Drinking Water Week is an opportunity for both water professionals and the communities they serve to recognize the vital role water plays in our daily lives. In 1988, AWWA brought Drinking Water Week to the attention of the U.S. government and formed a coalition along with the League of Women Voters, the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Drinking Water Week gives us the perfect opportunity to highlight our incoming Water Plant Administrator, Dorothy “Dottie” DiNobile (current Environmental Lab Director), who is taking over the position starting June 1. Dottie has been with the city in the water treatment plant for over a decade.
Said Dottie, “I am very excited to take on the role as Water Plant Administrator. Randy is extremely knowledgeable and has been a great mentor and leader. He will be truly missed. I am confident that the amazing, hardworking staff of the water plant is ready to take on any challenge and will continue to provide high-quality water.”
There are several projects that the water treatment plant will undergo in the next couple of years. The first is the replacement of our filter underdrains. The filter underdrains are old and beginning to fail, so we will be upgrading them to a stainless-steel version with a more secure attachment structure. This project is currently in the design phase, and installation will begin in early 2026. The Thickened Sludge Storage Tank (TSST) is on track to be replaced in 2026 as well. Later this year, the plant will begin a very large comprehensive facility study where engineers will investigate our water production rates and what type of facility improvements or additions will be needed to keep up with the estimated water demands expected in the near future.
Please join us in congratulating Dottie DiNobile and wishing Randy Alstadt a happy retirement!