Employee Profile: Brian Farmer, Lead Plant Operator

Worked at Louisville Water since 2001

Lead Operator Brian Farmer is entering his 25^th year at Louisville Water. He works at the B.E. Payne Water Treatment Plant in Prospect and is responsible for monitoring the complex pumping systems that produce our award-winning Louisville Pure Tap®.

But in Farmer’s own words he “provides a safe, quality product to our customers that tastes great.”

In his 12-hour work shift, Farmer monitors up to 35 million gallons of water pumping through the treatment plant.

“I’ve got four filters going with around eight million gallons of water flowing through the system,” he said.

Farmer uses a system called Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) to monitor the pumps and filters to make sure everything is flowing smoothly.

If any pumping levels are under or over a certain number, Farmer walks out to the massive basins at the plant to investigate.

“If the pumps aren’t pumping water, we’ve got a problem,” he said.

When asked what he loves the most about his job and what kept him around for 25 years, Farmer said he’s seen it all. He got his start with the company at Allmond Avenue Distribution Center.

“For the first 13 years, I jumped in and out of the (construction) hole. I was fixing main breaks and meter services. I’ve done just about every job here except meter reading,” he said. “I started as a general laborer working on the concrete truck and then I became a plumber leader’s assistant repairing hydrants. I’ve worked as an emergency turner and in field customer service. The rest of the time I’ve worked as a lead operator.”

When Farmer’s not at the plant, he enjoys spending time with his family and cooking their favorite meals.