The Challenge
The city of Monroe began their cross-connection control program in 1976, but, with only a single staff member able to devote part of their time to its operation, the program was limited. “We had somewhat of a program, but it was not a focus,” says Barry Laroy, the city of Monroe’s Utilities Director.
Then, in 2017, the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) began more seriously enforcing residential cross-connection control requirements. “When we have our sanitary surveys with the state, they always mention [cross-connection control],” explains Laroy. “It was a mandatory requirement within a year to start the residential component.” As Brian Jeffries, Meter Shop Coordinator for Monroe explains, “Most of us had never done a cross-connection inspection before.” With limited staff, training, and expertise, the utility needed support.
“We thought we had a lot of stuff down and it turns out we didn’t.“
– Brian Jeffries, Meter Shop Coordinator, City of Monroe
The Solution
In 2008, Monroe partnered with HydroCorp on their commercial program: “HydroCorp helped us with ordinance recommendations—for changes with the plumbing code or just with cross-connection rules from the state,” Laroy explains. Today, HydroCorp conducts more than 315 commercial surveys for Monroe annually.
After more than a decade of support from HydroCorp on their commercial program, Monroe began using HydroCorp’s proprietary software, HydroSoft, for their in-house residential program. Laroy says their manual approach “was not functional” in the way HydroSoft is—“with coordinated notices and an easy way to look things up.” When they started working in HydroSoft, “we thought we had a lot of stuff down and it turns out we didn’t,” Jeffries explains. “It’s been great having that support.” When it comes to annual reporting and sanitary survey preparedness, having easy access to organized data saves time and drives compliance.
HydroCorp also provided “the initial training to help launch the [residential] program,” Jeffries explains. On-site training from ASSE-certified professionals well-versed in Michigan regulations provided a foundation of knowledge for the city’s surveyors. Even now, their team consults HydroCorp on unique situations to protect their system: “The open communication back and forth is huge,” Jeffries says.
“They know what the rules and requirements are, and work us and our customers to build [compliance] into the system.“
– Barry LaRoy, Utilities Director, City of Monroe
The Result
Today, Monroe has achieved a 92.5% residential compliance rate and a 91% commercial compliance rate. For a municipality with unique facilities, from a steel plant to dairy farms, “having the ability to send HydroCorp, somebody that understands the systems and goes into different communities,” has been significant, Jeffries explains. “You have people that understand and can take the time to trace [pipes in commercial facilities] where we just don’t have that time.”
When the city first started working with HydroCorp, the local power plant “didn’t have any containment or backflow” at the service connection, says Laroy. “That was a major win for all parties working with HydroCorp—coming up with the best options to bring them into compliance.”
Partnering with HydroCop “helps us execute what we need to do,” Laroy states. “They know what the rules and requirements are, and work with us and our customers to build [compliance] into the system.” From ordinance updates to training to on-site inspections and data management, HydroCorp has provided long-term support to the city of Monroe, helping them achieve compliance and protect their community.
