort-
ably buy bottled water costing several times more.
Just as 2016 was about to close, another clear warning signal was sent
to the world about the future of this precious commodity: A new study
revealed that global groundwater levels could be depleted by 2050.
This latest doomsday prediction for water is only 33 years away – and
within the lifetime of most Caribbean citizens.
From the very first day of 2017, it was – and still is -- important for citi-
zens of the Caribbean and the world to take one step back and ponder
the possibilities of a world without water.
As noted by CAWASA President Christopher Husbands during the
CWWA Conference on ‘Building Resilient Waters Systems for the 21st
Century’ (See address and report also in this issue), we have to each
year learn from the lessons of the last and allow our actions for the fu-
ture to be guided by lessons learned -- and 2017 is no different.
Only after we have done so can we take two steps forward with the
realization that if we don’t act now, we could one day, in our lifetime,
be walking around with empty plastic bottles and buckets, asking:
‘Where to get water?
The issue of bottled water comes up everywhere water is produced and
sold. Most times it is a discussion or debate about the comparative costs
versus the comparative disadvantages of water produced by water utilities
and that sold by private companies not in the business of water production.
In the Caribbean, the discussion extends beyond costs to include the
environmental impact of plastic bottles.
Indiscriminate littering leads to blockage of drains and plastic also end-
up in the sea affecting fishes and generally causing negative environmen-
tal impacts in and to rivers and canals, as well as along and beyond the
island and mainland coastlines.
The recent 2016 Annual CWWA Conference in Trinidad & Tobago fea-
tured a High Level Forum (HLF) during which a debate was held on the
plastic challenge to water.
That discussion featured several issues highlighted by the Water Minis-
ters and the public and private officials and executives who participated.
But bottled water is also being discussed as far away as in China, where
the debate is not about environmental or health impacts, but on totally
different aspects: Whether bottled water can help find missing children
and where ethics apply between business and charity.
A water company in Qingdao (in east China's Shandong Province) is
marketing bottled water in packaging displaying the photos and personal
information of missing children.
The company launched the campaign together with Baobeihuijia.com,
China's best-known online platform devoted to the search for missing kids.
The website has helped more than 1,700 children find their parents,
while over 31,000 families with missing children have registered on it.
The water company hopes that such advertising will raise public aware-
ness about human trafficking and help missing children return home.
The specially-packaged water has been on the market for several
months. Besides Qingdao, the 500,000 bottles produced will also be avail-
able in Beijing, Shanghai and elsewhere.
Some Chinese think the strategy could help the search for the missing
children to some extent and therefore, the company should be praised for
its charitable practice.
Can bottled water ads help find missing children?
Should businesses be encouraged to get involved in such efforts and should the
public tolerate their intention to profit and improve their reputation along the way?
Continued on Page 17

e-Source Page 3January 2017
CAWASA Secretariat News
CAWASA’s Programme Officer Suzanne Joseph represented CA-
WASA at the 30th Annual Conference of the Association of Boards of
Certification (ABC), which was held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida, USA, from January 11 to 13, 2017.
Preceding the conference was a Trainers Workshop on Tuesday, Jan-
uary 10, 2017, which discussed several highlights.
Trainers Workshop
The ABC held a Trainers Workshop, which featured a round-table
discussion on trainers.
According to the CAWADA Progam Officer, the workshop took the
form of small groups assigned to discuss and report on topics related
to current issues and visioning, including: Operators must buy into the
importance of knowledge, Curriculum-based approach for developing
and delivering training to Small Systems, Preparing for Tomorrow’s
Employees Today, Resource Rapid Fire, On-Line Training Develop-
ment Do’s and Don’ts, Top 10 Wants to Overcome Challenges when
obtaining Credit Approvals for Online Operator Trainings, The Align-
ment of Certification, Functional and Hands-on-Training and Training
Successes and Lessons Learned.
The CAWASA representative participated in and contributed to the
roundtable discussion on the various topics, as well as group presenta-
tions followed by open discussions in plenary on the subject matters.
The Conference
The Program Officer says the conference introduction was delivered
by Paul Bishop, Executive Director of ABC and presentations during
the day included: Legal Aspects of Certification, Credentialing Lessons
from The National Board for Respiratory Case, What’s New in Water
Research and How it can Impact Operator Certification, The Arduous
Road of Broadening Your Certification Requirements and 2017 Stan-
dardized Exams.
Other sessions discussed topics that included: Looking Froward 2017:
The World Around Us, Looking Forward 2017: Our Path Forward, In-
novations in Testing, Effectiveness at Online Training, Is it Time for a
New Facility Classification Model? And The Aliens Attacked…Again!
The ABC Annual General Meeting was held on Thursday, January 12.
Immediate Past-Chair of ABC, Mike Gosselin (Managing Director -
Wastewater Division for the City of Kelowna, British Columbia, Can-
ada), introduced the newly elected Chairman, Michael Bolt, (Eastern
Band of Cherokee Indians, NV).
The Summary of the Annual Report revealed that ABC is growing
and certifying more people as years go by.
In 2016 Certifications and Exams certificates went to 32,154, includ-
ing Web-based 7,109, Computer-based 11,460 and Paper-based 13,585.
ABC Membership now stands at 123 Members (Certification Program
Members 89, Associate Members 32 and Special Members.)
ABC Members by location now stand at: US States & Territories -102,
Canadian Provinces & Territories – 6 and with Europe represented by
Albania, the Middle East represented by Jordan and the Caribbean rep-
resented by St. Lucia and CAWASA
Members also approved the ABC Annual Report for 2016.
ABC Annual Awards Ceremony
During the Annual General Meeting, ABC held its Annual Awards Cer-
emony to recognize it Heroes through an event entitled “Recognizing our
Heroes”. This session was chaired by Past ABC Chairman, Mr Ray Alson.
ABC awards were presented to: Chuck Van Der Kolk – Lifetime
Achievement Award, Lonn Rassmussen and Paul Krauth – Excellence
in Service, Martin Nutt – Outstanding Certification Officer, LeAnn
Risso – Excellence in workshop Development and the Certification Pro-
gramme Award went to the Massachusetts Board of Certification of
Operators of Drinking Water Supply Facilities
Issues discussed on Day 4 of the conference included Updates from
Washington, EPA Operator Certifications and Workforce Development
Updates, Workforce Strategy in British Columbia, Canada – Planning
as an industry for the Future, A New Groundwater and Wells Class for
Non-Community Systems and Operator in Training Models.
The CAWASA representative said the regional entity was able to
come out of the ABC meeting with several notes made and tasks to
be followed-up to ensure maximum benefits to all Caribbean delegates
and institutions from the meetings and related activities.
CAWASA attended ABC’s 2017 AGM in Fort Lauderdale
The fourth formal regional meeting of the Cari-WOP Steer-
ing Committee was held during the 25th Annual Conference
of the CWWA at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Port of Spain, Trini-
dad and Tobago on October 24, 2016.
The Caribbean Water and Sewerage Association (CAWA-
SA) and the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association
(CWWA) are the joint secretariat for the Cari-WOP and the
meeting was chaired by Mr. Jason Johnson, President of the
CWWA.
The meeting approved a short-list of Water Operators’ Part-
nerships (WOPs) for 2017:
• First activities of multi-partner WOP with the DINEPA of
Haiti;
• Water Authority of the Cayman Islands and Antigua Public
Utilities Authority (APUA) WOP on Laboratory standards;
• Belize Water Services Limited (BWSL) & the Contra Costa
Water Department (CCWD) with the APUA on Non-Reve-
nue Water and Operations maintenance;
• GWI (Guyana) and Suriname WOP on NRW;
• Trinidad and Suriname WOP on Water Resource Manage-
ment Policy.
The Cari-WOP hopes to attract funding from regional donor
agencies for implementation of the shortlisted water opera-
tors’ partnerships.
CariWOP approved 2017 Water Operator
Partnerships at CWWA 2016 in T&T
CAWASA’s Program Officer Suzanne Joseph (second from left) with
Kentucky, Maryland and Ohio representatives at the ABC conference
in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA in January 2017.

The Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C) Water, Climate and
Development Programme (WACDEP) is aimed at building climate resil-
ience in the Caribbean water sector, as a key part of sustainable regional
and national development for economic growth and human security.
WACDEP emphasizes investment planning and financing for climate
resilience. Thus during 2015- 2016, the programme focused on the devel-
opment of the Caribbean Climate Resilience and Water Security Invest-
ment Plan (CReWSIP), which provides a coordinated and programmatic
approach to identifying, prioritising and sourcing finance for actions to
enhance the climate resilience of the Caribbean through improved water
resources management.
The CReWSIP framework, is currently being finalised and Phase 2 of
the initiative is already underway, namely the fast tracking of CReWSIP
projects for financing and demonstrating the benefits of “climate proof-
ing.” CReWSIP Phase 1 and 2 is funded by the Climate and Development
Knowledge Network (CDKN) and executed in partnership with the Ca-
ribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC).
The first project under Phase 2 is the ‘Climate proofing the Sandy Bay wa-
ter services improvement project, St. Vincent.’ Sandy Bay Village is a Gari-
funa community of 2600 people in the NE part of St. Vincent. Challenges in
the management of this water supply include high turbidity due to heavy
rainfall events and damage to pipes during flood events. This CReWSIP
project assists the Central Water and Sewerage Authority (CWSA) in deliv-
ering safe and sustainable water supply services to the community.
In particular, the project will deliver a Project Appraisal Document to
help CWSA access funding for the climate proofed water service improve-
ment project. The initiative will also provide technical assistance and ca-
pacity development for climate risk assessment and adaptation, as well as,
economic appraisal approaches for climate resilience.
Lessons and outputs from the project will be translated into capacity de-
velopment materials for regional dissemination. Apart from GWP-C and
CCCCC, CAWASA is also a partner in this initiative.
During the week of April 25th – 29th, 2016, GWP-C staff, CDKN repre-
sentatives and project consultants, worked alongside CWSA staff to con-
duct site visits, preliminary stakeholder consultations and the first trench
of water and climate, and climate financing training under this project.
A one-day Climate Risk workshop was held during the week to examine
climate risks to the Sandy Bay system and possible adaptation measures.
Workshop participants included CWSA personnel and staff from various
government agencies. Representatives from GWP-C’s Partners, namely
the Forestry Division and the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Envi-
ronment were also in attendance.
GWP-C Collaborates with the Central Water and Sewerage Authority (CWSA) of St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Building Climate Resilience into Sandy Bay Water Supply
The Water Authority – Cayman’s Board recently agreed to donate
CI$1,000.00 in support of the Lighthouse School's 4th Annual Walk
for Autism Awareness. In Photo, Information and Records Manager,
Wendy Whittaker, presents the cheque to Head Boy Julius Smith.
Principal Bryan, Deputy Head Boy Jaryed Myles and Deputy Head
Girl Tianna Hurlston were also in attendance to represent the school.
The 4th Annual Walk for Autism Awareness will occur on Saturday,
1 April, 2017 at the North Sound Golf Course – and all proceeds from
the event will go towards the continuity of essential activities and pro-
grammes for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Cayman Islands Water Authority
supports Autism Awareness
In another show of support for healthy causes by CAWASA asso-
ciates, the Diabetic Association of the Turks and Caicos Islands and
the Management and Staff of Provo Water Company wore the official
Diabetic Association T-Shirts on November 14, 2016.
Provo Water Shows Support for Diabetic
Association of the Turks and Caicos Islands
CWSA Engineers Mr. Marco Au-
dain and Mr. Danroy Ballentyne
(in blue CWSA polos) are seen
here in dicussions with project
consultants at the intake.
CWSA Engineering Manager, Mr.
Brian Da Silva is seen here with
GWP-C WACDEP Manager, Dr.
Natalie Boodram at the
Sandy Bay intake.
One of the standpipes in the Sandy Bay community.

NAWASA hosted 2016 World
Water Day Art Competition
Grenada’s national water company, NAWASA, hosted a very
successful and highly interesting art competition to mark World
Water Day 2016.
The competition invited members of the community to provide
created examples of how best they can promote the water mes-
sage to one and all.
Some very thoughtful images were created by the participants,
including means of collection and distribution of water, as well as
an emergency water worker on a motorcycle.
Also featured were clear messages towards the needs for chang-
es in attitudes to water, including “My Community for Change”
and “Water is Change!”
The competition was judged by NAWASA and other water of-
ficials and prizes were delivered to the winners.
The photos on this page offer some glimpses of some of the
many interesting submissions by participants.
Fetching Water
Carrying Water
Mobile Water Operator
Message for Change! Water Harvesting
The message is clear!
The judges didn’t have it easy

