This spring, members of the Stowe Regional Resource Recovery Facility (Stowe RWRRF) Team- Doug Shoutd (Stowe Facility Supervisor, Charlotte Water) and Corey King (Project Manager, HDR)- presented at the NC One Water conference- a state-wide conference focused on water resource management throughout North Carolina. Their presentation showcased how the Stowe RWRRF Team has optimized communications between utility operations staff, designers, and constructors to create seamless communications throughout all aspects of the project and ensure all partners are on the same page.
The Stowe RWRRF project is being delivered via the Progressive Design Build contracting method. This contracting method provides opportunities for continuous communication between Charlotte Water, contractors, and engineers early in design and throughout construction. Each partner allocates appropriate project risks and is driven by shared responsibility for project success. Uniquely, Charlotte Water “Operators in Responsible Charge” (ORC) personnel are full time involved in the design and construction phases of the project, giving them a birds-eye-view of the project in its entirety and ensuring continuity across project teams.
Cross-functional communication is paramount to the success of the Stowe RWRRF project. To bolster efficient communication, the team utilizes a variety of communications techniques including design workshops, equipment selection, submittal review calls, extensive field services, recurring meetings, and robust up-to-date status dashboards. The presentation included survey results about the effectiveness of the different techniques.
Participating in industry conferences and sharing the Stowe RWRRF project’s communications success is just one of the ways we hope to contribute to the field of wastewater management and learn about the latest practices in our field.