ON GOOD AUTHORITY

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

Happy 19th Birthday, WVWA!

On July 1, the Western Virginia Water Authority celebrated its 19th Anniversary. Here's a list of just a few of our favorite milestones:

July 1, 2004: WVWA is formed

2005: The Coulter Building was purchased as the Authority's administrative home (below)

2014: The old, leaking clearwell at Crystal Spring (above) was removed, and a new one was built. Carilion purchased that property to build a new ER and Cardiac Care Facility.

2015: Botetourt County joins WVWA

2019: WVWA is restructured to create Divisions including Water Quality and Customer Operations

2020: Over $780,000 in assistance given to customers through Authority Cares and federal funding sources

2021: IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Action) Team was created. Photo of 2022 core meeting below

2008: $50M renovation to WPCP is completed, increasing treatment capacity to 55- million gallons per day

2009: Franklin County joins WVWA

2011: Honeywell ESCO Project included energy efficient plant improvements and new wireless meters (below)

2016: Blue Ridge Brawlers won Division 1 National Championship (below)

2022: Town of Vinton joins WVWA

2023: WVWA and Roanoke Gas Co begin producing Renewable Natural Gas from biogas produced at WPCP

2013: Cogsdale, the new billing system, is installed and allows customers to view bills and consumption data online.

2017: Registered High School Apprenticeship Program starts (below)

What was your favorite milestone?

Meet Kris Kristopher Newman - Lab Analyst I

Q: What inspired you to become a lab analyst?

A: I always have enjoyed living in the Roanoke Valley and wanted to find a career in a job field that was related to my college degree in biology. This position seemed like the perfect opportunity to explore and jump into.

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

A: I was born and raised in Roanoke, VA I attended Glenvar High School, and then went on to Radford University to study and obtain a bachelor’s degree in biology

Q: What is something you are most excited about with this position?

A: I am excited to be able to learn all about how water and wastewater get distributed and taken care of all throughout the major areas that we cover. On a day-to-day basis, you don’t really think about all of the intricate details and processes that it takes to make everything work and operate so smoothly as it does, and I definitely look forward to learning all about it.

Q: Can you share a fun fact?

A: One fun fact about myself is that I’m able to solve a rubik’s cube in a few minutes. I also enjoy fishing, and being outdoors.