Scottsdale Water is proud to observe the statewide campaign Thank a Water Hero Day on Sept. 23, 2020, to salute the heroic work done by water and wastewater professionals every day. During a time when millions of Americans were under a stay-at-home order, thousands of water employees throughout Arizona continued to leave their homes to provide our communities the most essential service – water.

“I want to thank our water service workers,” said Scottsdale Mayor W.J. “Jim” Lane. “We cannot take for granted what they provide for us on a daily basis with reliable, safe, clean water supply.”

The mayor went on to further explain that water services professionals are rightfully deemed critical infrastructure workers by the federal government: “They’re the last people who get to go home or get out of the way in an emergency. They are absolutely necessary for the continuance of our community and our country.”

Echoing the mayor’s sentiment, Scottsdale Water Executive Director Brian K. Biesemeyer stated: “People tend to take water for granted. They turn on their taps and water comes out. But that doesn’t happen without the dedicated efforts of water professionals: the people who treat, test and deliver our drinking water; who collect and treat our wastewater; who maintain our facilities and infrastructure; and who manage the administrative and technical aspects of our operations.”

Not only have operations not diminished for water workers during the pandemic, but the record-breaking summer heat has pushed Scottsdale Water operations staff even harder than usual:

• From June through August, Scottsdale Water treated and delivered an average of 93.2 million gallons of drinking water a day to Scottsdale residents and businesses – our average annual water delivery is about 67.3 million gallons a day.
• Water Campus operational staff performed four APS-requested short-term operational shutdowns on the hottest summer days to conserve energy on the grid, helping ensure power availability for APS customers throughout Arizona and Southern California. Prior to this summer, Scottsdale had only been asked to perform one such operation in ten years.

Additionally, Scottsdale Water staff provided emergency relief efforts in support of controlling the pandemic and protecting public safety:

• When hand sanitizer was not available from traditional supply chains, Scottsdale Water scientists created, tested and mass produced hand sanitizer in the water quality laboratory. The sanitizer, which met all CDC requirements, was distributed throughout city facilities and the recipe was shared with cities throughout the Valley.
• Working with the AZ Water and Wastewater Agency Response Network (AZ WARN), a statewide mutual assistance program among Arizona water and wastewater utilities, Scottsdale Water administrative staff managed the distribution of 40,000 masks to utilities throughout Central Arizona.

Scottsdale Water hopes people throughout Arizona will help us in recognizing the monumentally essential work of all of our water professionals by thanking a water hero!

Share your thanks on social media with the hashtags: #ThankAWaterHero, #ScottsdaleWater,  #AZWaterHeroes 

For more information about where your water comes from, how your drinking water is treated and tested, why Scottsdale Water is considered a global leader in water recycling, and what you can do to conserve our most precious resource, visit our Scottsdale Water web pages.