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Washington Aqueduct in full operations during storms Story by Tina Carlsen
Baltimore District headquarters shut down early Feb. 5 to ensure employees could safely travel home before an impending snowstorm. It remained closed through Feb. 12 because of the record-breaking snowfall the area received during multiple storms. One District element that couldn’t close because of its 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-per-week, 365-days-per-year operation was the Washington Aqueduct. “We had a large crew of essential personnel in addition to our operators, who worked very hard ensuring execution of our mission while others were in the comfort and safety of their homes,” said Patty Gamby, WA deputy general manager. Tom Jacobus, WA general manager, said production operations proceeded normally throughout the event because of the great effort and personal sacrifice from operations and maintenance employees. Extra operators and supervisors stayed at both treatment plants to ensure coverage and facilities crews kept up with the snow clearing to ensure accessibility to the plants and for safe operations. “Operator crews did lots of double shifts and some remained at the treatment plant for up to five consecutive days to accommodate for necessary schedule changes due to the accessibility for operators,” Mr. Jacobus said. Work wasn’t over for the WA staff when the snow stopped falling and the roads were cleared. “Snow melt always creates chemical changes in the source water which creates some treatment challenges,” Mr. Jacobus said. Ms. Gamby said that employee dedication could be seen throughout the difficult time and that their dedication showed through the smiles on their faces even in the worst of conditions. “Our employees know that we’re here because of the part they play in ensuring the production of safe, high quality drinking water for the nation’s capital and northern Virginia.” |
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