Mr. Christopher
Husbands, Presi-
dent of Caribbean
Water and Sewer-
age Association
Inc (CAWASA),
was a presenter
at the CARIF
2016 Caribbean
Infrastructure
Finance Forum,
held in Nassau,
The Bahamas,
December, 6-7, 2016.
The presentation by the CAWASA President
was: “Improving Water and Sewerage Sys-
tems: Critical Developments for Local Popu-
lations and to Expand Tourism Investment”.
The keynote address: “Infrastructure De-
velopment for the Caribbean,” was deliv-
ered by the Honourable Philip E. ‘Brave’
Davis, Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of
Works and Urban Development.
The event gath-
ered over 100 stake-
holders drawn from
key regional public
sector entities and
leading Caribbean
and international
providers of capital
including, CEOs/
CFOs of large re-
gional and interna-
tional companies/
potential investors in Caribbean infrastruc-
ture projects; Senior representatives from
Caribbean governments; Senior Caribbean
utility executives; Regional & international
commercial & investment banks; Regional &
international multilateral and bilateral devel-
opment banks; Leading consultancy and law
firms; Providers of infrastructure engineer-
ing and technology capabilities; and Ratings
agencies.
The focus was on the specific infrastructure
and energy needs of the region, as well as the
structures and partnerships, and sources of
financing available for these developments.
The Conference was organized by the
CIBC-First Caribbean, the leading regional
commercial bank, IJ Global PLC - the infra-
structure arm of Euromoney Institutional
Investor, and New Energy Events, the host
of the annual Caribbean Renewable Energy
Forum (CREF).
CAWASA President
addressed Caribbean
Infrastructure
Finance Forum
CaribDA Operator Training
"Reverse Osmosis/Membrane
Water Treatment" Workshop
25th
- 26th
May 2017
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
CaribDA is pleased to announce the upcoming Workshop, "Reverse Osmosis/Membrane Water
Treatment" in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on 25 - 26 May 2017. The CaribDA Workshop will be
held at the Paradisus Punta Cana Resort.
Registration is now open! Register Now!
Make your lodging arrangements directly with the Paradisus Punta Cana Resort by clicking the
provided link or by phone at 1-809-221-1111. Refer to CaribDA for the discounted room rate
negotiated for reservations made by 29 April 2017.
Topics that will be covered:
• Understand RO/Membrane System Theory & Application
• Learn To Identify, Clean, & Control RO/Membrane System Scale & Fouling
• Review Important Factors & Information Required to Properly Specify, Design, or Upgrade
an RO/Membrane System
• Discover Tips & Technology to Improve RO/Membrane System Operations, Reuse Water,
Save Energy, & Reduce Costs
For full details please see the workshop flyer.
Exhibitor and Sponsorship Opportunities are still available:
Table Top Exhibit - $750
(for CaribDA or IDA Members)
(For Membership: please contact CaribDA for
membership application or click here for CaribDA's
online Membership Application form.)
Major Sponsor - $1,500
• One Complimentary Registration
• Opportunity to provide brief comments
Lunch Sponsor - $750
EXHIBITS are allocated on a first come/first serve basis
onsite.
All Table Top Exhibitors will receive:
• One 6' Table (Chairs are available upon request)
• One full attendee registration to the Workshop
• List of attendees sent via e-mail prior to Workshop
• Opportunity to provide brief comments during the
Workshop
• Acknowledgement in the attendee materials - 100
word company description send e-mail:
custsrv@caribda.com
• Electricity is available from the Hotel for an additional
fee
Breakfast Sponsor - $500
Break Sponsor - $350
All sponsors will receive:
• List of attendees sent via e-mail two weeks prior
• Acknowledgement in the attendee materials - 100
word company description e-mail:
custsrv@caribda.com
• Logo or company name on PowerPoint Laptop
background (played during breaks)
• Company promotional item giveaway (Please submit
your giveaway item to be given to attendees during
sign-in)
• Sign recognition during the program

CWWA Conference T&T 2016
The Third Preconference Workshop was held at Caribbean Water and
Wastewater Association’s Annual (CWWA) Conference in Trinidad on
October 23-24, 2016 under the theme “Building Resilient Water Systems
for the 21st Century”.
There were 45 participants, including representatives of Caribbean and
USA water utilities, NGOs, academia, multilateral financial institutions,
regional and international organizations.
The collaborating partners that hosted the event were: CWWA, CAWA-
SA, GWOPA, US Water Partnerships and IDB Regional Policy Dialogue.
The four major topics of the workshop were: Demand Management;
Water Re-Use and Re-Charge; Innovative Finance for Resiliency; and In-
novative Data Management.
This led to discussions on specific issues: (a) Non-Revenue Water –
big discussions on NRW that would lead to improved efficiency and as
a source of revenue to fund maintenance of current services; (b) Asset
Management; (c) Human Resources; (d) Data Sharing – collection, har-
monization, and sharing of data; (e) Implementation of Integrated Water
Resource Management (IWRM) policies; (f) Metering linked with data
management – technical issue as well as institutional.
The U.S. Water Partnerships, one of the key partners, pledged that it
will assist Cari-WOP with preparing a guidance document for follow-up
actions arising from the workshop.
The potential areas for strategic action include:
When last we met in Miami, in August 2016, we dis-
cussed at length, ways and means to protect our wa-
ter sources, mitigate the negative impacts of Climate
Change towards our ultimate objective of building
resilient water infrastructure.
Within the same week of our workshop and dur-
ing the course of the CWWA Annual Conference,
we were reminded of the stark vulnerability of the
Caribbean region to natural disasters. The graphic
exposure of the devastation of the Commonwealth of
Dominica caused by Tropical Storm Erika had gone
viral on social media and television.
One Year Later
Here we are, one year later, reeling from the impact of Hurricane Mat-
thew, which has compounded the monumental recovery effort of Haiti
post the 2010 earthquake.
Ladies and gentlemen, I take this opportunity to crave your indulgence
to spare a thought for the People and Government of Haiti on the loss of
lives and the extensive hardships caused by Hurricane Matthew.
We wish to extend our condolences to the Government and People of
Haiti.
On behalf of the member utilities of CAWASA, I pledge our support and
renew our commitment to participate in the multi-partner WOP (Water
Operators’ Partnership) with Haiti’s National Directorate of Water Sup-
ply and Sanitation (DINEPA), in the recovery effort and particularly to
assist with building a robust and sustainable water and sanitation infra-
structure.
Key Partners and Interventions
CAWASA is pleased to be associated with the hosting of this third pre-
conference workshop. We are grateful to our co-secretariat partner the
1. Priorities – Identify three to five priority issues for Caribbean utilities
to leverage existing collaboration modalities (i.e. CARICOM, CIMH,
CWWA, CAWASA, UWI) and elevate the priority of water and im-
prove decision making for asset management, human resources, non-
revenue water, data sharing and water demand management.
2. Practices – Develop a Caribbean community of practice and informa-
tion sharing platform through H2infO to highlight Caribbean experi-
ences, priorities and successes.
3. Partnerships – Establish multi-utility water operator partnerships
across the region, and with the U.S. through the Cari-WOP platform,
along with a dedicated “fund” to ensure sustainable engagement
among utilities.
4. Working Committees – Establish, through CAWASA, CWWA the-
matic working committees to build consensus on collective action and
improvements.
5. Performance – Coordinate a Caribbean study tour and/or reverse
trade mission of the U.S. through the U.S. Water Partnership with pos-
sible U.S. government engagement to support training opportunities
and performance improvement plans.
Participants expressed enthusiasm and support for the ambition to move
to the next level of integrated water prediction tools and services, and
are eager for active participation in whatever next steps stakeholders
will pursue.
Multi-partner Pre-conference Workshop held at 2016 CWWA Annual Conference in T&T
Building Resilient Water Systems for the 21st Century
CWWA for the space to operate within its annual conference, as well as to
our key partners and sponsors, the GWOPA, the IDB and the U.S. Water
Partnership (USWP).
We welcome Dr. Faraj El Awar, Executive Director of the GWOPA to the
Caribbean and to this year’s workshop. He has kept his promise to assist
the Caribbean region with mobilizing resources for our WOPs.
During this visit he will be meeting with regional donors, government
officials and other partners who will be participating in the conference.
We trust that his interventions on our behalf will be richly rewarding.
Progress
During the past year Cari-WOP has made some progress towards im-
plementing a few WOPs. We have signed a Framework of Cooperation
(FOC) agreement with GWOPA and DINEPA to commence the multi-
partner WOP in Haiti; we participated in fruitful planning and agreement
with the Belize Water Services Limited and the Contra Costa Water De-
partment of California to mentor at least one of our utilities.
I would like to express our thanks to the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer
Department for hosting those meetings and for their pledge of support for
our technical cooperation programmes.
How, Where and What…
As we seek to develop resilient water and sanitation systems, we are
tasked during the next day and a half with determining how and where
extreme weather and climate change will affect drinking-water and sani-
tation; what can be done to optimize the technologies and systems that
exist to maximize their resilience; and what needs to be done differently
to ensure that the services of the future can cope with the climate changes
we can anticipate.
Let us continue our work with the usual professionalism and intensity
to conclude this workshop with pragmatic and realistic recommendations
and action plans. Thank you.
CAWASA President looks back and ahead one year later!
Following are remarks by Mr. Christopher Husbands, President of CAWASA, at the Cari-WOP pre-conference workshop, ahead of the
CWWA 25th Annual Conference and Exhibition, at the Hyatt Hotel, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on October 23, 2016

