From Water For People to World Water Monitoring Day, the July issue of NewsSplash puts a spotlight on the importance of water quality, both locally and globally. This month, read about how a lock box at city hall is helping a city keep children and the local water supply safe from prescription drugs, how you can help measure the quality of water in your local watersheds, and how our employees raised enough money to provide nearly 7,900 people with life-changing clean water.
Our company
Strong partnerships bring confident renewals
When a client chooses to unanimously renew our partnership, we feel great satisfaction in knowing they’re pleased with our work. The cities of West Liberty, Iowa, and Dallas, Ore., both recently cast votes of confidence in our work by renewing their contracts with us. In West Liberty, city leadership approved a 10-year renewal of our contract for the management of its wastewater treatment plant. Our team of five employees has operated and maintained the plant for 20 years. The Dallas city manager indicated that our employees’ attention to plant organization, processes and preventive maintenance was the catalyst for the early renewal of our contract there. Dallas is a long-term engineering client, and we began providing O&M services for the wastewater plant two years ago. We thank these clients for their continued faith in our partnerships.
Our partners
Seattle mayor takes the helm for the U.S. Conference of Mayors
Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels last month became the 67th president of The United States Conference of Mayors, the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. Already a leader in the organization, Nickels introduced the Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement in 2005. To date, 965 mayors representing 81 million Americans have signed on to significantly curb greenhouse gasses and increase energy efficiency in their cities. Nickels received the 2006 Climate Protection Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and he has been called the “Pied Piper” of mayors by Rolling Stone for his work to protect our climate. Congratulations, Mayor Nickels. As an active member of Mayors Business Council and the Mayors Water Council, we look forward to working with you in this new capacity. As part of a design-build-operate agreement, CH2M HILL designed, constructed and now operates Seattle’s award-winning 180-million-gallon-per-day Cedar Water Treatment Facility.
Our communities
‘RxBOX’ helps keep citizens, water safe from unused drugs
 Improper disposal of prescription and over-the-counter drugs poses an increasing risk for child safety and water supply contamination. In the Village of Carol Stream, Ill., citizens now have a safe place to discard of unwanted or expired drugs, inhalers and glass mercury thermometers, thanks to the donation of a locked prescription box from our team there. Housed at city hall and available to the public around the clock, the “RxBOX” reduces the risk of children accidentally ingesting medication and can address the growing issue of prescription drug abuse. Citizens often toss expired or unused medications into the trash or flush them down the toilet, unaware that they end up in landfills and later appear in water supplies. The RxBOX provides a safe alternative for disposal, and allows the discarded items to be properly transported to the state EPA for safe incineration, protecting families, the community and the environment.
Our industry
Jump in to World Water Monitoring Day activities
Clean water is one of the world’s most important natural resources, whether it’s used for drinking, fishing, swimming, cooking or irrigation. As an international partner with World Water Monitoring Day, CH2M HILL employees worldwide team with clients, local officials and other community groups to monitor the quality of local watersheds and become increasingly responsible water stewards. Anyone can participate in World Water Monitoring Day. The event is officially celebrated on September 18, but WWMD has extended the monitoring window to a nine-month period between March 22 and December 31. An easy-to-use test kit makes it easy to test local bodies of water for four attributes of water quality: temperature, acidity (pH), clarity (turbidity) and dissolved oxygen. Results submitted to the WWMD by Decemb er 31 are included in a database and shared with participating communities around the world. Last year more than 73,000 people in 70 countries participated in WWMD. CH2M HILL has supported WWMD since 2003 and shares a common mission to foster public understanding of the importance of water quality and to preserve and enhance the global water environment.
Our people
Employees shatter workplace giving goal
 Some would call it pocket change, but for others a mere $29 can mean a lifetime of clean water, adequate sanitation and hygiene education. Thanks to their hard work and generosity, CH2M HILL employees around the world raised more than $229,000 during this year’s workplace giving campaign – an extraordinary amount of pocket change that will provide nearly 7,900 people in some of the world’s poorest nations with access to life-changing clean water. Last year’s $190,000 fundraising total reflected one of the most successful employee giving campaigns in the history of Water For People, so this year’s goal of topping $200,000 at first seemed to be a stretch. As fundraising efforts progressed, employees rose to the challenge in line with our company’s commitment to provide clean drinking water and improve people’s lives around the globe. CH2M HILL has supported Water For People as a corporate sponsor since 1991, when now-retired CH2M HILL executive Ken Miller helped found the organization along with other professionals from the American Water Works Association.
Clients in government and industry rely on the people of CH2M HILL OMI to provide a range of custom-tailored operations and maintenance solutions. The company's services include water and wastewater system optimization; contract O&M of water, wastewater and other utilities; and complete municipal operations, including administration, public works and community development – all backed by a commitment to safety, quality, innovation and customer service. Founded by CH2M HILL in 1980, the Denver-based company serves clients in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Puerto Rico and the Middle East.
Headquartered in Denver, Colo., employee-owned CH2M HILL is a global leader in engineering, procurement, construction, management and operations for government, civil, industrial and energy clients. With more than $5 billion in revenue and 25,000 employees, CH2M HILL is an industry-leading program management, construction management and design firm, as ranked by Engineering News-Record (2007). The firm’s work is concentrated in the areas of energy, water, transportation, environmental, nuclear and industrial facilities. The firm has long been recognized as a most-admired company and leading employer, including being named by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For and one of America’s Most Admired Companies (2008).
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