Chattanooga, Tennessee Department of Public Works and Department of
Wastewater Achieves American Public Works Association Accreditation for the
3rd Time and 1st Time
Chattanooga, TN – March 17, 2025 – The Chattanooga Departments of Public
Works has recently received full accreditation by the American Public Works
Association (APWA) for the third time and the Department of Wastewater for
the 1st time. This accreditation formally verifies and recognizes that the
agency is in full compliance with the recommended management practices set
forth in APWA’s Public Works Management Practices Manual.
Open to all governmental agencies with responsibilities for public works
functions, initial accreditation from APWA is for a four-year period,
during which time semi-annual updates will be required to demonstrate
continuing compliance. After that time, there is a re-accreditation process
which builds on the original accreditation, encouraging continuous
improvement and compliance with newly identified practices.
The purpose of accreditation is to promote excellence in the operation and
management of a public works agency, its programs and employees.
Accreditation is designed to assist the agency in continuous improvement of
operations and management, and in providing a valid and objective
evaluation of agency programs as a service to the public and the profession.
APWA’s accreditation process includes five major steps:
Self-Assessment: Using the Public Works Management Practices Manual, an
internal review of an agency’s practices combined with a comparison of the
recommended practices contained in the manual;
Application: Once the decision has been made to commit to the Accreditation
Program, the agency submits a formal application;
Improvement: After the agency has completed the self-assessment and
identified areas needing improvement, the agency will work to bring all
practices into an acceptable level of compliance with the recommended
practices;
Evaluation: Following the completion of the improvement phase, the agency
will request a site visit. The site visit will consist of a review and
evaluation of the agency to determine the level of compliance with all
applicable practices.
Accreditation: The Accreditation Council will review the site visit results
and recommendation from the team, voting to award or deny accreditation.
Formally awarded the prestigious accreditation by APWA’s Accreditation
Council for the 3rd, the Chattanooga Departments of Public Works was
awarded APWA Accreditation in 2016. The Chattanooga Department of
Wastewater also achieved accreditation for the 1st time. In addition to
Chattanooga’s two departments, the only other accredited agency in
Tennessee is Nashville Department of Transportation.
For more information about APWA Accreditation, please contact APWA
Accreditation Manager, Jeanette Klamm, atjklamm@apwa.net, or (816)595-5295.
About APWA
The American Public Works Association (www.apwa.net) is a not-for-profit,
international organization of more than 30,000 members involved in the
field of public works. APWA serves its members by promoting professional
excellence and public awareness through education, advocacy and the
exchange of knowledge. APWA is headquartered in Kansas City, MO, has an
office in Washington, DC, and 63 chapters in North America.