Large utilities often experience a substantial system upheaval about every 20 years. AlexRenew, the wastewater management authority for more than 300,000 people in Alexandria and Fairfax County, Virginia, is experiencing such a period with new leadership, the launch of a five-year strategic plan and the near culmination of RiverRenew, the largest infrastructure initiative in the history of Alexandria. 

With a $615 million investment, RiverRenew is based on a new deep tunnel system that connects the city’s four combined sewer overflows so that runoff can be captured, treated and returned clean to the Potomac River.

“The last couple of years have been a time of significant transition at AlexRenew, which has given us the opportunity to make a valuable cultural shift,” says Justin Carl, who joined the organization as CEO in February 2023.

At the core of this shift has been a refreshed focus on asset management. While the practice was not new to AlexRenew, advancements in asset management software and technology presented an opportunity to revisit their approach to asset management to see if they could reap even more benefits. As it turns out, they could.

Starting at the top

As Justin Carl was taking the helm at AlexRenew in February of 2023, the utility also was starting a new contract with advanced asset management providers MentorAPM and CDM Smith to deploy a new computerized maintenance management system. This presented a good opportunity for Carl to create a line of sight on the project from top leadership all the way to frontline staff. 

“AlexRenew was interested in a holistic approach to asset management, a much broader scope than utilities typically take,” says Tacoma Zach, co-founder and CEO of MentorAPM. “The significance of this commitment from leadership cannot be overstated — it has been fundamental to their success.”

This approach included eight educational sessions endorsed by leadership that detailed the goals of the asset management program and how all departments would be affected and included. All staff were invited and encouraged to attend, and recordings were made available for those unable to attend in person.

Breaking down silos

Organizations large enough to have departments have to resist the natural tendency to form isolated silos and forget that they operate as part of a greater whole. Even though every department works for the same organization, they each have different priorities. Sometimes these priorities are not aligned with one another and even can be oppositional. 

Asset management has long been considered a job mainly for the maintenance and operations departments. But a holistic asset management approach accounts for and aligns the goals of every department. 

AlexRenew eagerly implemented this aspect to break down their silos and cultivate cross-functional collaboration. A full grasp of the utility’s investment in asset management for the benefit of the community has enabled their communications department to more effectively tell their story to stakeholders and build trust, which has been of critical importance during the deployment of RiverRenew. Also, intentional collaboration between the finance and engineering departments involved reviewing data together to make capital planning decisions that would support the priorities of both teams. 

Engaging frontline workers

Including field staff in the development and deployment of the asset management program was an important tactic for AlexRenew and one that is proving to be a treasure trove of information. All complex systems have quirks and exhibit occasional peculiar behavior. Consulting with the end users who interact directly with AlexRenew’s assets and equipment was key to unearthing this information during the risk and criticality analysis led by MentorAPM. It’s difficult to truly assess operational risk without learning from the maintenance and operations teams the types of rogue events and behaviors they encounter and how often.

Equally valuable was that by inviting staff to give input, workers were able to ask questions about the software and process, which greatly improved their acceptance and buy-in. Simply including them in program development helped dispel myths and allay fears about adopting new tools and processes. 

“We expected that walking around with iPads would be foreign to our maintenance staff, but it didn’t take long for them to become comfortable with the practice,” Carl says. “Because they were involved from the beginning, they know exactly why they are doing it and the value it provides, which made the adoption uptake much faster.”

Additional results

In addition to a more engaged workforce, Carl says the new system is delivering better information to the frontline, as well as collecting better asset data. 

“We were getting corrective and preventive maintenance instructions from our legacy system, but it wasn’t giving us any reasoning behind the instructions,” he says. “Now the outputs are more explanatory, helping us prioritize and make informed capital planning decisions.”

Zach pointed out that the software connects the data about how assets fail with instructions to field staff about what they should inspect. This helps to manage risk and to guide field staff in making better use of their time. 

“Without asset-specific insight, maintenance workers often spend time on tasks that do not contribute to asset value or risk reduction,” he says. “No one wants that.”

Using iPads, AlexRenew maintenance staff can instantly document time and material use for each work order, giving the finance department more information about the financial impact of repair and maintenance jobs. Because the software makes it easy to record this information, and because maintenance staff now understand the connection between what they do and other organizational goals, it’s being more effectively collected. 

Looking ahead

A big component of the asset management process is the asset walk-through, a physical visit to every asset to collect nameplate data and assess condition. This process is long and tedious. It can take about 30 minutes per asset and involves accessing equipment in inconvenient and/or environmentally uncomfortable locations. 

During the course of the asset walk-through at AlexRenew, the MentorAPM team was inspired to develop even better asset data collection capabilities built around just taking a picture of assets and plate data. Four months later they launched Asset Lens, a tool that uses a camera, AI and software to complete data collection in about 30 seconds with three layers of validation to ensure accuracy. The plate data is automatically transcribed and attached to the right asset record in the digital asset register along with a calibrated condition score based on observable characteristics like corrosion and peeling paint. Significant cost savings result from less data collection time, a consistently updated inventory and standardized data across asset records that allow for easier assessment and comparison. 

Other plans at AlexRenew include expanding the use of iPads to their operations team and migrating those staff members from desktop to mobile systems. They are also exploring AI and digital twins to see what benefits might be available from that technology. 

Holistic approach

By embracing a strategic asset management approach, AlexRenew is substantially reducing their risk, becoming more resilient and strengthening their promise to deliver wastewater treatment service to the people of Alexandria and Fairfax County, Virginia. Deploying a new asset management system paired with an intentional approach to change management that includes all employees across every department is resulting in exceptional organizational visibility for leadership. 

With this visibility comes the clarity that enables leaders to prioritize and plan, target the right resources and make the most of available funding. Visibility and clarity in asset management gives utility managers like Justin Carl and his team at AlexRenew greater confidence in their strategic decision making and they can move forward with greater efficiency and precision.