Development of a City Environmental Management System and Supporting Data Gap Review, Manual, and Training
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The City of Westminster, Colorado, the eighth-most populous city in Colorado, engaged Geosyntec to provide an environmental management system (EMS) data gap assessment, to develop a comprehensive EMS and EMS manual, and to support the program’s implementation.

Geosyntec was retained to help Westminster develop a plan conforming to the ISO 14001 Standard. This work included review of the gap analysis (also conducted by Geosyntec) along with review of other documents, development of the overall plan and related documents, staff training, and communication of measures and updates to city leadership. The project aims to embed the EMS into the core business of each city department while securing leadership support, engaging employees, managing environmental impacts, and maintaining a strong social license to operate. This full-scale EMS applies to all buildings owned and operated by the city (over 30) and all 12 city departments.

Geosyntec's Scope of Services

We began by turning to city’s EMS gap analysis, which we had helped them create in 2020. To supplement this, we reviewed the city’s environmental policy and submitted a request for information to the city for other supporting information. We organized the EMS plan into phases that build on each other in a specific order. In addition, our plan allowed the city to select and prioritize aspects of the plan that were of greatest interest and relevance to the client. We arrived at these suggestions by meeting with city employees to discuss priorities. As a result of our research and discussions, we recommended the city begin with water treatment plants, golf courses, and the fleet maintenance shop. We helped the city develop an EMS manual, describing policies, procedures, and timelines, after which, we developed a training program for staff.

Based on this work, we developed and presented the city with core program documents in alignment with the ISO Standard. Specifically, Geosyntec supported the city in developing an environmental policy, an EMS manual, and associated operating procedures, forms, and tracking tools. Geosyntec continues to work with the city to support implementation of the system. As part of the implementation phase, we are providing the city with clear, concise, and engaging train sessions that can easily be offered to city staff as live, virtual, or pre-recorded sessions.

Geosyntec developed a simple and dynamic system for the city, including phases that made the program easier to implement. Our plan was tailored to the city’s needs and based on their priorities. We secured consensus from the city’s leadership and staff, and we designed trainings as modules that were simple to offer and easy to take.