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Feb. 23, 2005
In January, Suzanne Zarling was named executive manager of Water Services,
an LCRA department with about 325 employees. This business unit comprises
water services, water and wastewater utilities, river operations and river
services. The business unit also manages use and availability of the lower
Colorado River basin, including regulating water resources, reducing the
risk of flood damages and working to meet the immediate and long-range demands
of water users.
Zarling brings 24 years of experience as an attorney in private practice;
work in regulatory compliance at Texaco, Inc.; external relations for the
U.S. Department of Energy; plus nine years as executive manager of Community
Services at LCRA. In this Q&A she shares some of the background that
makes her suited to her new job, and her challenges and goals within the
business unit.
 Q. What is your
new role in Water Services?
A. My first responsibility is to focus on strengthening customer
confidence in Water and Wastewater Utility Services while preparing the utility
financially for growth. I will be looking for opportunities to leverage resources
across Water Services for the benefit of all our customers, and I will work
to help the organization balance our water resource management role with our
role as a water and wastewater utility provider.
I think it is important to recognize the need to plan utility growth with
our water resource management role — especially our water quality protection
role — in mind.
LCRA owns or operates 35 water and wastewater utility systems, with which
we serve about 181,300 people in 11 counties. These numbers will increase as
we work to meet growing demand in high-growth areas in Bastrop, Burnet, Hays,
Lampasas, Travis, and Williamson counties. It is LCRA’s 30-year vision
to meet the needs of a population projected to double in those areas by 2035.
(See link to 30-year vision at bottom.)
Q. How has your background — your work as Community Services
executive manager at LCRA and prior to coming to LCRA — prepared you
for this new position?
A. Working in Community Services has taught me a lot about
LCRA and our mission.
I have learned about the importance and value of involving the public and
customers in decision making. I believe strongly in LCRA's environmental protection
mission, but understand the challenges inherent in balancing that role with
our role as a utility provider.
I also understand that we exist to enhance the quality of life for citizens
in Central Texas, and to do that we need to understand the needs and concerns
of our customers.
Before coming to LCRA, I spent a number of years practicing law with a private
firm. That practice has helped me to understand the challenging and complex
nature of the work we do in the water area.
My work at the Texas Department of Agriculture taught me the importance of
agriculture, including the rice industry, to the Texas economy. Managing LCRA's
water quality programs has helped me understand the role of the bay and estuaries
to our ecosystem.
As a scuba instructor, I understand the importance of clean water in Lake
Travis and the other Highland Lakes, and the value of these lakes to the economy
and businesses in Central Texas.
These highlight the challenges of working with the many stakeholders who rely
on the Colorado River and the Highland Lakes for their quality of life and
their livelihood.
Q. What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment at LCRA?
A. My greatest accomplishment at LCRA has been to lead a bright
and talented group of individuals in returning 85 percent of Community Services
funding each year to the communities we serve in the form of services, facilities
and programs. During my tenure in Community Services, we accomplished many
things, including:
- Selling the Comal Power Plant in New Braunfels for redevelopment, returning
the property to the tax base and providing tremendous economic development
opportunities for Comal County;
- Developing McKinney Roughs and Canyon of the Eagles nature parks and the
planning and beginning of construction of the Matagorda Bay Nature Park;
- Selling land to the Woodbine Development Corp. for creating the Hyatt Lost
Pines Resort adjoining McKinney Roughs;
- Evolving LCRA's Public Safety Department into one that provides law enforcement
and emergency response along the Colorado River basin and in LCRA's parks
and lakes — in addition to security for LCRA staff and facilities;
- Focusing LCRA's community and economic development efforts in the rural
communities with the greatest need; and
- Developing a natural science education program that has introduced thousands
of youth to the Colorado River, building future stewards for its protection.
None of these accomplishments is mine. My accomplishment was supporting bright,
dedicated, hard working staff and helping to create an environment in which
they could succeed.
Q. What is your immediate challenge or goal in your new position?
A. My first challenge will be to gain an understanding of
the water and wastewater utility business and to get to know our customers
and their needs.
My goal is to position the utility for system growth that is needed for the
utility to become financially strong. To do that we must have the confidence
and support of our customers, so that others will seek us out to be their utility
provider.
We also need the confidence of the public. We need to plan system growth that
balances the financial needs of the system with the needs of the communities
we serve.
Q. How will LCRA continue to work with the Regional Water Quality
Planning Project, Southwest Travis County Regional Advisory Group and the
Hamilton Pool Road Community Forum and involve them in LCRA’s utility
planning and operations?
A. It is important for LCRA to work with all stakeholders
to be sure we understand the issues and challenges associated with growth in
our service area.
By listening to stakeholders we can better understand the impact of our actions
and develop strategies to address concerns. An example of this is the recent
Hamilton Pool Road waterline extension. As a result of stakeholder input, LCRA
developed and incorporated into its water sale contracts some water quality
protection measures that did not exist in the regional area regulations.
Q. How is the LCRA living up to its goals of providing water and
wastewater utilities to protect public health, protect water quality, and
invest in the region's economic viability?
A. Over the past decade LCRA has created a system of almost
40 water and wastewater utility systems. Some of these systems did not comply
with state regulations when we acquired them, and LCRA is working to bring
all those systems into compliance with state regulations to protect public
health and water quality. LCRA has also built systems that help reduce dependence
on groundwater and provide reliable, high quality drinking water to growing
areas.
Q. LCRA has been challenged regarding how it can continue to provide
water and wastewater utility services when that business at LCRA is not yet
viable. What are your thoughts on this?
A. The challenges faced in Water and Wastewater Utility Services
today are not unique. They are the types of challenges faced by many growing
businesses at early stages in their development.
We are working hard to shore up our 30-year vision for the utility, and are
developing strategies to strengthen our financial picture and make deliberate
decisions regarding expansion.
However, it is important to keep in mind that, as a public agency responsible
for managing the water resources of the Colorado River, we must make strategic
decisions that are not financially motivated to protect the environment and
public health. So, again, it is a balancing act and one that will continue
to challenge LCRA.
LCRA has the added challenge of trying to fulfill its mission to support economic
development and water quality protection in our service area; so, while it
is important for the utility to operate in a business-like manner, the business
model also has to accommodate the operation of systems acquired to meet the
LCRA's responsibilities.
Q. What are the most important issues our water customers are facing
today?
A. The issues faced by our water customers are as diverse
as our customers.
LCRA Water Services’ biggest challenge is to understand customer and
community needs, and to work closely with customers to look for ways to meet
those needs.
Do you have questions or concerns about LCRA Water Services? E-mail them
to Suzanne Zarling.
Related info: 30-year vision for
water and wastewater utilities |
