Raleigh Water Employee March 2025 newsletter

1

TABLE OF CONTENTS Mid Year Management Review ………….………………..…………….………... pg. 3 - 4 This is What We Do: Water Treatment Plants (DEB & EMJ) ….…….... pg. 5 – 6 RW Training & Development Highlight ……………………………………….... pg. 7 - 8 Employee Spotlight/Kudos. ……………………...………….………...…….…….. pg. 9 Employee Engagement Team 2024 Recap ….……………..….……………... pg. 10 Retirement News.. ………………...…..…….………………………………………. pg.11 - 12

THANK YOU so much to everyone who contributed items to the employee newsletter: Stacey Aiken, Jeremy Ennis, James D ’ Alessio, Nikki Evans, Blake Foster, Angela Hodges, Mike Hughes, Jess Livingston, Haley Page, and Phoebe Trogolo If you have any items of interest that you would like to submit for the employee newsletter, please contact sarah.weisenburn@raleighnc.gov

Five Facts About Raleigh Water

1. Raleigh's first water system was completed in September 1818. The pumps were operated by a waterwheel on Rocky Branch Creek, and the water flowed by gravity through wooden spouts along Hargett and Fayetteville streets.

2. The City first used Lake Raleigh as its reservoir in 1913. The City eventually switched to using a larger reservoir due to the growing City population.

3. The Neuse River Wastewater Treatment Plant first opened in October 1977. This is the City's main wastewater treatment plant to this day.

4. Raleigh first used Lake Benson and Lake Wheeler as water sources in 2010. Both lakes are still vital in Raleigh Water's supply system today.

5. Raleigh Water won the "Best Tasting Water" award at the NC One Water Conference for the first time in 2022. The following year, the City won again and ranked third best in an international taste - testing competition. Raleigh Water has evolved and continues to grow everyday... These first facts are just a "drop" in the City's water bucket.

2

Contributed by: Haley Page

Mid– Year Management Review Performance and Quality Assurance hosted our annual Mid - Year Management Review on January 30 th . This year's topic was " Building our Culture of Continuous Improvement." We talked about all of our efforts around continuous improvement and how they connect together to help us achieve our mission of being world class. We use the Effective Utility Management Primer, a collaborative document of 10 Attributes and 5 Management Keys of Success for utilities of any size, to inform the strategic outcomes of our Business Plan - which houses our Partnership for Safe Water efforts and

all of that informs our Management Systems. All of these efforts are centralized around our continuous improvement methodology of Plan - Do - Check - Act, our "vehicle" for moving through our processes and getting everything accomplished! Participants filled out an assessment to see how we were doing and inform our next Business Plan. We appreciate everyone who came out to spend the day with us and all the hard work you do every day!

3

Contributed by: Haley Page

to water affordability: lessons from Louisville and Raleigh

4

Water Treatment Plants – DEB & EMJ

Contributed by: Mike Hughes, Jeremy Ennis, & Blake Foster

Facility Installations and Upgrades New warehouse facility at DEB WTP that will allow maintenance staff to keep stock on hand for PM ’ s and repairs.

Pictured on right : New 6 MGD “ Garner ” finished water pump installed at DEB and starting up in early February. This increased flow pump will help manage the growth in Garner and reduce starts/ stops on equipment with such high - power demands. Pictured below: Sodium hypochlorite tank replacement project at DEB. Replacing (4) aging ~13,000 - gallon hypo tanks with HDPE tanks.

5

Water Treatment Plants – DEB & EMJ

Pictured on top left : Hydrofluoro silicic acid tank replacement (Fluoride) project. Replacing aging ~ 8,200 - gallon fiberglass fluoride bulk tank with HDPE tank.

Pictured on top right: replacement tanks waiting for installation

There are 2 other Garner pumps at the plants, a 3 MGD and a 5 MGD pump, and this will provide more capacity on finished pumping. The old hypo and fluoride tanks were fiberglass and began leaking a few years ago. (HDPE) High Density Polyethylene tanks are more resilient against chemical degradation and should have a longer lifespan.