CWWA Conference T&T 2016
The opening session of the CWWA’s 2016 Annual Conference was attended by
representatives of water entities from across the entire Caribbean, as well as
ministers responsible for water and CEO’s of water utilities and companies.
Water company directors and operators and policymakers engaged in
regional policy dialogue on a plethora of issues affecting Caribbean Water.
The dialogue
at the CWWA
Conference
examined
sensitive issues
affecting the
region’s water
sectors
.
Ministers Responsible for the Water Sector from CARICOM and other Caribbean member-
states at the High Level Forum discussed several related water issues with other regional
and international stakeholders.
CAWASA Executive Director Ignatius Jean (left) attended
the CWWA Conference and the High Level Forum,
contributed to the discussions and participated in the
various conference activities in Trinidad & Tobago.
CWWA 2016 Conference discussed
Caribbean Water in 2017 and beyond!
regional water executives in attendance and participants dis-
cussed issues of relevance to the water and wastewater sector.
The CWWA Execs also participated in several other themed
topics, including a High Level Forum that also addressed per-
tinent issues affecting and relate to Caribbean water in 2017
and beyond.
The photos on this page highlight some of the several activi-
ties held during the forum.
The Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA) held
its 2016 Annual Conference in Trinidad & Tobago in November.
The event was attended by top executives of the CWWA and
its member-organizations, as well as by Ministers responsible
for the Water Sector in their respective Caribbean countries, as
well as CEOs of public and private water utilities from across
the region.
CAWASA Executive Director Ignatius Jean was among top
Participants during the High Level Forum included representatives from national, regional and international bodies involved in the Caribbean water
sector and during their meeting on the sidelines of the CWWA’s 2016 Annual Conference the Marriott Hotel in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago.
GWOPA’s Program
Manager Jose Luis
Martin Bordes
(standing) and (in
foreground) Anti-
gua and Barbuda
Minister for Public
Utilities Robin
Yearwood
Inter-American
Development
Bank’s Evyon
Mellinger
(standing)

Trough Damage Repaired and
Water Restored in St Vincent
The damage was widespread and extensive, but the Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines water authorities rose to the
occasion and teams were deployed everywhere to take
care of damage and offer emergency services.
The photos on this page show the extent of the damage
and the great jobs done to repair and restore service to Vin-
centians.
A recent trough did much damage to Saint Vincent and
the Grenadines water services earlier this year, throwing
the water sector into a serious crisis.
Damage was done to water services in several ways and
places, including damaging of pipes being laid, destruc-
tion of mains ad general damage to other water services
around the island.

Managing Non-Revenue Water
32 participants from 16 Caribbean countries assessed issues regarding
‘Managing Real Apparent Losses in the Distribution System’ during a
workshop in Antigua & Barbuda on September 19 and 20, 2016
CAWASA Inc, in collaboration with CARINDCO and APUA,
facilitated a two-day training workshop on the island of Bar-
buda for employees of the Water Utilities in the Caribbean on
September 19 and 20, 2016.
The workshop’s theme was “Non-Revenue Water: Managing
Real Apparent Losses in the Distribution System”.
Overall, 32 participants from 16 countries attended from: An-
guilla, Antigua. Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Is-
lands, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Montserrat, Nevis, Saint Lu-
cia, St Kitts, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Turks &
Caicos Islands.
Training Methodology
The facilitators from CARINDCO, Plasson, the ARAD GROUP
and Cicasa, conducted the training using power point presenta-
tions together with Question and Answer sessions, discussions,
group activities and hands-on training on Socket Welding,
Electro-fusion & Fittings and Butt-Welding.
Some ten sessions were facilitated as follows: Session 1: on
Plasson Solutions for Connecting Pipes – Compression Fittings;
Session 2: ARAD Water Meters Residential; Session 3: HDPE;
Session 4: Electro-fusion & Fittings (Workshop); Session 5: PCP
Valves and Fittings; Session 6: Working Sessions – Meter Boxes,
Brackets, Meters, Fittings, Valves; Session 7: Socket Welding
(APUA) 2.8 Session 8: The Real Cost Benefits for fittings and
pipe for decision makers (Plasson); Session 9: Butt Welding
Training Demonstration; and Session 10 was on: Open Discus-
sion on applications for fittings, valves and technical details.
Participants rated specific aspects of the training against eval-
uation factors and gave an overall assessment of the training
using the same factors.
Participants were also required to provide additional general
comments on the conduct of the training in the last section of
the evaluation instrument.
CAWASA Executive Director Ignatius Jean said, “The pre-
sentations and demonstrations were excellent. The participants
seemed excited about the new products and technology, which
they believe would help address the problem with leakages
thereby producing a positive impact on the utilities’ bottom line.”
Certification
Participants were awarded certificates of attendance at the
end of the training workshop.
According to Mr Jean, “Credits and continuing education
units (CEUs) were earned at this training workshop, which the
certified operators who participated in the training can put to-
wards the renewal of their certificates.”
He also said “Recommendations and comments made by par-
ticipants and the feedback received on the Evaluation Forms
were generally favorable.”
Evaluation
All the participants completed the evaluation surveys and
indicated they were very satisfied with the content, quality of
discussions and presentations, during the workshop.
They found the method demonstrations with the new technol-
ogies to be richly rewarding and would enable them to easily
share with colleagues on return to their respective work places.
Some 32 delegates from 16 Caribbean territories attended the workshop on Managing Non-Revenue Water on the island of
Barbuda. They all returned home satisfied they had shared and learned much during their two-day stay in Antigua and Barbuda.

