People/Awards
For the sixth time in 11 years, the Kansas Water Environment Association honored Gardner’s Kill Creek Water Resource Recovery Facility as Wastewater Treatment Plant of the Year in Class 4. The staff includes Scott Millholland, David Birzer, Steve Duke, Matt Solorio, James Allen and Dale Rittinghouse.
Haberberger, a full-service mechanical contracting firm in St. Louis, received Outstanding Mechanical Installation awards from the Mechanical Contractors Association of Eastern Missouri for its work on Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District and Mallinckrodt projects. The firm was recognized in the Process Piping — Public Utility category and for Process Piping Large Projects — Public Utilities.
The city of Palestine, Texas, named Felipe Garcia deputy director of utilities in the Public Works Department. He has 30 years’ experience in water and wastewater systems and will oversee the wastewater treatment plant, water treatment plant and water distribution team.
Jim Spielvogel, a 14-year operator at the Ellwood City (Pennsylvania) Wastewater Treatment Plant, received a Water Environment Federation Ingenuity Award for a hook assembly he created to lift the skimmer assembly on the clarifier’s boom arm to prevent the boom arm from icing up during cold weather.
Rick Brocius was named executive director of the Bradford (Pennsylvania) Sanitary Authority.
The Clearfield Municipal Authority in Pennsylvania hired John Williams as manager. He had served as assistant manager since 2013.
Zlatko Psenicnik, wastewater treatment plant operator for the village of Skaneateles, New York, retired after 23 years in that position.
The city of Sultan, Washington, hired Nate Morgan as a public works field supervisor, Brian Funk as wastewater treatment plant manager, and Sam Dugo as a utility worker.
Robert M. Henninger was hired to manage the Development Authority of the North Country Wastewater Treatment Plant in Ogdensburg, New York.
Patrick Terrell, operator III at the Westside Wastewater Treatment Plant in Tyler, received the Operator of the Year award for the East Texas Region for cities with a population of more than 10,000 from the Texas Water Utilities Association.
The town of Winkelman received the Wastewater Treatment Center of the Year award from the Rural Water Association of Arizona.
The Tacoma (Washington) Central Wastewater Treatment Plant Flood Protection Project received a 2016 Public Works Project of the Year award from the American Public Works Association in the Disaster/Emergency Preparedness category.
The Greer Commission of Public Works Maple Creek Wastewater Plant received a Gold Peak Performance Award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies.
The Clayton County (Georgia) Water Authority was among 61 entities that received the Water Resources Utility of the Future Today designation from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, the Water Environment Federation, the Water Environment and Reuse Foundation, and the WateReuse Association.
The U.S. EPA announced Fort Worth, Texas, as one of nine cities recognized for promoting the WaterSense program. The city earned an Excellence Award for Education and Outreach.
Springdale (Arkansas) Water Utilities received a Commitment Level Award for business excellence from Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
Middlesex Water’s Carl J. Olsen Water Treatment Plant in Edison, New Jersey, received a 2016 Partnership for Safe Water 15-Year Directors Award of Recognition.
The AWWA Wisconsin Section deemed the Green Bay Water Utility’s water as the state’s best. The city beat Kenosha in the surface water category and then edged out Mayville, champion in the well-water division, to win the honor.
The Wauwatosa (Wisconsin) Water Utility Department received AWWA Wisconsin Section awards for its outreach during a Windows Into Wauwatosa tour and for its work on a massive transmission line project.
The Louisville (Kentucky) Board of Water Works named Spencer Bruce as the president and CEO of Louisville Water Co. Bruce had been interim president and CEO since January 2016.
WateReuse Arizona named the Potable Water Reuse Pilot tested in Tucson as the 2016 Project of the Year award winner. A handful of University of Arizona students and faculty contributed to the six-month pilot, which was a collaboration led by CH2M HILL and partnered with Tucson Water and the WateReuse Research Foundation. The project focused on pilot-testing a method of wastewater treatment to see if it could be used for drinking water.
The Pennsylvania Department of Ecology presented the Sunland Wastewater Treatment Facility with a 2015 Wastewater Treatment Plant Outstanding Performance Award. The facility is part of the Sunland Water District.
The Eastsound Water and Sewer District’s Eastsound, Orcas Village and Rosario Resort wastewater treatment plants were recognized by the Washington Department of Ecology for full permit compliance in 2015.
The city of Cumming Utilities Department received two awards from the Georgia Association of Water Professionals: a Gold Award for the water production division and a Platinum Award for the Bethelview Road Advanced Water Reclamation Facility.
The Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies presented the Coachella Valley (California) Water District with its Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance.
The Thomaston (Georgia) Water Treatment Plant, operated by Severn Trent - North America, received the Directors Award of Recognition from the Partnership for Safe Water.
Events
Jan. 22 – 25 New England Water Environment Association 2017 Annual Conference and Exhibit, Boston Marriott Copley Place.
Visit www.newea.org.
Jan. 30 – Feb. 2 Indiana Section AWWA Annual Conference, Marriott Hotel, Indianapolis. Visit www.inawwa.org.
TPO welcomes your contributions to this listing. To recognize members of your team, please send notices of new hires, promotions, service milestones, certifications or achievements to editor@tpomag.com.
