ISO 14001

The Public Utilities Department’s Water Operations Branch was the first utility in the nation to integrate the Bid-to-Goal management tool with the ISO 14001-certified environmental management system, merging service improvement with environmental responsibility.

ISO 14001 is an international standard that involves a set of policies and procedures to manage environmental issues as part of our work and the services we provide. Water Operations first earned its ISO 14001 certification in 2005. The Certificate of Conformance has been renewed in 2008 and again in 2011. In renewing its certification and proving its environmental performance, Water Operations has had to pass a stringent audit of its Environmental Management System.

Keeping up an environmental management system in accordance with the ISO 14001 standard is a challenging achievement. The Environmental Policy of the Water Operations Branch includes following:

• Continually improve our work processes and practices to manage and minimize adverse impacts to San Diego’s environment
• Comply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements, as well as, other water industry standards to which we subscribe
• Prevent pollution, minimize waste and impacts to our natural resources
• Communicate our efforts to protect public health and safety
• Develop work practices to support environmental sustainability

Water Operations implements environmental programs, each with a goal and a deadline, in order to minimize adverse impacts. Achievements in the first five years of the ISO program included:

• Recycling 71,000 pounds of paper, cans and bottles
• Recycling 65,000 tons of asphalt, concrete and soil
• Recycling 635 tons of scrap metal

The program has annually saved the Public Utilities Department approximately $645,000 in landfill fees, and the program is expected to annually recycle 10,000 pounds of paper, cans and bottles; 13,000 tons of asphalt, concrete and soil; and 125 tons of scrap metal.