Managing Non-Revenue Water

The Great Bottled Water Debate
Jing Yishan (Beijing Times): “As long as they abide by relevant laws, busi-
nesses are free to choose how to sell their products.
“Actually, quite a few enterprises are trying to improve their reputation and
promote sales by engaging in charitable activities.
“Printing missing children's information on water bottles is just an example
of this, albeit a more direct one. If people feel affronted by such a ‘stunt’, they
need not pay it any attention.
“The biggest problem with this kind of bottled water, however, is its blurring
of business and charity.
“The bottles that feature missing children's information have certainly at-
tracted huge attention, but whether this can help boost sales is questionable.
“The water company's intention to help find missing children is great, but
will sufficient numbers of consumers choose to buy this over-priced bottled
water, knowing that doing so cannot actually help track the children?
“Besieged by controversy and generating little profit, how far can this busi-
ness strategy go?”
Wang Ying (www.xinhuanet.com): Possibly affected by some negative cases
involving businesses' marketing campaigns, the public tends to doubt the mo-
tive behind this specially-designed water bottle. Still, it's hoped that the public
can view this practice in good faith. Businesses need to make profit, and this is
a justifiable pursuit. If they can take some social responsibility while making
money, isn't that a good thing?
Although relevant authorities spare no efforts in searching for missing chil-
dren, frankly speaking, solely depending on the government's power is not
enough to win the battle against human trafficking. Thus, getting businesses
involved is helpful. If more businesses are willing to get involved in the effort,
the possibility of finding these children will be boosted.
Some people may complain that the specially packaged water is more expen-
sive than ordinary bottled water, with a difference of about 3 yuan (US $0.40).
However, there are some bottled water brands that are much more expensive,
but they are not part of the campaign. The price is not the key, and the busi-
ness has also promised to award 100,000 yuan ($1,450.00) to consumers who
provide information which helps to locate the missing children.
A tragedy may be avoided if any such information is collected and a family
may reunite. Therefore, this kind of involvement of businesses in public welfare
deserves more support.
He Yong (Shandong Business Daily): Even if the water company is trying to
achieve its own objective of making profit by putting missing children's infor-
mation on the packages of its products, this practice is still objectively helpful.
These water bottles are helping to spread information about the missing chil-
dren across the nation. The strategy supplements the conventional channels
through which information about missing people is typically spread: TV, radio,
and posters posted online and around town.
Although this campaign has yet to result in any useful leads, it remains an
important conduit for publicizing the plight of the families involved.
As sales of the water rise, so too does the hope of finding the missing children.
In particular, the chances of finding the missing children will greatly increase
if the water is sold across China's vast rural areas. We should acknowledge the
positive effect of the campaign instead of simply doubting its motives.
The parents involved reportedly have already authorized the business to display
their children's images on the bottles, so violating minors' rights is not an issue.
Besides, giving details about the children on the bottles will harm neither the
children nor their parents.
Even if, as some people suspect, the business has taken this step solely for the
purpose of generating profit, the pursuit of profit here does not run contrary to
social morality.
Dai Xianren (pinglun.eastday.com): It seems inappropriate for the company
to raise the price of the water with the special packaging.
Apparently, the company is transferring the cost of printing the missing chil-
dren's information to consumers.
It's all right for businesses to make profit, but they are not supposed to profi-
teer from the public's kindness.
Every year, only a very small fraction of the missing children are found. Giv-
en the severity of the situation, it's necessary to encourage the whole of society,
including businesses, to help in the search.
Putting missing children's information on water bottles is an innovative
move. More importantly, an efficient coordination mechanism should be put
into place, and harsh penalties should be imposed on child traffickers.
High Level Forum discussed at
CWWA’s 2016 conference:
Bottled Water and the
Plastics Challenge
During the CWWA Conference in Trinidad & Tobago in November
2016, a High Level Forum was held, which brought together Caribbean
Ministers responsible for the Water Sector with senior executives of the
region’s Public and Private water companies and utilities.
One feature of the Forum was a debate on ‘Bottled Water and the Plastics
Challenge’, which itself featured several important views and observations,
suggestions and recommendations on this important subject. The discussion
was led by a panel that included representatives of the interested parties.
Participants in the HLF debate on plastic challenges to water (Left to
Right): Outgoing CWWA President Jascine Joshua, UN Environment
(formerly UNEP) Caribbean Coordinator Vincent Sweeny (who also
chaired the discussion), Dr Adrianus Vlergman, former Saint Lucia
Minister responsible for Water Sector Dr James Fletcher and CEO of the
Caribbean water bottling company Blue Waters, Dominic Hadeed.
Blurring the ethics line in the bottled water business…
For Profit or Charity?There were many online responses to the controversial water bottle campaign in the People’s Republic of
China that the company behind it says is intend to help find missing children, but which critics say is simply a
profit-making ploy. In December 2016, the following observations were posted online in the Chinese media:

