When you turn on your tap, you may not be aware of the many people whose hard work and dedication goes into making that possible. We rely on them every time we go to our tap for a drink of water, to make food, to clean our homes, to wash our hands, and so much more. From treatment plants to field operations, we are proud to count many of them as a member of our American Water team.
We’d like to introduce you to some of the behind-the-scenes members of the water treatment process at American Water.
Dionna Pisel, Production Mechanic – New Jersey American Water
Originally joining the New Jersey American Water team through the water quality department, several years ago Dionna Pisel took an opportunity to test out her skills in production—and we are so glad she did. As a production mechanic, Dionna and those around her maintain critical equipment and stations that verify that the water flowing to our customers is properly treated, clean and safe—meeting or surpassing state and federal standards.
In her 14 years with New Jersey American Water, Dionna has become an invaluable asset to the water treatment process and her attitude reflects it.
“I take pride in my responsibility to make sure that people are able to depend on the water coming out of their taps.”
Chuck Shaw, Systems Operator – New Jersey American Water
Countless New Jersey residents have, over the past three decades, received high-quality drinking water as a result Chuck Shaw’s hard work.
Chuck, a systems operator who recently celebrated his 33rd year with the company, is responsible for monitoring and operating the Delaware River Regional Water Treatment Plant—which delivers as much as 40 million gallons of water daily to hundreds of thousands of customers in Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Salem Counties—as well as ground water stations, interconnects and sewer stations in the state. He spends his days conducting water quality lab samples, adjusting chemical feeds, monitoring filter washes, controlling residuals programs, monitoring maintenance screens, recording data, and taking emergency calls, among other important tasks that allow customers to rely on our water services.
“I got into the industry because it provides stability—water will never go out of business. But, it’s that dependency on our work that makes the job that much more important.”
