On Good Authority August 2023

ON GOOD AUTHORITY

Monthly Newsletter for Employees & Families of the Western Virginia Water Authority

20th Annual Charity Golf Tournament

The Water Authority held its 20th Annual Charity Golf Tournament to benefit United Way of Roanoke Valley on Saturday, August 5 at Blue Hills Golf Club. Twenty-three teams played in the tournament, and many employees represented WVWA by either playing in the tournament (a few are pictured below) or volunteering for the event. We were thrilled to have 20 vendors support the event by sponsoring holes, drink carts and lunch!

Our raffle prizes this year were the 50/50 cash prize, a fire pit and a YETI cooler All prizes were won by non-Authority employees this year, and the grand prize YETI cooler was won by Brian Lefever with US Pipe. It was a hot day, but our event was a great success! We want to thank our sponsors, volunteers, and venue for their support in making this event happen.

The Western Virginia Water Authority has a strong commitment to supporting our community and the United Way of Roanoke Valley United Way of Roanoke Valley fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in the Roanoke Valley region. Together with community partners, United Way connects people who are seeking assistance with resources, individuals and organizations who can help

Mark Sink and Family

Brian Whitenack, Chris Carey, Louis Morgan and Cody Davis

Bryan Thompson, Steve Nichols, Neil Norris, Robert Butler

Joseph Arthur, Frank Young, Aaron Shearer, Brandon Flora

Cedric Lavender, Carl Haley, Steve Shepherd, Harvey Brookins

Field Operations Warehouse and Fuel Station Coming Soon

Southlake Water System

In Union Hall, Franklin County, we are currently working on the Southlake Water System. According to Scott Kroll, WVWA project manager, "This is a collaborative project with Franklin County intended to encourage growth and economic development in the Southlake area by availability of public water." This system is designed to be expanded over time, with the long-range goal of connecting to the main Smith Mountain Lake water system.

Big changes are coming for Field Operations this year The new Field Ops Warehouse is anticipated to be finished this September, and the fuel station is scheduled to be complete by the end of the calendar year This new facility will be used to store materials, parts, and supplies for Field Ops work. The new lot will be able to house larger "Wet" vehicles (such as Vactor trucks) during the winter season to prevent freezing and damage to equipment, rather than having to rent space as we've done in the past. The project concept began in the fall of 2020. Jeff McInnis (Asst. Director Field Operations) explained, "To save money and time, the decision was made to utilize a design/build procurement contract for the building only, and the site work (grading, road construction, utilities and stormwater) would be performed by in-house forces." Employees will greatly benefit from this transition by having warehouse items in a centralized place and by having a convenient, secure location for fueling and storing vehicles.

This change will improve our inventory system because everything will be in one place. We keep a good inventory here, and the Water Authority gives us the tools we need. When our crews are on-call, it's important to have bread and butter items on hand and organized so we can get the job done.

Pumping Resumes from Roanoke River to Spring Hollow Reservoir

On July 24, pumping resumed from the Roanoke River to Spring Hollow Reservoir for the first time since August 2022. All grab samples of the river have been consistently nondetect for HFPO-DA (GenX) this year, and recent passive sampling of the river has shown no detection of HFPO-DA. On July 24, the reservoir was 39.8 feet below pond (55.5% capacity).

Initially, this will be a stand-alone well system that will serve the Union Hall Village Center. This new system will include two offsite wells, a new treatment building, filtration system and water storage tank. The tank, seen in photos below, was designed inhouse by Trent Cox (DCOO Customer Operations). At 175 feet, this water storage tank will be the tallest in our service area and will have the capacity to hold 200,000 gallons of water. The tank is scheduled to be completed by the end of this calendar year, but due to delays in deliveries, it may be finished next year

Photos courtesy of Scott Kroll

Keith Dietrich Facility, Fleet & Inventory Specialist

GOLD AWARD

The Roanoke Regional Water Pollution Control Plant received the 2022 NACWA Excellence in Management Gold Award for having 100% compliance with all permits and treatment requirements this past year

VirtualHealthCareOptionsto SaveYouTimeandMoney

TOP EMPLOYERS FOR INTERNS AWARD

In commemoration of Virginia Intern Day on July 27, the Western Virginia Water Authority was recognized as one of Virginia's top 100 employers for interns.

GOLD PERFORMANCE AWARD

Carvins Cove Water Treatment Facility received the Virginia Department of Health - Office of Drinking Water Gold Performance Award for Excellence in Clarification, Filtration and Backwash for 2022.

Recruitment

Mackenzie Wilcox (HR, pictured on right), Scot Sutherland (Engineering) and Neil Norris (HR) attended Roanoke's Marine Reserve Unit's Annual Family Day on August 6 to speak about career opportunities at the WVWA. The event had a slipn-slide, karaoke, food and local vendors.

Engineering Outreach

Earlier this month, PEs from our Engineering Department met with customers to discuss a proposed water line from Williamson & Plantation in Roanoke County into Botetourt County near exit 150. The line will go under I81, Tinker Creek and the railroad (how challenging!)

1) Chat with a doctor 24/7 without an appointment

Urgent care support for health issues, such as allergies, a cold or the flu.

New prescriptions for concerns such as a cough or a sinus infection.

2) Schedule a virtual primary care appointment

Routine care, including virtual annual preventive care (wellness) visits and prescription refills.

Personalized care plans for chronic conditions, such as asthma or diabetes

Women's Equality Day - August 26

August 26th marks the ratification, or formal consent, of the 19th Amendment in 1920 The 19th Amendment granted women the right to be able to vote The deciding vote came from Harry T Burn, a state legislator from Tennessee He read a letter from his mother telling him to vote for the Amendment Signing this Amendment granted 26 million women the right to vote After ratification, Carrie Chapman Catt, a suffragist, funded the League of Women Voters which still provides information about elections today.

Above: Joseph Arthur, Michelle Caruthers and Tesha Okioga (Engineering)

Our Mission is Clear

The Core Value for August is:

Definition:

Treat others as we desire to be treated; be considerate, appreciative and accepting of others’ opinions, needs, and beliefs.

Gayle Shrewsbury

In listening to Gayle speak with customers, new employees, or members of the public, she is always polite and helpful no matter the situation or the temperament of the caller / visitor. She listens to their concerns, takes their information and if she can not help, finds an employee that can. She is wonderful with new employees making them feel welcome. She has established a good working relationship with board of directors members and they trust that she will resolve their requests.

Nominated by Mike McEvoy

James Ledford

James is one of the most respectful co-workers that I have encountered in my 44 year career. He always treats each member of his team as he would expect to be treated, and is a good role model for his fellow employees.

Nominated by Woody Chisom

Nominated by Kevin Thomasson

Nominated by Kevin Thomasson

Nominated by Allan Slaydon