It isn’t just the water that Evan Vasquez, Operator I at Liberty, thinks about when he puts on his safety vest and drives down the streets of Bellflower, California to take water samples every week. The water is important, but to Vasquez, the customers and communities who receive it are even more so.
“My job helps provide quality water for the public, whether they drink, clean with, or bathe in it,” Vasquez said. “Everyone needs and uses water, so it’s important to deliver a quality of water that our customers expect.”
Water is used every day. Life depends on it. It is essential to human and environmental health.
But what is involved in providing drinking water?
That’s where Vasquez and the rest of Liberty’s certified production operators and water quality teams come in.
These departments at Liberty play an important role in delivering water that meets or exceeds federal and state water quality standards. These standards regulate the level of contaminants in water that may affect health or its aesthetic qualities such as smell and taste.
To meet these federal and state water quality standards, Liberty regularly monitors water sources for potential contaminants and provides treatment at the source when needed before the water is delivered to customers.
The employees maintaining these standards take pride in their jobs. William Decker, Water Quality Supervisor for Liberty New York Water, is committed to Liberty’s customers. “My job in water quality means that I’m making a difference in protecting public health and gives me a great sense of pride in doing so,” he said. He and his team maintain water quality standards for 21 water systems in New York.
To meet these federal and state water quality standards, Liberty regularly monitors water sources for potential contaminants and provides treatment at the source when needed before the water is delivered to customers.
The employees maintaining these standards take pride in their jobs.
William Decker, Water Quality Supervisor for Liberty New York Water, is committed to Liberty’s customers. “My job in water quality means that I’m making a difference in protecting public health and gives me a great sense of pride in doing so,” he said. He and his team maintain water quality standards for 21 water systems in New York.
Decker wants customers to know that he and his colleagues take time to inspect every detail and address every customer question. “Delivering safe and consumable water to our customers every day is one of the most important things I can do.”
Decker wants customers to know that he and his colleagues take time to inspect every detail and address every customer question. “Delivering safe and consumable water to our customers every day is one of the most important things I can do.”
“There are daily checks that we make at the water treatment plants,” said Tom Rosetti, Senior Engineer for Liberty’s Arkansas water service area. “We check the chlorine levels, we check flows (the rate water is traveling through the system), and we confirm that we’re meeting minimum operating pressures.”
Testing doesn’t stop once we deliver water to the distribution system, however. “Liberty collects water samples at the sources and throughout the distribution system to comply with regulations and, most importantly, to protect public health,” said Vanessa Lumley, Water Quality Manager for Liberty in California.
Water samples are collected every week by Liberty’s certified production operators and then sent to a certified laboratory to check for potential contaminants, and that it’s in compliance with state and federal water standards.
“We regularly take bacteriological samples out in the field,” Rosetti said. “There are 38 places in the Pine Bluff, Arkansas, area where we take those samples.”
This process not only helps Liberty confirm that the water quality complies with federal and state standards, it also helps protect the health of the customers and communities who depend on the water Liberty provides.
“I’m proud of the work we do here to provide water to the adults and kids in the community,” said Vasquez. “As a father myself, it’s important for my kid to have safe, reliable water, so I work hard to deliver that same quality to our customers.”