Navasota “superior” water rating not left to chance
City of Navasota employees serving water utility customers are: (Pictured L-R, front row): Jennifer Reyna, Matt Julian, Carl Pullin, Richard Green, Jessie West, Edwin Sandoval and Daphne Kopycinski. (L-R, back row): Ernest Menefee, Chandler Holley, Michae
Part 2 of 4: Monitoring Navasota’s water, not a job for amateurs
Maintaining Navasota’s “superior” water rating is not a job for amateurs. It requires licensed and experienced personnel, and city water utility staff fulfill those requirements. But just who are those responsible for obtaining uncontaminated water samples, flushing lines in the middle of the night and making sure that the city’s documentation and systems meet the requirements of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)?
A staff of professionals
City Manager Brad Stafford said of water utility staff, “They have a knowledge you don’t get just walking in and saying, ‘I’m going to be a water operator.’ These people are professionals and they take it seriously.”
He continued, “They watch your water on a daily basis - sometimes many hours a day. They’re checking procedures to make sure the water is safe, and the pressure is adequate. All of that comes into account for these folks, hour by hour, to make sure that they are providing adequate supply not only for drinking and domestic use but for fire use. If we don’t have enough pressure and Jason (Fire Chief Katkoski) and his crew pull up to a fire hydrant, and the water department hasn’t done their job, he can’t put out the fire.”
Stafford added, “Not to mention what they do is dangerous. They’re exposed to hazardous chemicals, electricity and water.”
Licensing requirements
According to Utilities Director Jeff Greer, five water utility employees are licensed, some in both water and wastewater testing. In addition, those five employees have a combined 45 years of employment with the City of Navasota. According to Greer, five years employment in the industry plus 60 hours of training are required to take the test. A minimum of 30 hours of continuing education are required for license renewal every three years.
Greer has a Class C Groundwater Operator license which is the highest level for a water operator as well as a Class D Wastewater Operator license which qualifies him to run a wastewater plant.
In addition to Greer, city water staff with Class C groundwater licenses include Crew Leader-Repair Crew Kenneth Nobles, Utility Supervisor Matthew Julian, Water/Wastewater Operator Carl Pullin, and Meter Maintenance Brian Colbert with a Class D license, currently studying for his Class C.
Stafford said, “These guys are sort of chemists. They have to understand the properties and they have to understand the chemicals. They have to know how to make sure they have enough chlorine contact to kill any bacteria in the water.”
Support staff
Seven-year employee, Utilities Administrative Assistant Jennifer Reyna, provides administrative support for the water, sewer, gas, street and drainage departments as well as the Navasota Municipal Airport.
Reyna responds to compliance requests from the state and federal government for all utilities, and according to Stafford, Julian and Reyna meet with TCEQ annually to review the city records and systems to assure that everything is done to minimum standards.
Stafford said, “We’re above standards on most everything we do because we try to make sure we provide quality water for our citizens. We do not want to sell bad water. We want to sell high quality water.”
Next week: Part 3, “Testing the Waters.”