In 2012, an article in Journal AWWA, written by Mary Parmel-
ee, described an international capacity-building mechanism that
was supported by the United Nations and aimed at pairing US
water agencies with water agencies in developing countries for
the purpose of improving water and sanitation delivery to un-
derserved communities throughout the world. Parmelee’s article
highlighted case studies of the four utilities that stepped forward
as the first US water agencies to get involved in the program.
There are organizational and individual benefits for participat-
ing utilities and their employees—benefits that are valuable to
the local community and would be more costly to achieve by
other means. This article is intended to provide a status update
on the past efforts, but more importantly to state the case, on the
basis of experience, for increased US water agency participation
in international water operator partnerships.
If one were to ask most US water agency professionals what
they think of when they hear the phrases “humanitarian effort”
or “international aid,” they might respond with comments about
the Red Cross or the Peace Corps. These are obviously good
answers, and there are aspects of these agencies’ missions that
relate to water delivery; however, in most cases these agencies
only deal with general human health and disaster relief.
Embedded within the United Nations Millennium Develop-
ment Goals, and as a means to improve the daily living condi-
tions for billions of people throughout the world, there is an ob-
jective to substantially increase the number of people globally
who have access to safe drinking water and reliable sanitation
services. There are more than 2.4 billion people in the world
who lack sufficient sanitation facilities and more than 600 mil-
lion people who lack access to safe drinking water—basic hu-
man services that almost every American takes for granted. It is
within this context that international water operator partnership
programs were born and further developed.
The fundamental building block of this type of partnership pro-
gram is the exchange of peer-to-peer information and practices
on a level that allows participants from both agencies to under-
stand water and sewer conditions in the area being served. These
partnerships are relatively new to the United States but are very
familiar to the rest of world. In fact, the Dutch and French gov-
ernments have put a law into place that allows up to 1% of all
water agency revenue to be dedicated to not-for-profit interna-
tional efforts, which is why there are many more European water
agencies involved than in the United States.
UPDATE ON RECENT PARTNERSHIPS
The sidebar on page 37 lists the four partnerships described in
Parmelee’s article, all of which were successful. These partner-
ships had a few things in common: target areas for partnering
were jointly developed, site visits were made between the par-
ticipants, and performance improvement plans were drawn up
by the participating utilities. Where they differed was in what
happened after these tasks were completed. Of the four cases
studied, one continued to a second phase, and the partnership is
strong and vibrant four years later. In fact, the developing coun-
try utility has elevated its performance as a result of the partner-
ship to a level where they are now mentoring other utilities.
Before explaining how this happened, it is essential to address
the perception with the conclusion of the other cases. Three out
of four partnerships ended. Is that an indication of failure? Fail-
ure equals not making an attempt. The fact that these leading
organizations were willing to step out of their comfort zones and
of the participants in a better place than before the partnerships.
So, the answer to the question is no; these partnerships that end-
ed were not failures. All of the benefits discussed in this article
were received. The fact that the partnerships ended means the
participants felt the work was completed and the objectives were
accomplished. And another positive with these programs was
that they were totally voluntary.
The one partnership that continues strong today, Contra Costa
Water District (CCWD) and Belize Water Services (BWS), started
six years ago. The first phase focused on six improvement tracks:
information technology, finance, customer service, engineer-
ing, operations and maintenance, and health and safety. The
outcomes were many, but the three most significant and lasting
involved creating an employee safety culture, a first-ever BWS
water operator certification program, and a new water meter
testing shop that BWS modeled after CCWD’s meter shop. The
participants involved in phase one were mostly managers and
supervisors, because the topics covered were broader and orga-
nization-wide. This approach proved useful at that time.
PHASE TWO
The parties at BWS and CCWD decided there was more to ac-
complish and build on from the successful first phase, and phase
Not Just Another Day at Work:
The Case for US Water Agency Involvement
in International Operator Partnerships
— By Jerry Brown —

e-SourcePage14 January 2017
two of the partnership began two years ago. The focus areas for
phase two were built upon the successful outcomes of phase one.
The same six improvement tracks were selected. But instead of
management and supervisory employees performing site visits,
the participants were mainly field crews that included techni-
cians, mechanics, operators, and meter readers. The concepts of
phase one had been introduced at BWS and were being incorpo-
rated into the organization, but it was recognized that true and
lasting improvement would occur only if the field crews were
engaged and actively involved in the changes. The site visits
were different during phase 2 and mostly involved job shadow-
ing, where field crews worked side by side, learning from each
other as routine and nonroutine tasks were performed.
There were several outcomes from the phase two work that
were valuable. The three take-aways that had the most positive
impact at the agencies involved a radical culture shift, recogni-
tion of the need to build human capital, and organizational and
behavioral changes. Additionally, the program received invalu-
able financial and conceptual support, which contributed to its
success.
Radical safety culture shift. The biggest impact came from the
BWS staff observation that CCWD had created employee com-
mittees where safety issues were openly discussed and resolved.
Committee members were empowered to evaluate issues and
make recommendations to senior management. This gave field
crews a direct channel to upper management, which did not
exist at BWS. BWS employees wanted to create more trust and
mutual respect within their organization, similar to what they
saw at CCWD. Their safety issues mimicked the safety issues
at CCWD, so BWS employees saw this approach as a potential
mechanism for driving a culture change within their organiza-
tion. The decision was made to initiate employee-driven safety
culture change at BWS. BWS managers were able to accept this
change, largely because they were able to see that CCWD’s safe-
ty culture was strong, and because the priority on employees at
CCWD led to other advantages that make the agency more pro-
ductive and efficient. As a result of a cultural change, BWS is now
ahead of changes in Belize national law and has become a model
for other utilities in the country on the topic of worker and public
safety. Building up human capital. The exposure created during
the jobshadowing brought to light an employee development
issue. While US water agencies have requirements for certifica-
tions and licenses of the individuals involved in water treatment
and delivery, Belize does not. The BWS visitors were made aware
of the US operator certification classes that are available online
from AWWA and US universities. CCWD helped BWS set up a
full-scale certification program for its employees, who willingly
accepted the opportunity. BWS employees have gone on to earn
their licenses voluntarily, even though there is no specific regula-
tory requirement for such in Belize. The certifications and licens-
es are viewed as added benefits by job applicants who see the
priority BWS is placing on employee development, which helps
bring the best and brightest in the country to the BWS workforce.
BWS now offers meaningful career paths and career develop-
ment for many positions in the utility, largely driven by the certi-
fication programs they were exposed to through the partnership
with CCWD.
Organizational and behavior changes. The changes at BWS
went beyond how work gets done. There were also relationships
between managers and staff. The communications between de-
partments were improved, and silos between departments were
removed. Procedures were standardized and documented, thus
reducing the reliance on long-term employees as the resource
for information. Because of the changes and what was learned,
the staff today feel more empowered to make decisions and to
think critically. Instead of just bringing problems to managers,
staff members now come forward with recommended solutions,
resulting in savings of both time and money. BWS has become a
regional leader in the Caribbean, and its willingness to share and
exchange information improvements in the has resulted in posi-
tive public exposure for the utility, which translates to enhance-
ment of its brand with customers and stability for BWS.
Program support. Phase 2 of the partnership was successfully
completed in 2015. It should be noted that the financial support
for this phase of the partnership came from a generous contribu-
tion from the Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility. The
connection to this funding source was made possible through
references provided by the Millennium Challenge Corporation
and the US Water Partnership (USWP), a public–private partner-
ship established to unite American expertise, knowledge, and re-
sources, and to mobilize those assets to address water challenges
around the globe, especially in the developing world. Another
important resource leading to the success of this partnership was
the assistance of the Global Water Operator Partnership Alliance
(GWOPA). GWOPA is an organization established through the
United Nations that is focused on facilitating water operator
partnerships worldwide. This successful partnership would not
have been possible without the assistance and support of these
organizations.
Continued from Page 13

