Category Archives: Events

Employee Spotlights, Events

Veterans Day: Highlighting Our Charlotte Water Veterans

We are grateful for the contribution and sacrifice of Veterans and their families everywhere. We have many Veterans who work for Charlotte Water, and their service is invaluable. This Veterans Day we are highlighting some of our staff members who have shared their insights, experiences, and perspectives they have gained from their service, and the influence it has made on how they work and serve our community today. We appreciate their service and their continued dedication to the community.

William Lee

U. S. Army: 10 years of service; Drill Sergeant (Instructor) 

Current Job:

Field Ops Zone Manager: William is currently responsible for the daily operations and leadership for thirty-five employees in Zone 1 which services three townships and the City of Charlotte. 

What I learned from my service:

“In my experience of serving my country, it allowed me to gather a vast amount of knowledge and skills that were transferable to me becoming a productive citizen and leader in the civilian world.” 

Nathan Kamphaus

United States Coast Guard: 2000-2004 Active; 2004-2008 Reserve 

Current Job: 

IDS Plans Reviewer: Nathan is responsible for New Service Plan Reviews 

What I learned from my service: 

“For any public service, I think integrity and honesty whether it be with your shipmates or coworkers is the base of a successful career and reputation. Always try to better yourself….no matter how hard any task looks stay positive and you will make it through.” 

Michele Duval

US Air Force: 20 years 

Current Job: 

Technology Support Specialist: Michele provides technical support for the department. 

What I learned from my service:

“In the Air Force, we are all there to support the jets, the pilots, and their mission. My role in that was tech support and now I am providing tech support for the men and women dedicated to providing clean water to the Charlotte community. I’m very proud to be a part of this.” 

Michele Duval (center)

Mark Goodman

Army: 11 years; Army Reserve: 31 years 

Current Job: 

Utility Management Systems Manager in CLT Water Technology: Mark is responsible for planning and leading a variety of billing and customer service technology projects and efforts. 

What I learned from my service: 

“I learned how to apply an array of leadership skills in very challenging technical environments.” 

Tamara Byers

US Army

Current Job:

Human Resources Manager for CLT Water

What I learned from my service:

“Leadership – I learned how to lead a squad and work with people with all types of backgrounds, attitudes, and personalities. This experience has prepared me for my role as an HR Manager. You have to have confidence in the decisions that you make 

Team player – In the military you always had the “Buddy System”. You need others in order to accomplish a mission. Each person has their own role but collectively we have the confidence to make it happen. 

Adaptability – You have to learn how to adapt in any situation. You learn how to be creative and think outside the box no matter what is thrown at you. This is essential in any job. 

Integrity – Being in the military, you have to adhere to a strict moral code. In my role, being an honest person, trustworthy and dependable is essential to the role I currently hold.” 

Jason Bromirski

Army Reserve: 2009 – present 

Current Job: 

Senior Engineer in the Field Operations Division: Jason’s group, Strategic Operations Support, provides condition assessments on our sewer infrastructure by testing our sewer lines for blockages.

What I learned from my service:

“The biggest thing I learned is probably remaining calm under pressure. It doesn’t matter if it is a large break in a sewer line that is dumping into a creek or a large water main that has ruptured, remaining calm and thinking through the problem and the steps needed to repair the situation gives other people confidence that we as a team can get things back to normal. Another important piece is constant communication with staff on-site, so they know the plan, our public affairs staff, compliance personnel, Chiefs of Operations, Deputy Directors, and the Director. They all update internal and external entities with current information, and you would rather have that be an information push than an information pull.”

Jason Bromirski (right)

Ron Wallace

US Army and Army Reserves: 23 years; retired 

Current Job: 

Treatment Plant Maintenance Supervisor: Ron is currently working on Special Projects for the Maintenance Division (Cathodic Protection, Engineer Parcels, and CityWorks).

What I learned from my service:

“I learned how to be patient with people and listen to their concerns.” 

Ron Wallace (right)

Events

Charlotte Water Celebrates National Drinking Water Week 2022

From May 1-7, 2022, Charlotte Water joined water utilities and professional organizations across the country in celebrating National Drinking Water Week. This annual awareness event is a wonderful opportunity for our entire community to recognize the vital role of water in our daily lives.

