Providing high-quality water relies on having a staff fully committed to that mission, eager to learn and grow to meet the constantly changing demands and needs of operating a water utility.
Ashley at the City of Lincoln exemplifies that commitment. She works as an Office Assistant II in the Public Works Department (Administrative Services Division) at the City of Lincoln and has lived in the city for nearly a decade.
“I love Lincoln,” Ashley said. “And I wanted to contribute to making life better, and give back to the community I’ve come to love.”
Her daily responsibilities include handling invoices and helping customers with questions about their water bills. She said she takes great pride and pleasure in helping customers when they have a question, especially when it comes to a spike in their water usage.
Using data from Lincoln’s advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), which provides near-real-time updates on water consumption, Ashley can check a customer’s usage and identify when it increases. “We tend to get a lot more calls in summertime, when people’s water usage increases as they water their yards. With AMI, I can easily see when upticks occur and help our customers determine whether their water service has a leak. I love being able to help people in this way.”
Fellow employees encouraged Ashley to get her Water Distribution Certificate 2, which would enable her to get more involved in operations. She enrolled in a class at Sacramento State, passed the D2 examination with ease, and is now working toward certification in water treatment.
She truly appreciates how supportive and encouraging everyone at the utility is, and how passionate they are about giving back to the community. The staff at Lincoln have not only encouraged and helped her prepare for exams but also brought in water meters and other equipment to demonstrate how different parts of the system work.
“One of the things I would like people to know and understand is how complex and how much work goes into providing high-quality water. I had no idea how many parts and people are needed to make this system run so smoothly. It’s a real honor to be part of this dedicated team.”
Ashley said that Lincoln is now working to enable residents to check their water usage online and believes this advancement will greatly benefit their customers. “Giving our customers access to their water usage information from AMI will make a huge difference in helping protect our water supply for the future.”
