The Challenge
Prior to 2009, La Crosse Utilities had no formal cross-connection control program. As the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) increased its focus on cross-connection control requirements, the utility needed a sustainable way to protect its water and meet state requirements without adding significant demands to existing staff. “Here in Wisconsin, we have to go to every last connection in the water system,” explains La Crosse Utilities Finance and Compliance Manager Tina Erickson. “It costs extra money for utilities across the state to run the program and meet the requirements.”
With a lot of responsibilities and limited staffing, the utility needed to figure out how to protect against backflow and comply with Wisconsin requirements. “We don’t really have staff that are certified or have that kind of knowledge or skillset,” says Erickson. “An in-house program would have required us to hire people and get them trained. And, of course, there’s a lot of administrative work related to cross-connection control as well.”
“HydroCorp’s staff was very instrumental in helping us work through clarifications with the DNR.”
– Tina Erickson, Finance & Compliance Manager
La Crosse Utilities
The Solution
In 2009, La Crosse Utilities first partnered with HydroCorp for its commercial program to “facilitate a majority of that cross-connection control work,” says Erickson. A few years later, the utility expanded that partnership to support residential efforts. “Early on, HydroCorp’s staff was very instrumental in helping us work through clarifications with the DNR,” she explains. “For me, the biggest part is just that skill and knowledge of understanding backflow prevention and educating [the public].”
With HydroCorp, La Crosse Utilities staff can focus on other critical utility priorities. “It saves us significant time by not having to do postal notices or having to make sure we have someone on staff that can do cross-connection inspections,” says Erickson. “[HydroCorp] reduces at least a few positions that we would need if we were to try to manage [cross-connection control] on our own.”
“An in-house program would have required us to hire people and get them trained. And, of course, there’s a lot of administrative work related to cross connection control as well.”
– Tina Erickson, Finance & Compliance Manager
La Crosse Utilities
The Result
Today, La Crosse Utilities maintains accurate service connection data and leads enforcement efforts, while HydroCorp manages key administrative and field components of the program, including postal notifications, customer calls, on-site surveys, and data management. “It’s really a team effort to ensure we can meet these code requirements,” explains Erickson. “The only way to really help HydroCorp succeed is actually being involved and helping with the data and the enforcement.”
That partnership has helped La Crosse Utilities achieve 95% commercial compliance rate and 99% residential compliance rate. “When we submit our annual cross-connection report [to DNR], my goal is there should never be any facility that’s non-compliant two years in a row,” Erickson says.
With HydroCorp providing specialized administrative and on-site support and La Crosse Utilities maintaining consistent enforcement, the utility has a sustainable approach to meeting DNR requirements year after year. “We appreciate HydroCorp working with us to meet the unique expectations of our community.”