Keep an eye around Charlotte’s many Little Free Libraries (https://littlefreelibrary.org/) for copies of the book Why Water’s Worth It that our staff donated around town!

Last week, Charlotte Water also connected with youth across Mecklenburg County by conducting read along events at schools and community partners and donating copies of the book to their permanent libraries.

The 2022 Water Week theme: “There When You Need It,” underscores different aspects of the reliability of our drinking water. In just one day, think about all the ways you use clean drinking water in your daily routine. From basic hygiene like brushing our teeth, cooking water, and hydrating our bodies and our pets. It’s also a great reminder that there are still many places that do not have access to clean and reliable water resources.

To participate in water awareness activities for Water Week (or any time of the year!), you and your family can purchase a copy of the book online, watch a read along on YouTube, or do a free activity book provided by the American Waterworks Association.

This week and every week is a great opportunity to learn more about the importance of clean drinking water and the essential role we have as a community to protect and share this vital resource. Visit charlottewater.org to learn more about how you can celebrate drinking water in your life!

Events

National Drinking Water Week 2021

Happy National Drinking Water Week! This year Water Week will be celebrated from Sunday, May 2, through Saturday, May 8. Charlotte Water will be celebrating by recognizing some of our various divisions who help to exemplify this year’s theme: there when you need it. Each member of our staff plays a role in providing drinking water to the community, and we’re excited to share some examples of a “day in the life” of some of our hardworking staff members.

This year we have also partnered with Carolina Raptor Center and will be kicking off Water Week with a free Trail Day at their center! Be sure to follow us on social media to stay up to date on all things Water Week, and check out the line up below for the week.

Saturday, May 1

What: Trail Day at Carolina Raptor Center (Free admission)
When: 10am – 12:30pm and 1:30pm – 4pm
Where: 6000 Sample Rd. Huntersville, NC 28078

Visit their Water Day website for more information: http://www.carolinaraptorcenter.org/visit/waterweek/

Sunday May 2

Official start to this year’s National Drinking Water Week!

Visit AWWA to learn more about National Drinking Water Week and its history: https://www.awwa.org/Events-Education/Drinking-Water-Week

Monday, May 3 through Saturday, May 8

This year’s theme for National Drinking Water Week is that water is “there when you need it” – and we are grateful for just that. We are grateful for our staff who work hard behind the scenes every day to keep it that way. It takes a whole team of staff members who contribute to each step of the process to ensure everyone has safe and reliable water every day.

Throughout the week, we will highlight some of our dedicated staff members to show our appreciation and give you a glimpse into a “day in the life” of the work they do. Each day we will spotlight a staff member, and some will even take over our Instagram stories – so be sure to follow along on social media!

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

LinkedIn

Here are the staff members that will be featured during Water Week:

Throughout the week we will also highlight a variety of fun activities for kids of all ages, listed below.

For more educational activities, you can also visit our Distance Learning blog article.

Events

Sunshine Week 2021

This week, we celebrate Sunshine Week, a week established 15 years ago to promote transparency by bringing awareness to public records and their availability to residents. In honor of Sunshine Week, our Records Program Administrator, Laura Runge, shares some insights on our Records Management Team and their work.

Charlotte Water’s Records Management Team is proud of our department’s commitment to open communication and transparency. We consistently find people across the department who are prompt and willing to help identify the information a resident has requested. In 2020 alone, Charlotte Water had over 100 formal public record requests, and on average, we were able to fulfill those requests in just five calendar days!

All records maintained by Charlotte Water are available for public inspection unless specifically exempted by law. Although most information is public and subject to disclosure, some information is considered protected. For example, we are obligated to protect such things as customer billing information, sensitive public security information, and components of personnel files. 

To request information, we ask that you complete the Public Records Request Form available at https://charlottenc.gov/PublicRecords. Your request will be tracked and you can even view the status of your request as it is assigned, collected, and fulfilled. As a rule, we respond to all requests for information as quickly as possible. While some requests are more complex and require extra time, Charlotte Water on average fulfills a request in 5-7 days.