Benchmarking management of sewer systems: more to learn than cost effectiveness.

Thirty-nine municipalities in the Netherlands conducted a pilot study to develop and try out a methodology to compare the quality of their sewerage management. The participants chose a multidimensional benchmarking with an emphasis on the aim of improving the working processes within sewerage management. A second goal was accountability to the stakeholders. The benchmarking methodology was based as well on analysing data within a "balanced-score-card" system as on intensive exchange of knowledge and experiences. The pilot resulted in a state of the art overview of the quality of sewerage management in the Netherlands. However, above all, it resulted in the shocking fact that the work is carried out in many different ways which cannot be explained by technical reasons or local circumstances. To pinpoint best practices and actually implement these improvements the learning process must continue after the analysis and presentation of the data. A start has been made to form regional specialist networks for further discussion and exchange of experiences.