WHAT’S NEXT?
CCWD and BWS are embarking on yet another groundbreak-
ing activity. Through a number of initiatives, including the part-
nership with CCWD, BWS has increased its capacity to a level
such that BWS is ready to take the lead and start its own part-
nership, acting as a mentor to another Caribbean water agency.
There is a role for CCWD to guide and advise BWS, since the
role of mentor has different responsibilities than those of an
apprentice. As with any partnership, matchmaking is a critical
success factor. BWS is well connected in the Caribbean region,
and with the help of the Caribbean Water and Sewerage Asso-
ciation, the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association, and
GWOPA, an appropriate partner will be selected for this next
phase. There is a lot of excitement worldwide with this next
CCWD–BWS activity because it represents an innovative model
for leveraging partnerships.
THE BUSINESS CASE FOR US WATER AGENCY
INVOLVEMENT
Put simply and in a theoretical sense, a strong business case
involves benefits in excess of costs. The majority of the costs for
the participants in an international water operator partnership
like the CCWD–BWS program are in travel and staff time. There
could be an exchange of tangible assets, but generally, knowl-
edge transfer is the focus of this type of philanthropic partner-
ship. It is atypical for a US water agency to be able to justify ex-
pending funds on international travel, so in most cases donors
would be secured and they would pay the travel costs, such as
airfare, lodging, and meals. Donors like the World Bank or In-
ter-American Development Bank, or even private foundations,
have an interest in using some of their wealth on these types
of humanitarian efforts. The donor community is particularly
interested in seeing water operator partnerships translate to
more efficient investment of their capital loan dollars, which is
possible if the program is implemented successfully. There are
agreements put into place between the participants and the do-
nors for the purpose of addressing things like liability and roles
and responsibilities. The only commitment of the participants is
to make best efforts toward the transfer of knowledge. The do-
nors consider the developing country’s success in implementing
action plans that come out of partnership activities when mak-
ing future loan decisions or before making further investment in
partnership activities.
The only direct cost to the US water agency in an international
water operator partnership is staff time. There are no require-
ments for special insurance or liability costs to the US water
agency. The staff time commitment involves all of the partici-
pants’ hours. This would not be just the direct travel and partici-
pation time, but also the time spent on tasks such as planning,
preparation, and coordination. Generally, for every hour of di-
rect time with a visitor, one should expect about five hours of
indirect time spent prepping and supporting the activity.
It is possible to determine a conservative estimate of what the
activity will cost the agency on the basis of a few factors. Assum-
ing a weeklong visit involves six participants (which is a rea-
sonable level of participation) and the activity is to jobshadow
six agency personnel, then total staff time for the visit would
be valued at about 1,200 hours. Obviously, smaller-staffed US
water agencies would find it more difficult to accommodate this
amount of time, and it would be reasonable to weigh that ac-
cordingly when considering participation. Using a conservative,
fully loaded average cost per hour of $50, the total cost for one
visit would be in the range of $60,000 to $80,000. CCWD’s actual
cost was in this range when considering the cumulative cost of
both phases of the partnership. The first phase was on the high
end because CCWD was essentially starting from scratch, and
the second phase was on the low end because of the prior expe-
rience. GWOPA and USWP are preparing guidance documents
to be released in early 2017 that will walk participants through
the process and will help relieve some of the cost burden on
US water agencies getting involved for the first time. GWOPA
has completed several case studies that are helpful with under-
standing the resources required for partnership (GWOPA 2015a,
2015b, 2015c, 2015d).
Another valid method of analyzing the cost to the agency, when
difficult to quantify, is to perform a counterfactual review (i.e.,
determining the cost to complete what is not being accomplished
because of the partnership activity). Each water agency has its
own unique circumstances, but the type of costs considered
could include shift-coverage overtime, contracted replacement
services, or cost risk of deferred preventive maintenance. Keep in
mind that the US water agency impact is determined mainly by
the type of activity conducted. For example, management topics
would take managers and supervisors away from their day-to-
day activities, while job shadowing at the field-crew level would
reduce productivity, but the field work still gets done.
The benefits are as one would expect—difficult to quantify, but
real and tangible nonetheless. In most circumstances, interna-
The Contra Costa Water District team visits Belize Water
Services in March 2015.

tional partnership programs offer opportunities to involve staff
members of various job classifications throughout the organiza-
tion who may not have expected such opportunities. Partnership
activities are rarely limited to one business area. Water treatment
plant operators, distribution operators, meter readers, corrosion
control specialists, instrument technicians, maintenance mechan-
ics, accountants, purchasing officers, customer service represen-
tatives, engineers, inspectors, supervisors, and managers are all
potential participants. The employees involved should be not
only managers and supervisors; in fact, CCWD found that the
program was more successful and more beneficial to the agency
when field-crew team members participated. The final scope of
coverage is defined by the participating agencies.
Organizationally, there are several tangible benefits of par-
ticipation in an international partnership program. Two such
benefits are provided here as examples. First, participating in a
partnership drives employees within the organization to come
together to explain among their peers how their contribution
leads to a stronger organization. When employees have a clear
understanding of how their work meshes with the work of other
employees in other departments, it makes the organization and
the individual more effective and efficient. This is what some
agencies pay high-priced consultants to accomplish for them as
a self-assessment. In this case, the partnership activities create
the opportunity for open communication and exchange. Second,
the partnership can enhance the agency’s brand and can be used
as the vehicle for bringing to light broader water issues beyond
the community. Customers can develop a greater appreciation
for the work being done for them if they have an understanding
that other communities are not as well off.
Beyond the organizational benefits, and examining more spe-
cifically at the individual level, there are numerous layers of tan-
gible value created from participating in an international part-
nership program:
• Effective staff training. Staff members learn other ways to
perform their jobs, especially considering developing coun-
tries generally perform similar tasks with fewer resources.
When US water agency employees see how others operate
with less, either they gain a greater appreciation for what
they have and care for and appreciate it to a greater extent, or
they are able to take away techniques for how to do the same
things with less. Also, staff members develop skills for how
to train others.
• Means to reward, recognize, and retain key staff. Being selected
to participate is seen as a privilege and an honor. Staff chosen
to be the agency’s representatives can be the leaders or “rising
stars” in the organization that managers want to reward and
recognize as a means to retain them in the organization. Se-
lected staff get to represent the entire agency in a meaningful
campaign where they and the agency receive recognition.
• Innovation jump starter. Jobshadowing involves explaining
job duties to others, which makes employees think through
their job in greater detail; sometimes they may find they
don’t know why they are doing things the way they are and
maybe could be, or should be, doing things differently. It also
introduces nonroutine activity that can help staff be better
prepared for, and respond to, unanticipated events.
• Recruitment advantage. It is common knowledge that the
millennial generation is looking for employers that will give
them the opportunity to make a difference in the world. Be-
ing a participant in an international aid activity checks that
box and may bring in more top-level recruits to participating
organizations.
• Team building. Sharing with others is good for the soul,
and the people directly involved bring that energy and
enthusiasm back to their work groups and it becomes in-
fectious. It creates general pride in the workplace—people
come away proud of where they work because of the com-
pany’s involvement.
Every individual needs to judge the value assigned to each
of these benefits, but given the breadth of the areas covered, it
would not take much to find that the benefits outweigh the fairly
minor investment for larger water utilities.
It would not be a fair analysis without at least acknowledg-
ing some of the potential negatives of participating in an inter-
national water operator partnership. For example, some in the
community might ask, “Why is my local water agency involved
in an international partnership when there are so many unmet
demands locally or regionally?” The direct answer involves
describing the benefits and costs of the business case analy-
sis discussed previously in this article. However, on a deeper
level—and water utility customers understand and appreciate
this—like other businesses, water agencies in the United States
have a social responsibility to do their part to improve the world;
and as water professionals, our passion and expertise centers on
providing safe and reliable water and wastewater services. Do-
ing nothing, or only focusing on our own little part of the big-
ger world, means missing a big opportunity. Also, our US water
world is not immune to the effects of globalization and world
events. US water agencies have a part to play in the global mar-
ketplace, and we have an immense amount of talent, skills, and
abilities to offer. The United States as a country is a world leader
on water issues, but US water agencies tend to operate within
their own boundaries, leaving the rest of the world wondering
why we’re not more involved globally.
Finally, when CCWD’s staff were asked for one word to de-
scribe their experience being involved in the program and trav-
eling to Belize to assist BWS in accomplishing its business mis-
sion, they all responded positively and with enthusiasm (see the
photograph on page 39 of the CCWD and BWS teams together).
Their words say best why US water agencies should be more in-
volved in international water operator partnerships: because the
involvement is inspiring, unforgettable, life-altering, enlighten-
ing, and meaningful. Clearly, this experience was more than just
another day at the office or in the field.
(Reprinted from Journal, Vol. 108, by permission. Copyright © December 2016 American Water Works Association.
Permission to reproduce this document is granted for informational purposes only and does not represent or imply approval
or endorsement by AWWA of any particular product or service.)
Not Just Another Day at Work

