A Conversation with Doa Ross on Innovation and Trust in Public Works

As Deputy General Manager of Engineering and Operations for the Las Vegas Valley Water District and Southern Nevada Water Authority, Doa Ross oversees four departments and more than 750 employees responsible for delivering safe drinking water to 2.4 million residents and more than 40 million annual visitors. In 2025, the American Public Works Association named her one of its Top 10 Public Works Leaders of the Year.

At the 2026 Forerunner Summit, Ross discussed how her organization is preparing for the demands of a growing population, aging infrastructure, and emerging technology in the driest metropolitan area in the United States. With drought posing a long-term challenge, meeting those demands requires more than expanding infrastructure. It means making careful investment decisions, using existing resources effectively, and building trust with the communities and employees responsible for sustaining the system.

Earn trust by giving stakeholders a voice

For major infrastructure investments to move forward, agencies need more than a sound engineering plan. They also need public support, particularly when projects involve significant costs and long-term funding commitments. Ross explained how the Southern Nevada Water Authority builds that support by involving community stakeholders early in the planning process.

Through its Integrated Resource Planning Advisory Committee, the authority brings together representatives from business, conservation, homebuilding, tourism, and other community groups to review capital plans, project costs, and funding options. Members consult the constituencies they represent before returning with recommendations on which projects to prioritize and how to pay for them.

By incorporating these perspectives before proposals reach elected officials, the Authority gives community members a meaningful role in shaping infrastructure decisions. The process helps establish a shared understanding of the trade-offs involved and builds the trust needed to move major investments forward.

Make infrastructure decisions with better data

Public support helps determine which projects move forward, but agencies must also understand where investments are most needed. For a water system spanning a large and growing metropolitan area, that means knowing the condition of its assets, anticipating potential failures, and determining when repairs or replacements will deliver the greatest value.

More than 20 years ago, the Water Authority established a dedicated asset management division to assess treatment plants and pipelines, identify potential failures, and determine when assets should be repaired or replaced. That long-term investment in asset management now supports a more data-driven approach to maintaining the system.

The agency combines AI-powered failure predictions with hydraulic modeling and field data from leak detection, pressure monitoring, and other sensors. When crews open a pipe, they document its actual condition so the agency can compare what they find with earlier predictions and improve future assessments.

This information also helps crews respond more efficiently to problems in the field. When residents report a potential leak, the asset management team can narrow its location to approximately one foot, helping crews avoid unnecessary excavation. By using data to target maintenance and prioritize infrastructure improvements, the agency can manage a growing network without increasing field staffing at the same rate.

Put innovation into practice

Better asset management depends on reliable information, but Ross also described how the authority is exploring new ways to use that information to improve daily operations. Rather than treating innovation as the responsibility of a dedicated team, the organization makes it part of its broader strategic plan.

Each department receives funding to pilot new technologies, and employees are encouraged to propose ideas. Although pilots must undergo cybersecurity reviews, the agency keeps the process accessible so teams can test new approaches, learn from unsuccessful trials, and expand those that prove effective.

Ross said the agency began exploring AI in 2018. One current application focuses on optimizing the Authority’s pumping plan, a complex task that takes an engineer approximately three hours each day since developing the plan requires balancing variables such as weather, seasonal demand, electricity costs, pump capacity, and water quality.

The new system uses tens of millions of daily smart meter readings to generate a proposed plan. Rather than immediately replacing the existing process, the Authority runs both approaches in parallel, allowing engineers to compare results and assess the system’s reliability. Early testing has identified efficiencies the team had not previously considered, showing how AI can help experienced staff evaluate options while keeping people involved in decisions.

Prepare employees for changing roles

As technology takes on more tasks, agencies must also consider how the work will change for the people who perform it. Ross described how the authority approached this challenge when it transitioned from manual meter reading to automated systems.

Recognizing that traditional meter-reading positions would eventually be phased out, leaders offered employees training in data management and analysis to help them prepare for new responsibilities. Today, former meter readers work as data analysts, interpreting trends, reviewing AI outputs, and helping customers identify potential leaks.

This experience shapes the authority’s broader approach to adopting new technology. Leaders consider not only how a tool can improve a process, but also how employees will need to adapt and what skills they will need to succeed. By planning for these transitions early, the agency can build on existing expertise and help its workforce evolve alongside the technology.

Build capacity for the future

Throughout the conversation, Ross returned to a consistent principle: technology delivers value when it builds on human expertise and trust. For the Southern Nevada Water Authority, that means involving communities in major investment decisions, using asset data to guide maintenance, testing AI before relying on its recommendations, and preparing employees to take on new responsibilities.

For public works agencies facing growing demands and limited resources, doing more with less requires more than adopting new tools. It depends on making informed long-term investments, finding practical ways to improve daily operations, and ensuring employees have the knowledge and support to adapt. Together, these practices help agencies make better use of existing resources while building the capacity to serve their communities in the years ahead.

Watch the Q&A session: