WOP between BWSL, Belize City, Belize and CCWD - Usa, Concord, United States of America

The WOP between Belize Water Services Ltd. (BWS) of Belize and Contra Costa Water District (CCWD) of the United States was established in order to promote a safety culture at BWS and improve worker safety, develop a water treatment operator certification program, expand the use of the SCADA System, broaden the water quality monitoring program and enhance the educational outreach program.

Key results include:

Human Resource development: 119 employees (more than half of total staff), from managers to foremen, have taken 215 water operators certification training courses from the Sacramento State University, with a 93% completion rate. Topics addressed are operations, maintenance and management of water and wastewater treatment, distribution and collection systems;
Safety and Security: a Safety Committee has been created following the model of CCWD and the recipient operator set aside a budget of US$ 350,000 to purchase Personal Protective Equipment. The number of accidents and incidents, and related cost, has been substantially reduced. The safety culture of the company changed radically with the adoption of systematic and standardized safety procedures;
Engineering: A SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) system has been developed, installed and implemented in all major water systems of Belize. It has resulted in more accurate, efficient and centralized control and monitoring of water production and distribution. It also contributes to reduce travel time, enhance productivity and decrease response time in case of problems
Finance: a new rate-setting methodology based on inflationary adjustment to tariffs was introduced, turning into more acceptable and accountable tariffs increases for customers and regulator. Electronic payment options for customers have been developed and used, which enable a better monitoring and accountability of revenue streams