WATER UTILITIES
2020
ARLINGTON WATER UTILITIES
Year-End Report
Dedication Met Year of New Challenges
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Engineering and Water Treatment ..... 6 Field Operations and Meter Services ... 7 Customer Services and Finances ...... 8
Arlington Water Utilities measures its performance each year based on a continuously evolving set of benchmarks . Here are some of the key performance measures for providing water and sanitary sewer service in the American Dream City .
Arlington Water Utilities employees are dedicated to providing the City ’ s residents and businesses with reliable , high-quality tap water every day of the year - even when it means fixing a leak in the middle of the night . But , like everyone else in our community , 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic brought unique challenges for the department . Employees adjusted to new social distancing protocols for essential work that must be done in person . The City also looked for ways to connect residents with resources .
In July 2020 , the Arlington City
Council authorized the department to expand its Care and Share Fund , which has been in existence since 1994 . It is a donation driven account that provides assistance paying city services bills for residents who meet certain income requirements and are facing temporary crises .
Arlington Water Utilities ’ donation-driven Care and Share Fund distributed more than $ 50,000 to low-income residents from August 1 to December 31 , 2020 .
The fund , which previously had one point of contact for residents , is now administered by three different nonprofits - Mission Arlington , Arlington Urban Ministries , and Catholic Charities Diocese of Fort Worth . The change has resulted in a three-fold increase in the funds distributed to families in need . It also brought new attention to the fund , which resulted in donations from community members .
City of Arlington civil engineers designed 31,099 feet of water and sanitary sewer mains in-house , surpassing the goal of 25,000 feet and helping Arlington Water avoid more than $ 300,000 in new project design costs .
The department ’ s Water Resources Division tested 100 percent of the City ’ s high hazard backflow locations to ensure community safety .
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