The importance of safe and clean drinking water cannot be overstated.
As the provider of water for unincorporated Clark County, the town of Yacolt and Amboy and the city of La Center, it is a responsibility Clark Public Utilities takes seriously. The utility’s water system technicians and operators work around the clock to ensure the water flows clean and uninterrupted.
They are the experts who tend the system from the utility’s various well sites to the customer’s meter. They’re the first to respond when an issue arises and the ones who maintain the network to ensure it performs its best.
Water techs and operators are jacks of all trades. They also work as the servicemen on the front lines of the water system.
“Day or night, when there’s a problem a serviceman is the first to respond,” said Oscar Maciel, water operations manager at Clark Public Utilities. “Finding the issue isn’t always easy — especially on those late-night calls. Water lines are buried deep underground so it takes some skill and detective work to identify the exact location.”
In those times when the problem is on the customer’s side of the meter, utility staff often do what they can to identify the cause and explain how it can be fixed, either by the owner or a plumber.
“Sometimes customers call with an unusually high water bill but they don’t want us to come out because they feel like they’re being an inconvenience, but we always remind those folks that service like that is part of our commitment to our customers,” said Sarah Robinson, office manager for the water utility. “That’s who we work for.”
Customers’ water meters are helpful tool in diagnosing even the smallest leak on the customer’s side.
“Based on the change in consumption, we can help them figure out if it’s a toilet running somewhere in the house or even if the irrigation system is coming on in the middle of the night,” Maciel said. “So when customers call about a bill, one of the first things we’ll do is pull up that history and review it with them.”
While the electric utility, which sees its activity peak in fall and winter (colloquially known as “storm season”), the water utility is busiest during the summer months. For most of the year, Clark Public Utilities customers rely on the skies to irrigate their properties. But when the dry summer months come, customers begin opening their taps.
That increased demand requires all of the utility’s wells and pressure boosters to come online. That extra pressure puts a lot of force on the system, which inevitably leads to leaks here and there.
“The water mains come alive during high draw periods,” Maciel said. “The force of the water pushing through the pipes causes the entire system to expand and contract as the pressure rises and falls.”
When they’re not managing those leaks, water techs and operators service and replace pumps, install new meters, perform water quality inspections and flush water lines to keep the water fresh.
“Water techs and operators really do a surprising number of jobs,” Robinson said. “Their expertise and professionalism isn’t something you see in most professions.”
Energy Adviser is written by Clark Public Utilities. Send questions to ecod@clarkpud.com or to Energy Adviser, c/o Clark Public Utilities, P.O. Box 8900, Vancouver, WA 98688.
