Press Release

PUC Issues Management and Operations Audit for Veolia Water Pennsylvania

Published on 1/23/2025

Filed under: Water and Wastewater

Audit Highlights Opportunities to Enhance Damage Prevention, Cybersecurity, and Water Loss Reduction

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) has released the findings of a comprehensive Management and Operations Audit of Veolia Water Pennsylvania Inc. (Veolia), outlining 15 actionable recommendations for operational improvements and cost savings. Veolia serves approximately 69,800 water customers and 1,600 wastewater customers across 11 counties in Pennsylvania.

The Commission voted 5-0 today to approve the audit report and its recommendations, as well as to release Veolia’s submitted implementation plan detailing its approach to addressing the audit findings.

Audit Report and Key Recommendations

The audit identifies significant opportunities for Veolia to improve operational efficiency and customer service. Key recommendations include:

• Strengthen damage prevention efforts by developing procedures to track data on infrastructure damages (“hits”), their locations, and associated costs. Veolia is also encouraged to create a comprehensive damage prevention manual.
  
  
• Reduce water loss by implementing leak detection programs, accelerating infrastructure replacement, and undertaking related measures. These efforts could save the company nearly $70,000 annually.
  
  
• Enhance cybersecurity by adopting a cybersecurity maturity model and implementing additional protective measures to address evolving threats.
  
  
• Conduct routine customer satisfaction surveys to engage customers and gather feedback that can inform service improvements.
  
  
• Expand testing of backflow prevention devices, particularly for commercial and industrial customers. This step addresses a significant decline in testing rates observed from 2019 to 2023.

Veolia’s implementation plan indicates full acceptance of 13 recommendations and partial acceptance of two.

Next Steps

Veolia plans to substantially complete most of the recommended actions by December 2025. The PUC’s audit staff will monitor the company’s progress as part of its next Management Efficiency Investigation, scheduled to begin in mid-2027.

About the PUC

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission balances the needs of consumers and utilities; ensures safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates; protects the public interest; educates consumers to make independent and informed utility choices; furthers economic development; and fosters new technologies and competitive markets in an environmentally sound manner.

Visit the PUC’s website at puc.pa.gov for recent news releases and video of select proceedings. You can also follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. Search for the “Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission” or “PA PUC” on your favorite social media channel for updates on utility issues and other helpful consumer information.

# # #

Docket No.: D-2024-3045217

Contact:

• Nils Hagen-Frederiksen
  Press Secretary
  717-418-2701
  nhagen-fre@pa.gov