Report Problem
Translate
Worked at Louisville Water since September 2025
Hochwertiges wasser means “high-quality water” in German. But Julia Coke didn’t need to know the phrase to understand that safe, reliable, and high-quality drinking water is a universal language.
That understanding took her around the world and eventually back home to Louisville Water.
Coke, a Louisville native, graduated from the University of Louisville in 2021. After earning her first degree, she decided to return to school — this time overseas — which led her to the University of Göttingen in Germany.
Coke enrolled in the university’s ecosystem sciences program. When it came time for an internship, Coke looked back to Louisville Water, where filtration research has influenced modern water treatment far beyond Louisville.
“Louisville Water is known worldwide for its quality,” Coke said. “Even my professor in Germany had been to Louisville Water to tour the groundwater filtration plant (B.E. Payne Water Treatment Plant). That really stood out to me.”
In September, Coke began working with Water Quality and Compliance Supervisor Emily Fritz at the Crescent Hill Water Treatment Plant, where Louisville Water scientists perform more than 200 tests daily on Louisville Pure Tap®.
“I really enjoy being introduced to the next generation of scientists,” Fritz said.
Coke’s internship focuses on a research project involving nitrification influence on corrosion of pipe materials. Nitrification is a natural process where bacteria feed on ammonia in water. It happens in soil and is crucial to the global nitrogen cycle. Coke is examining lead testing kits from Louisville Water’s Lead Replacement Program to determine if there is a relationship between nitrification and corrosion in pipes.
“Julia was brought on to help us fill in some important blanks,” Fritz said. “Research helps us build confidence in big decisions.”
The findings could eventually help Louisville Water make informed decisions about treatment strategies and ensure the water remains among the best-tasting and highest-quality in the United States — not just at the treatment plants, but all the way to customers’ taps.
“It’s just about getting the highest quality water possible,” Coke said.
Fritz and Coke hope the research continues even after Coke’s internship ends and she heads back to Germany.
“We’ve gotten really good at treating water at the plant, but we want to know what’s happening in the service line and inside the home,” Fritz said. “Water quality at the tap is the next frontier.”
Coke is set to graduate in the spring. She plans to stay in Germany with her partner, where she hopes to continue her career of helping provide clean, safe, and reliable water for the community.
“It feels like I’m doing work that actually matters,” Coke shared. “I want to build a career in water, and this experience confirmed that.”
But even from across the ocean, Coke said Louisville Pure Tap will always taste like home.
“I’ve always bragged about it, saying ‘We have some of the best tap water in the States.’”
