Essex joins OMWA in declaring October 23rd as Water Operator Appreciation Day

- OMWA has reps throughout the province, but its President, Tech Director, and Political Director are from Essex -

by Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative  

Every time clean drinking water comes from the tap, the toilet is flushed, and excess stormwater is managed, there are teams of dedicated and knowledgeable Water, Stormwater, and Wastewater Operators behind the scenes who are managing the infrastructure, looking after the health and safety of their communities, and responding to emergencies when required.  

  They ensure the delivery of clean, safe drinking water, in addition to the effective treatment of wastewater, protection of the environment, public health, and the management of stormwater systems, often with little recognition for the vital services they provide to their communities.

  Wanting a way to honour their crucial, and often overlooked role, the Ontario Municipal Water Association (OMWA) declared October 23rd as Water, Wastewater, Stormwater Operators Appreciation Day.

  This is the first official year that day will be recognized, and the Town of Essex is one of many municipalities throughout the province making the proclamation.  

People know they can flush the toilet and turn on the tap, and they are provided with water, but they don’t know what happens behind the scenes to provide water for everyday use, Justin Pulleyblank said, who is the President of OMWA, representing ENWIN Utilities Ltd. and the City of Windsor.

  “I hope this gives them the recognition they deserve. The Operators are unsung heroes. They are the ones behind the scenes that make everything work,” Pulleyblank said. “They are the day-to-day, boots-on-the-ground people who don’t get any recognition.”

  Staff are out 24/7 to ensure water is available, and responding to emergencies, as well. That could include watermain breaks and hydrant issues for fire protection. In addition, Stormwater Operators deal with floods. They are also source water protection professionals.

  OMWA represents more than 200 communities in Ontario that have wastewater, stormwater, and drinking water Operators that deal with that infrastructure every day.

  Sheila Alexander, who is on the Board of Directors for the Eastern Ontario Waterworks Conference and works for the City of Belleville approached Pulleyblank around a year-and-a-half ago, wondering how Water Operators could be honoured.

  Since, OMWA's  Board of Directors has proclaimed October 23 as Water Operator Appreciation Day in Ontario.

  It is spearheading the initiative with the wastewater group, the Water Environment Association of Ontario (WEAO).

  Last week in London, the two groups officially announced the declaration to the Province of Ontario, during the Western Ontario Waterworks Conference.

  “So far, the traction has been huge. It has been very well-received,” Pulleyblank said.

  “No body grows up and says ‘I want to be a Water Operator.’ You kind of fall into it,” Pulleyblank commented, adding it can be a satisfying career, and a lucrative one, as well. 

OMWA has reached out to its members, requesting they proclaim October 23 as Water Operators Day. The Town of Essex did so at its September 22 meeting, joining several other municipalities across the province in doing so. Members that do not host Council proclamations found other ways to recognize the Water Operators, Pulleyblank said.

  OMWA encourages municipalities, utilities, and residents across Ontario to participate in celebrating and thanking these essential workers on October 23rd.

  This is the second year the Town of Essex has made the proclamation, with the one in 2024 being part of a trial run for the program.

  Pulleyblank hopes the Water Operators Day is expanded upon in the years to come, as it continues to get momentum.

  “I don’t want this forgotten about,” he said.

  Though OMWA is a province-wide association with a mission to “act as the voice of Ontario’s public water authorities through actions which sustain and protect the lifecycle of water,” it has great representation from the Town of Essex. Pulleyblank, President of its Board, is a Town of Essex resident, and Mayor Sherry Bondy is the Political Director. The Town of Essex’s Director of Infrastructure Services, Kevin Girard, was just welcomed as a Technical Director.

  Mayor Bondy believes it is important to raise public awareness of the value of Water, Stormwater, and Wastewater Operators.

  Sitting on OMWA and Union Water Boards, it is known there will be a big shift in retirements coming in the industry.

  “We need to highlight this is an amazing career,” she said, adding it is important for municipalities to be able to recruit qualified individuals into these types of roles.

  It is always interesting to speak with Water Operators and hear their wealth of knowledge on matters, she commented.

  Clean water, and having infrastructure to take away wastewater, are often taken for granted, Bondy added. Being able to celebrate the employees who provide that service in the Town of Essex is important.

  On October 25, Bondy will host a Great Lakes water quality talk from 10am-12 at the Colchester Community Centre.

  “I want to start talking about water quality,” she said. “We have to start treating water as more important.”

  She would also like to talk about why there are beach closures, and see if there is anything the community can do to avoid that in the future and work on water quality.

  That could include providing information on how to maintain septic systems, or looking into possible impacts of spray use, goose droppings on the beaches, or excess fishflies. She brought that forward as a Notice of Motion to discuss that with the Health Unit recently, which Council supported.

  To learn more about Water, Wastewater, Stormwater Operators Appreciation Day or OMWA, log onto www.omwa.org.