Congratulations MWRD on Platinum Certification!

On 20-JUN-2016, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago successfully completed a third party audit to retain National Biosolids Partnership, Biosolids Management Program Platinum Certification.

The auditor provided a commendation, as well as positive observations of the MWRD program:

“Commendation

The continued efforts and dedication of the EMS Team must be acknowledged. Maintaining the BMP Platinum Certification goal is obviously a team effort, but the guidance and direction provided by the biosolids coordinator, Dan Collins to ensure continuous improvement must be recognized. Additionally, the support, encouragement and active participation of the Executive Director, David St. Pierre, in the BMP process have guaranteed the continual improvement of the program. The following are the positive observations identified for recognition since the last interim audit.

Positive Observations

• The Executive Director, David St. Pierre, has established an aggressive goal of having 100 percent of the District’s biosolids processed into a Class A Exceptional Quality product that can be used for any beneficial purpose without restriction. Additionally, the goal includes ensuring that 100 percent of this resource will be used exclusively to benefit Chicagoland (i.e. within Cook County and the District Service areas).
• The District has responded to the request from a Chicago urban gardening organization for help in providing assistance with community gardens in South Side Chicago by forming a partnership with ChicaGRO. The District will provide a composted biosolids blend to 72 gardens as soil amendment to promote the growth of healthy garden vegetables for consumption by the neighborhood residents. This is a major breakthrough in public acceptance of biosolids, which is of national significance.
• The Executive Director has taken an active role in ensuring the Biosolids Management Program is effective and results in continual improvement. He revised the Policy Statement to ensure advancements in beneficial use of biosolids through including Commercial Use of this resource. He has also personally established several District goals and objectives to put Chicago in the forefront of recovering resources.
• MWRD has developed a comprehensive online GIS-enabled Citizen Incident Reporting System to improve communication between the public and MWRD through submittal of complaints. The incidents are sorted into three categories: odor, flood, and general. This program represents a significant accomplishment in open two-way communication. It is especially relevant to the biosolids management program since odor is the most frequently cited concern with biosolids production and utilization. The complaint form indicates that the MWRD staff will investigate the reported issue within 24 hours and if the origin of the odor is within their system MWRD will work to find a resolution to the issue. ”

  Please see the attached audit report for further detail.  2016 CHICAGO Interim Aud Rept Final 6-20-16