Clark PUD gets industry award

Clark Public Utilities District has received the highest designation possible for a public utility from an industry group of more than 2,000 community-owned electric utilities.

The agency was designated a Diamond level Reliable Public Power Provider, RP3, by the American Public Power Association for providing reliable and safe service. It achieved a perfect score in the evaluation process.

Clark PUD was examined for its reliability, safety, workforce development and system improvement. The designation lasts for three years before the utility is evaluated again.

“This is the first time Clark has been designated a Diamond recipient,” utility spokeswoman Erica Erland said. “For us, it is a reminder that our culture around providing excellent service does lead the industry.”

Erland also said that because the PUD is a publicly owned utility, it’s open to sharing its practices and protocols with other utilities to help them improve.

The announcement was made May 8 during the association’s annual Engineering & Operations Technical Conference in San Antonio, Texas.

Clark PUD has been evaluated several times in past years, Erland said, and saw steady improvement in the last three rounds of evaluation. She added that part of the reason behind the PUD’s designation is its drive to develop future utility leaders who will succeed officials set to retire in upcoming years.
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