Employee Profile: Adonis Henderson, Cross Connections Supervisor

Worked at Louisville Water since July 1995

Cross Connections Supervisor Adonis Henderson belongs to a special group of Louisville Water employees: he’s a retiree who came back.

“I have been working in my current position since April 2025, (but) I previously worked at Louisville Water from July 1995 to September 2013,” Henderson said. “I completed a few projects around the house, then I decided I needed to get back in the workforce. I first accepted a temporary position in August 2024 in the Cross Connections Department to work on an irrigation backflow prevention project. Being back at Louisville Water reminded me how much I enjoy the culture and people here, so when my current position opened, I jumped at the opportunity to come back onboard full time.”

Now, as the supervisor of cross connections in the Distribution Water Quality Department, he oversees a team of employees responsible for inspecting backflow prevention devices.

“In the Cross Connections Department, my staff and I inspect our commercial and industrial customers to verify if they have backflow prevention devices on the domestic, fire, and irrigation water service lines,” he said. “The devices prevent harmful chemicals from being back-siphoned into the water main and contaminating our water supply.”

Henderson said one of the best parts of his job is the people he works with every day.

“I enjoy working with my staff and being able to share the importance of backflow prevention with customers,” he said. “For example, the backflow device branches off from the water service line to sinks, bathrooms, or hot water heaters. If there is a break in the service line, the backflow device stops water that would normally flow out of the home or business from flowing back into the customer’s system.”

For someone interested in working in cross connections, Henderson offered the following advice:

“(One should) learn about backflow prevention devices, the reason for having them, and have excellent customer service skills.”