When you’re dealing with water quality and the tight regulations around it, it’s no surprise that standard operating procedures (SOPs) are integral to utilities. From equipment checks to daily operations, these SOPs provide assurance that tasks get handled the right way, every time, regardless of who does it.
But are water and wastewater utilities using SOPs everywhere they should?
Here, we’ll look at three often-forgotten SOPs that, when implemented, can make operations more resilient, safer, and ready for the future.
Overlooked SOP #1: emergency communications protocols
Every year, there are around 240,000 water main breaks in the U.S. Yet, many utilities lack formal, documented plans for communications amid this type of event. This is especially true in smaller utilities where there’s greater reliance on informal knowledge versus a written-down plan that’s regularly updated.
Even when utilities do have SOPs, there are often gray areas. Contact lists can become outdated. Prewritten public messaging may be unavailable or too old to use. There’s not always a clear command of who should speak to the media or post on social media.
With limited time to notify the public of emergencies (24 hours in the case of a boil water advisory), any one of these hurdles can leave utilities scrambling. And even if they do get the word out in time from a regulatory standpoint, there’s still an increased likelihood for inconsistent messaging and confusion.
A strong emergency communications SOP should spell out:
- Internal notification trees to inform the right people in the right order
- Prewritten external templates for customer alerts, press releases, and regulatory notifications
- Approved social media messaging and designated staff for posting and monitoring
- Regularly updated contact lists so information is easily accessible
Teams can act faster, communicate clearly, and keep stakeholders informed.
Overlooked SOP #2: cross-training and backup coverage
A small treatment plant can rely on a single operator to maintain its systems. What happens when that one person is on vacation or out sick? Without SOPs, staff can find themselves piecing together instructions from past notes or phone calls to carry out critical procedures.
While larger facilities may have dozens of operators, those roles are often highly specialized: one person handles membrane maintenance, another manages chemical feed systems. If a specialist is unavailable, the remaining operators are left to step into unfamiliar territory with minimal guidance.
An SOP can clearly outline how to cover critical tasks when key personnel are out. Here’s what the plan should include:
- Shadowing schedules so employees can regularly observe and perform duties outside their norm
- Certification requirements for backup operators to legally and safely step into regulated roles
- Interim role expectations so staff know exactly what’s expected of them
- Rotation opportunities to build a broader skill base across the team
With 30% to 50% of the water industry’s workforce expected to retire in the next decade, documented SOPs for cross-training help build a stronger, more resilient workforce that’s ready to step up when needed.
Overlooked SOP #3: seasonal startup and shutdown processes
Agriculture is a big consumer of water in the U.S., but the demand for it varies seasonally. Whereas water consumption ramps up in the summer months, it inevitably tapers off as the growing season wraps up and temperatures drop. Plants will often shut down irrigation lines to align with these crop cycles, as a means to prevent damage to the system and to curb energy use and wear.
Seasonal changes like these may feel routine, but without clear, documented procedures, it’s easy to skip or forget critical steps like checking pressure relief valves before shutdown. If a stuck or damaged valve goes unnoticed through winter, it can fail when the system is repressurized in the spring. As demand starts to climb again, plants have to deal with costly repairs and downtime.
Taking off systems offline in the fall and bringing them back in the spring is easier with SOPs. Covering these areas ensures nothing is left to chance:
- Flushing protocols to clear lines of debris, sediment, or stagnant water before bringing systems back online
- Valve inspections and operational checks to verify everything opens, closes, and seals as it should
- Customer or agency notifications to alert stakeholders about service changes or potential disruptions during startup
- Water quality sampling after startup to confirm safe delivery before customers resume use
This same rule of thumb applies to seasonal water supplies for parks, golf courses, and sports fields.
Give your SOPs an audit
Where are we relying on memory versus documentation? Where might a new hire need more guidance? Where could one person’s absence cause delays? It’s worth it for water and wastewater utilities to take a step back, review their current procedures, and ask themselves these types of questions.
With decades of institutional knowledge set to walk out the door in the coming years, there’s no better time to capture know-how on paper. Document what’s working, fill in the missing details, and make those standard operating procedures accessible to everyone on your team.
By supporting current employees and setting a solid foundation for the next generation, you’ll build a universally safer operation that’s prepared to adapt.
