Going Digital: Preserving Institutional Knowledge And Securing The Future

The Northern Gila County Sanitary District (NGCSD) serves approximately 10,000 customers in the greater Payson, Arizona, area and is responsible for wastewater collection and treatment, reuse water production and distribution, and biosolids remediation. The district was formed in 1965 by a majority of voters desiring solutions to environmental issues.

Like many small utilities, the NGCSD relied on institutional knowledge and paper documentation to manage its daily workflows. Bob DePugh, who has worked at the NGCSD for more than 35 years, is the go-to guy. DePugh knows everything there is to know about the collection system and provides the background to make the paper documentation meaningful. But a few years ago, DePugh announced his plans to retire. 

Time for Change

Garrett Goldman, PE, district manager, realized that when DePugh leaves, all his knowledge will go with him. This was a significant reason to modernize. Moving to a "smart" digital platform would enable the NGCSD to capture DePugh's intellectual knowledge before he retired. It would also allow new staff to follow in his footsteps.