This article is written by Brian S. Probolsky, President, Moulton Niguel Water District. This article is one of the entrants in Apolitical's 2020 American public servant writing competition.

My colleague, Bill Moorhead, had a less-than-thrilling first job.

He was only ten years old, but like every other kid in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, he needed a way to earn extra money for himself and his family. So twice a day, his charge was to clean out cat and dog kennels. It was a tough job for a young kid, but it may have ultimately charted a career path for him in wastewater, and finally water treatment and distribution.

“We need more young people to see the potential for a career in water"

In high school, Bill found mentors, Mr. Weitzel and Mr. Leslie, from his advanced biology program. They redirected Bill’s interests and trained him in collecting lake and stream samples for analyses. This expanded his vision as to where water comes from, where it goes and the responsibility we all have, in what happens in between. This is all it took to hook Moorhead on water.

“In biology, you learn ‘water is life’ and water became my life,” recalls Moorhead, a registered civil engineer and retired principal water engineer. “Throughout my career in water, wastewater and engineering, I have always received encouragement from mentors who shared their knowledge and experience.” Bill remains passionate about his industry, but has a call to action: “We need more young people to see the potential for a career in water.”

A generation retires

Nearly a half-million people work at 52,000 drinking water utilities and 16,000 wastewater utilities in the United States. A large part of that workforce is quickly approaching retirement age. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median age of water operators in 2016 was 46.4 years old – with one in four water operators age 55 or older.

A 2017 analysis by the consultancy PWC estimates that the broader utilities industry “has at least twice as many retirement-eligible employees across all employment levels” compared to all other industries. Within the water industry, the Water Environment Federation projected “that in the next 10 years, 37 percent of the water utility workers and 31 percent of wastewater utility workers will retire.” A lack of well-trained operators could result in reduced services, increased risks of spills or line breaks and, ultimately, higher costs for customers.

Reliable access to clean, safe and sustainable drinking water requires substantial planning and ongoing investments in our water infrastructure

When the American Water Works Association surveyed its members in 2016, more than half of utilities said they had no clear-cut plans to fill vacancies.

“Traditionally, we think of water and wastewater infrastructure in terms of physical capital assets: treatment plants, valves, and pipelines,” explains Joone Lopez, General Manager at Moulton Niguel Water District. “We’re not just in the water business. We’re also in the people business.”

Career development requires people to be exposed to what jobs exist in the water industry. Beyond the more familiar careers of water science, engineering and operations, the water industry has opportunities for people interested in accounting, customer service, data science, human resources, marketing, public policy, and technology.

New challenges, new opportunities

The Future Leaders of Water (FLOW) initiative seeks to address the growing problem, and encourage future generations to consider water as a career.

Through our FLOW initiative, our agency is engaging academic institutions, professional associations, and community groups to shepherd talented people from diverse backgrounds toward water management.

As our country and world continue to address and adapt to challenges caused by the Coronavirus, we’re also reminded that unexpected major events can test our water infrastructure

“Reliable access to clean, safe and sustainable drinking water requires substantial planning and ongoing investments in our water infrastructure,” says Lopez. “It also takes an investment in human capital – to make sure that we have the best minds leading us to new technologies and state-of-the-art innovation in water.”

No one is too young to be inspired by water. One component of our FLOW initiative is a partnership with Orange County Coastkeeper that offers water education field trips to middle school and high school students in our service area. Students participate in field trips to explore their watershed on a guided hike with a naturalist. At the end of the hike, students collect water samples and perform water quality tests to determine the level of nitrates and other pollutants in the creek.

Just like how Moorhead got his start in water, these students are shown firsthand how water makes an impact on the environment and on their lives.

The water industry faces challenges in resource management, storage, supply, production, and efficiency. These challenges come with opportunities, such as maximizing wastewater production and introducing new technologies to deliver water to our communities. As our country and world continue to address and adapt to challenges caused by the Coronavirus, we’re also reminded that unexpected major events can test our water infrastructure and people’s faith in whether clean water will continue to be delivered to them and if it will be safe to drink.

Fortunately, we’re no longer just pipes. We’re pipes connected to computers and data, and therefore, we need a different type of workforce to keep providing a sustainable water supply to our customers. By creating our Future Leaders of Water initiative, Moulton Niguel is demonstrating how the water industry can develop best practices and offer solutions for other industries facing similar workforce challenges. — Brian S. Probolsky

Brian S. Probolsky serves as President of the Moulton Niguel Water District. During his tenure, Moulton Niguel has earned a AAA credit rating, won the state’s highest environmental award and maintained the lowest average bill in South Orange County. An accomplished entrepreneur and seasoned public agency manager, Probolsky also serves as chair of the Orange Countywide Oversight Board.

(Picture credit: Unsplash)

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