6

7

Contact putraining@raleighnc.gov for assistance

8

Welcome Raleigh Water Communication ’ s New Community Relations Coordinator: Phoebe Trogolo Nice to meet you, I'm Phoebe! Who doesn ’ t love a little chaos? From covering breaking news to producing a life style show—and even working next door to Mister Rogers ’ Neighborhood—I ’ ve built a career on creativity, storytelling, and adaptability. Now, I ’ m excited to bring that same energy and problem - solving mindset to Raleigh Water. There ’ s so much to discover, and I can ’ t

wait to listen, learn, and help connect the community with the city in this role. When I ’ m not brainstorming new ways to highlight the department ’ s work, you can find me exploring local coffee shops (taking recommendations for the best latte in town), finding unique hidden gems in the city or mapping out my next international adventure.

9

Contributed by: Stacey Aiken

A very special thank you to the members of the Employee Engagement Team (EET): Linda Gibson, Annie Griffin, Cierra Johnson, JaN'et King, and Donna Taylor! We are grateful for their dedication, time, and creativity in hosting and planning dynamic events that build camaraderie and add fun to the busy days! We ’ d also like to extend a sincere thank you to Susan Decker for spearheading the initiative! Susan ’ s vision and support for the committee will continue to make an impact for years to come. The CC&B Employee Engagement Team (EET) finished the year with these successful events, that included a perfect blend of humor, creativity, and team spirit:

• Ugly Sweater Day Contest - team members arrived in their most outrageous holiday sweaters. Winner: Michelle Johnson! (pic on left) • Secret Santa Gift Exchange - The EET created a holiday checklist for participants to share their hobbies, favorite things, and wish list. Team members drew names of colleagues and the gifts were discreetly left for recipients to find by each secret Santa. • Spreading Cheer - Team members mingled in the afternoon and enjoyed festive snacks provided by the EET. The efforts to create a cheerful atmosphere paid off, as team members felt the joy in the air and heard laughter throughout the office!

Thank you EET for making a difference in 2024 with these successful events! Quarterly Birthday Celebrations Wear Pajamas to Workday Hot Chocolate, Coffee, and Tea Bar Surprise Breakfast Easter Egg Hunt Flower Bags - “ Never Stop Growing with CC&B ” Hot Fudge Sundae Mobile Cart Customer Service Week Celebrations Fall Festival Potluck / Find the Turkey Contest

We look forward to experiencing more of the positive energy the EET delivers in 2025!

10

Contributed by: Nikki Evans & Angela Hodges

Congratulations Susan Decker! Susan recently retired with 27.5 years of service. Susan started her City career in 1997 in the Finance - Revenue Division as the Payment, Mail Room and Cashier Supervisor. She brought innovation and ideas and helped move the Division from completely manual processes to more efficient automated methods. She was quickly promoted, moving up until becoming the Utility Billing Manager. She successfully led the Division through rapid growth and numerous changes, such as integrating billing for solid waste services, stormwater, six merger communities, moving to a new location, and transitioning to Raleigh Water. Susan has effectively managed several significant technology projects during her tenure including developing the Interactive Voice Responsive (IVR) phone call tree, implementing Oracle ’ s Customer Care & Billing application plus several upgrades, the customer web self - service portal, and building a training curriculum. Susan worked tirelessly always moving us forward, focused on the work but also taking the time to show how much she valued her staff by making everyone feel included and important. Customer Care & Billing, Raleigh Water, and the

City of Raleigh owe Susan a huge THANK YOU for all she has accomplished! She will be missed in her former role but we are thankful that she will still be assisting the billing team part - time with special projects after her retirement. She is also very active in helping out with charity and volunteer work with a local non - profit animal rescue, Paws for Life NC.

11

Contributed by: Phoebe Trogolo

Dale Utley has served the City of Raleigh as an engineer for 15 years, and for eight of those years he has been part of Raleigh Water. Dale's interest in drawing and design led to his passion for his career in engineer ing. One project Dale was most proud to be a part of is the structuring of the "Transfer of Ownership Process." This process lets owners of private water and sewer systems ask the City to take over those systems. A glimpse into Dale's retirement plans in clude, improving his golf game and traveling in his camper and exploring Utah's National Parks with his wife during retirement. Lastly, Raleigh has always been home to Dale and will remain that way. He's excited to enjoy

the best parts of North Carolina... whether it's a mountain - view hike or a day at the beach. In February, staff had a retirement party to celebrate his retirement and to wish him well!

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!!

We would love to highlight any and all accomplishments in the Divisions that you feel are important or worthy of mention (whether it ’ s a milestone certification or specialized training — please feel free to reach out to and share updates with us!

12