Announcement coincides with National Drinking Water Week May 2-8
Contact: Steven N. Yttri, Oak Creek Water & Sewer Utility General Manager
(414) 570-8210, snyttri@water.oak-creek.wi.us
OAK CREEK–April 29, 2010–This year marks the golden anniversary for the Oak Creek Water and Sewer Utility. There’s much more than meets the eye, however, when providing clean, safe, reasonably priced drinking water.
“The 30 dedicated Utility professionals, who day in and day out deliver the highest water quality possible to customers, drive the entire $130 million operation to meet and exceed state and federal health standards,” Utility General Manager Steven N. Yttri says.
Over the decades, the Utility’s pioneering spirit has focused on investment in new technology to ensure the cleanest, safest, most reliable water possible flows to its customers. The Utility’s technical and financial soundness are demonstrated through its continuing participation in two of the nation’s most prestigious programs.
Over the last 16 years, the Utility has achieved the Government Finance Officers Association’s Certificate of Achievement, the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting. Over the last 11 years, the Utility has earned the coveted Director’s Award through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Partnership for Safe Water, a national water treatment optimization program that has improved water quality for more than 85 million people.
The idea of forming a water and sewer utility back in 1960, however, was anything but a shared vision by Oak Creek’s several thousand residents.
Local leaders saw the need for providing clean, safe, reliable water supply to a community on the verge of consistent growth. Nevertheless, convincing residents was challenging at best—especially considering manufacturer AC Sparkplug would consume 97 percent of the water supply in those early years.
“Our approach has always been to carefully plan for community growth and subsequent water demand increases,” Yttri says. “We have always committed to providing reliable, clean, safe water that is reasonably priced for consumers and businesses. These principles served us well to this point and position Oak Creek well for the next 50 years.”
Looking back, the vision of forming a water and sewer utility was the correct course of action. This vision has crossed generations of Utility leadership, producing one of the nation’s most respected, forward-thinking water and sewer utilities. Over five decades, the Utility has gone from several hundred customers with annual water usage near 265 million gallons to 60,000 customers who use nearly 3 billion gallons of water annually.
Oak Creek Water and Sewer Utility is known as one of the most progressive utilities in the Nation. Always seeking new ways to improve, the Utility has committed to continued excellence through a program of quality improvement. Utility employees produce the highest quality drinking water possible, and are proud to announce its water meets and exceeds all federal and state drinking water health standards.