Asia, the world’s largest and fastest-developing continent,
has less fresh water per capita than any other continent. This
has helped foster growing interstate and intrastate disputes
over shared water resources.
An MIT study published this year found a high risk that
Asia’s current water crisis could worsen to severe water
shortages by 2050.
In this light, water is emerging as a key challenge for long-
term Asian peace and stability.
Yet Asia’s maritime-security challenges draw much great-
er international attention than its river-water disputes.
This is largely because sea-related issues, such as in the
South China Sea, affect even outside powers by threatening
the safety of sea lanes and freedom of navigation…
The truth is this: Asia’s sharpening competition over
transnationally shared freshwater resources holds strategic
ramifications just as ominous as those relating to maritime
territorial disputes.
Recent developments are highlighting how the competi-
tion and fight over shared water resources is a major con-
tributory factor to the growing geopolitical discord and ten-
sions in Asia.
Some Asian countries, seeking to overcome the challenge
of growing more food in water-stressed conditions at home,
have leased large tracts of farmland in sub-Saharan Africa.
The land grabs, which are effectively water grabs, have
triggered a backlash in some areas.
For example, South Korea’s Daewoo Logistics Corp. en-
tered into a deal to lease as much as half of Madagascar’s
arable land to grow food for South Korea, igniting a local
backlash and military intervention that eased out a demo-
cratically elected president in 2009.
More broadly, the competition between Asian neighbors
to appropriate resources of shared rivers by building dams,
reservoirs and other structures is fostering distrust and dis-
cord and exacerbating impacts on ecosystems.
Water has become an instrument of power in interstate re-
lations. This holds important implications for Asia’s future.
Asia’s economic rise has been aided by peace and stabil-
ity. But the upsurge of resource and territorial disputes has
underscored the looming dangers.
Various developments are highlighting the linkage be-
tween water and peace.
In the coming years, water scarcity is likely to become
Asia’s defining crisis, creating obstacles in its path of contin-
ued rapid economic growth and stoking new inter-country
tensions.
Water, of course, is not the only resource whose availabil-
ity has come under pressure owing to Asia’s rapid econom-
ic rise. But it is the most critical one, for which there is no
substitute.
To underpin peace and cooperation, Asian states must
manage transnational water resources on the basis of trans-
parency, collaboration, sharing and dispute settlement.
Asia’s fight over
fresh water!
— By Brahma Chellaney —
Opponents, however, believe it's just another way for
the company to promote itself and increase sales.
So far, not a single piece of information about the chil-
dren featured has been received as a result of the cam-
paign, which leads people to see it as more of a marketing
ploy than a determined effort to find missing children.
Meanwhile, the specially designed water bottles have
done little to help.
Several months after reaching supermarket shelves,
they have yet to generate a single lead related to the fea-
tured children.
Experts quoted by Jing note that to recover missing chil-
dren is a difficult undertaking and “The first 24 hours af-
ter a child goes missing” are said to be “the most oppor-
tune time”, after which the chances of finding the child
dwindle considerably.
The experts say the campaign may trigger more dis-
cussion about “human trafficking” and “raise parents'
awareness of and society's attention to this heinous
crime.”
In terms of actually retrieving missing children, though,
many see it just as a kind-hearted attempt.
The experts also note that “while dejected parents will
not oppose any means that might help to retrieve their
missing children, people with bad intentions may misuse
the publicized information, which may bring the desper-
ate parents yet more trouble and harm.”
The experts advise that, “First and foremost, the police's
capability of locating and taking missing children back
home should be enhanced to prevent more tragedies.
“In addition, an effective mechanism is needed to en-
able more people to participate in the search for abducted
children.”
“Businesses,” they advise, “should always be encour-
aged to get involved in these efforts and the public
should tolerate their intention to profit and to improve
their reputation along the way. Nevertheless, they are ex-
pected to play only a supportive role.
“Moreover, if businesses simply jump on the bandwag-
on in order to attract public attention but fail to actually
improve the situation, this will not only waste resources,
but also increase public skepticism.”
(Abridged from: Beijing Review, December 22, 2016)
Can bottled water
ads help find missing
children?
Should businesses be encouraged to
get involved in such efforts and should
the public tolerate their intention to
profit and improve their reputation
along the way?

Congratulations!
to the following operators who were successful in the
Certification Programme Examinations held in November 2016:
REMINDER!
Next Water/Wastewater Operators
Certification Examinations:
Friday, February 24, 2017
Register Now!
Name Country Course Class
Terry Benjamin Antigua & Barbuda Water Distribution I
Bari Stevens Antigua & Barbuda Water Laboratory I
Krista Powell Cayman Islands Water Laboratory I
Sinatra Mohammed Trinidad & Tobago Water Treatment I
Everis Gonzales Trinidad & Tobago Water Treatment I
Devika Rooplal Trinidad & Tobago Wastewater Treatment I
Shurland Dolloway Trinidad & Tobago Wastewater Treatment I
David Boyce Trinidad & Tobago Wastewater Treatment I
Christopher Tang Trinidad & Tobago Wastewater Treatment II
Certification Programme Examinations

CAWASA Inc. E Source magazine January 2017 | Caribbean Water & Sewerage Association Newsletter

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to CAWASA Inc. E Source magazine January 2017 | Caribbean Water & Sewerage Association Newsletter

Similar to CAWASA Inc. E Source magazine January 2017 | Caribbean Water & Sewerage Association Newsletter (12)

More from CAWASA

More from CAWASA (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

CAWASA Inc. E Source magazine January 2017 | Caribbean Water & Sewerage Association Newsletter