Worked at Louisville Water since 1998
Scott Smith has dedicated more than two decades to ensuring the safety and quality of our community’s water supply. With a master’s in chemical engineering from the University of Louisville and extensive experience in various positions within Louisville Water, Smith has recently taken on a new, critical role in the company’s operations.
He began his career by completing multiple internships at Louisville Water during his college years and then joined the company as a full-time employee in October 1998.
“I very much enjoyed my ‘co-ops’ and wanted to return to the water production field if I had the opportunity,” he recalled.
Since then, he has progressed through various positions, including plant operator, water quality scientist, and engineering manager, before reaching his current role last year when the previous Director of Production Operations, Larry Bryant, was promoted to Vice President of Production Operations and Chief Engineer.
In his current position, Smith now oversees the daily operations and maintenance of the Crescent Hill Filter Plant and B.E. Payne Water Treatment Plant. He also leads the production engineering process.
“The most challenging aspect of my current position is ensuring that our customers’ expectations are continuously met, both from a quality and quantity perspective,” he explained. ”I am fortunate to work with a very talented and dedicated production staff. Our operation and maintenance staff work to ensure the proper operation of the production process. Our production engineers anticipate future production needs (issues), develop solutions to address these needs, and construct assets to improve the production process. Together we work to ensure that we produce a high-quality product 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our office is always open, and our staff doesn’t get a do-over.”
“The thing I enjoy most about my job,” he added, “is the feeling of accomplishment when our team solves a problem or overcomes a challenge.”
Smith recalled several especially challenging days during his career, including the 1994 blizzard and the 1999 taste and odor event, but one incident stands out above the rest: the 2005 Kentucky River oil spill. Praising Louisville Water employees’ resilience under pressure, Smith said, “Our production team worked extremely hard, creating innovative solutions to ensure we produced a safe product.”
Outside of his professional commitments, Smith enjoys traveling as well as spending quality time with his family “by the pool.”