The District is committed to conducting business in a manner consistent with good environmental stewardship.  As we grow and continuously improve our operations, our environmental procedures, work practices and programs must keep pace.  The Regulatory Compliance Unit has adopted the ISO 14000 Standards as guidelines for the development of our environmental management systems (EMS).  We believe that our progression towards meeting the EMS Standards will generate an effective and efficient process for managing environmental issues, and will minimize or mitigate the impacts of our operations consistent with our environmental goals.      

An EMS works by establishing the organizational goals and objectives that drive everyday activities.  The District evaluates work that it must do to provide service, and determines how this work will affect certain aspects of the environment like soil, air and water.  We then determine what impact our work will have on each of these aspects.  Once we know our impacts, we implement programs or procedures to avoid as many as possible and mitigate those that are essential to our operations.  Keeping track of how we are doing and sharing that information within the District and with the public, completes the framework of our EMS.  

The Regulatory Compliance Unit conducts audits of our EMS Program to assess accomplishments consistent with our environmental goals.  The audit report is a catalyst for generating operational improvements and refining elements of the EMS.  Periodically, we coordinate audits through a third party to validate our internal audits and to view the program through an impartial lens.  Collectively these audits provide documentation of the District’s commitment to managing operational impacts in the environment.