The Albemarle County Service Authority (ACSA) provides drinking water to nearly 20,000 customers and sewer service to more than 16,000 customers near Charlottesville, Virginia. A new computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) gives ACSA a centralized, integrated hub for maintaining 350 miles of water mains and nearly 300 miles of sewer mains.
Impact
ACSA’s new CMMS fully replaces at least three other outdated software tools used to manage inspections, service requests, work orders and other key information. The CMMS can be accessed on any device and in any location an internet browser is available.
Efficiencies don’t stop at internal operations. Constituents can go to the ACSA website to request service for issues such as water leaks.
ACSA staff use the new system daily to complete hydrant inspections, water service line repairs and much more. In the rare event of a sewer overflow, the CMMS automatically generates a report to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
Requests for service or inspections are now added quickly to a centralized system that tracks maintenance work activities and provides up-to-date information so staff can collaborate more effectively and make better decisions.
Advice
ACSA benefited from working with an outside firm that was experienced in implementing CMMS solutions. ACSA officials also gave this advice for other special districts undertaking similar projects:
- Collaborate with all providers and vendors to find the best options for integrating multiple tools.
- Maintain good communications with staff throughout the project.
- Make sure someone internally is ready to take charge of the solution once it’s implemented.
