Organization and functions of the department
Metro Water Services Organizational Chart
The functions within the department
ACCOUNTING
The Accounting Section maintains the financial records of the Department. In addition, it processes all payments, accounts for all money received, keeps track of the location of the Department's equipment and sees that all the transactions are properly accounted for. It also processes the payroll for Metro Water Services. The primary responsibilities of the section are to safeguard and account for the assets of Metro Water Services, which are approximately 1.2 billion dollars. Stores Management is responsible for 12,000 line items valued at over $2.5 million. The section receives and issues approximately $250,000 in materials and supplies monthly to all sections and plants.Personnel/Human Resources
Personnel/Human Resources maintains personnel files and records on all employees of the Department. Metro Water Services has its own training facilities to provide ongoing programs to fit the needs of each individual employee. Employee Education Reimbursement Program provides opportunities for full-time employees in the department to attend educational and vocational institutions and facilities in the Middle Tennessee area in order to receive training designed to fulfill departmental needs for scientific, technical, professional and administrative skills.An Occupational Health Nurse is provided to assess and treat work-related injuries, minor illnesses incurred on the job, to make hospital visits to employees injured on duty and to make home visits to any ill or injured employee. Metro Water Services' Clinic provides health education through classes in hygiene, wellness, fitness, hypertension, back care, cancer detection for all employees and breast self exam programs for female employees. Blood pressure clinics are held during the year and blood drives are several times a year. The Clinic also provides immunization for flu, tuberculosis, hepatitis, and tetanus.
Engineering
Engineering provides technical support to the department. The Utility Review Section reviews projects that are designed by outside consultants and their impact on our system. They also review projects from other utilities and regional roadway administrations for potential interference with our facilities. The Development Services Section coordinates service requests for proposed subdivisions and proposed commercial developments. They also review and approve construction plans for adherence to department requirements.The Records and Mapping Section prepares "as-built" drawings and updates all of our water and sewer line location (atlas) maps. This section also maintains a central file and a microfilm file on all construction projects. The Property Services Section is responsible for securing the easements needed for utility construction., This section negotiates with property owners and prepares legal documentation required for utility extension through private property. The Construction Inspection Section is responsible for guaranteeing that projects are constructed according to detailed plans and specifications.
The Design Section is continuously adding to our distribution and collection systems. They also perform design work for rehabilitation of our existing facilities. The Survey Section performs field determinations of tentative designs. Sophisticated equipment is used in making careful measurements required for these designs. The survey crew also assists in maintaining an accurate account of our existing facilities.
The Modeling/Monitoring Section works with models of our water distribution and sewer collection systems which help determine the impact of proposed projects to existing systems. These computerized models also assist in the systems' maintenance by indicating areas of needed upgrade. The Overflow Abatement Section oversees the rehabilitation of our collection system. This includes lining of sewers and/or the upsizing of sewers and pumping stations. This section relies heavily on the Monitoring/Modeling Section for project area.
The Cross Connection Section involves work concerning public health and safety. This section guarantees the serviceability of devices, such as backflow preventors, to assure that there are no potential contaminants entering our system. The Service Line Inspection Section visually checks new service lines as they are required on our system. They determine adherence to requirements for such service and maintain information relating to each.
The System Support Section assists the department with maintenance of our existing plants and pump stations. They investigate internal requests and develop necessary projects. This section also prepares and administers the construction contracts for these respective projects.
The Research and Development group reviews all new job specifications, contracts and shop drawings for compliance with departmental standards and ensures by inspections that new installations are within acceptable limits. They coordinate with plant managers on special projects and tests for more effective operations of water and wastewater facilities. In addition, they seek ways to economize departmental operations by meeting with consulting engineers to evaluate designs and equipment for implementation into water and wastewater treatment and pumping facilities. They also coordinate with vendors to establish specifications for proper equipment utilization in all project assigned, and evaluate state-of-the-art equipment for possible use in the department.
System Services
System Services is responsible for construction and repair of all water and sewer lines. In addition, they are responsible for repair of manholes, meter boxes, valve boxes, cleaning of both sewer and associated lines, the tapping of water and sewer lines for new customer service, leak detection services for water lines, televising existing sewer lines for elimination of leaks and failures. They also televise new lines built under contract to eliminate surface and leakage into the sewer lines.System Services' Service Representatives handle water and sewer complaints and emergencies for consumers in the Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County area, 24- hour, seven days a week. These representatives dispatch investigators and/or crews to take care of emergency needs. They are responsible for tracking customer complaints from the time the call is received until the job is completed. They are also responsible for scheduling taps for contractors who are tapping into Metro Water Services' lines.
Another important part of Metro Water Services is Fleet Management. They are primarily responsible for all the cars, trucks, heavy equipment, repair and maintenance of compressors, pumps and rolling stock within the department. Fleet Management has the responsibility that is far reaching from the equipment standpoint with millions of dollars of equipment to look after.
The Utility Locations Section locates water and sewer lines for all scheduled excavations within the system.
Operations
Operations operates and maintains all of the water and wastewater treatment plants and their related water and sewage pumping stations. The Laboratory Section supplies technical support to both water and wastewater operations, monitors industrial waste discharges, and provides quality assurance of finished drinking water and treated wastewater.Customer Service Center
The Customer Service Center of Metro Water Service is located at 1700 Third Avenue North, Nashville. TN 37208 and is responsible for contracting, setting up, and maintaining customer accounts. Our Phone Representatives answer some 19,000 calls each month. The Meter Reading Section reads in excess of 6,000 water meters per day and the Billing Section is responsible for sending some 6,000 bills to our customers each day. The Field Activities Section duties include verifying readings, investigating residential accounts for water leaks, turning on water, and discontinuing water service for non-payment. The Meter Shop assures that all meters are working properly to measure water consumption accurately. Shop personnel repair leaks in the meter box, repair meters, and perform flow tests and pressure checks.The Customer Connection Section is responsible for assisting plumbers and developers install new taps for water and sewer service. They are also responsible for collecting all respective departmental fees and issuing required excavating permits for construction projects affecting Nashville's water and sewerage systems.
Information Services
Information Services manages and maintains the hardware and software for the micro- computers and their networks as well as the mainframe system.If you have any questions which are not addressed through this web site, please email sonia.harvat@nashville.gov.