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Thousands of water and wastewater utility professionals met in Denver for the Annual Conference & Expo hosted by the American Water Works Association (AWWA). Louisville Water employees from various departments attended the event held June 8-11. The theme for this year’s conference was “Elevate”, and it did not disappoint. A combination of awards and employee presentations helped elevate Louisville Water’s presence in the water sector.
Louisville Water is widely known for producing and delivering high-quality drinking water. The Partnership for Safe Water recognized the Crescent Hill Water Treatment Plant for maintaining the Excellence in Water Treatment Award for 10 consecutive years. It is one of 19 plants in the country to achieve this prestigious award level. Crescent Hill and the B.E. Payne Treatment Plant were also honored with the 25-year Directors Award.
“These longevity awards are a testament to our culture of continuous improvement. They are the byproduct of all the hardworking operators, engineers, and scientists who remain dedicated to the mission of public health and water treatment excellence,” said Manager of Water Quality and Compliance Chris Bobay.
Happening on the same day, Vice President of Communications Kelley Dearing Smith accepted the Abel Wolman Award from AWWA for her tireless efforts to bring communications into a larger role in the water sector.
“AWWA President Cheryl Porter presented the award and highlighted my work at Louisville Water, pointing to our trademarked tap water, Louisville Pure Tap®, in addition to leading concerted efforts to strengthen the public’s trust, and elevating the value of water,” Smith said.
Previous AWWA presidents who selected the recipient, noted the partnerships Smith has created in her 26 years at Louisville Water to raise awareness of something most people take for granted.
“It’s an incredible honor to be the first woman to receive this award and the first communicator. I’m joining a distinguished group of engineers and scientists who are past recipients,” Smith shared.
Smith was among several Louisville Water employees who presented during educational sessions. The topics ranged from water quality and treatment to water’s role in the economy and sharing a blueprint for internal and external communications.
“Showing all the ways Louisville Water tells its story with employees, customers, stakeholders, and the community was empowering. People were genuinely interested in learning how they can take some of the same approaches and use them for their utility,” said Senior Content Producer Kathleen Speicher. “It was also my first time attending ACE. Connecting with other water professionals and gaining insight from them, specifically in their private service line replacement programs, was invaluable.”
From the conference rooms to the exhibit hall, Louisville Water was in the spotlight. Our all-women team, The Lady Legends, competed in the pipe tapping competition. Teams literally tap into a cement-lined, ductile iron pipe filled with water and install a copper service line while racing against the clock.
“I’m super proud to say we shaved almost two minutes off our original time from the regionals in Louisville (last fall),” said Emergency turner and team coach, Toni Estes. “These ladies embraced the experience. They weren’t afraid to ask other teams questions that made us faster and better. For me personally, I also enjoyed networking with other people and learned the water industry is much bigger and more impactful than I ever realized.”
Distribution planning associate and tapping team member, Devinn Tytus echoed those feelings.
She said, “Being a part of the conference inspired me to unlock my potential. This industry has so much to offer and I look forward to growing with it!”
