by Kristin Kruse
With a career that spans 34 years as a licensed water and wastewater treatment operator, it is no surprise that Stevensville’s public works employee Glen Bies was presented with a lifetime achievement award by Montana Rural Water Systems. They awarded him this at their annual conference in Great Falls last week. Each year, five operators from across the state are selected to be recognized for their years of dedicated service as licensed operators. The conference is also an opportunity for operators to acquire their continuing education credits in the field, which is a requirement of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and the EPA.
Bies spent 22 years as an operator in Laurel, Montana, before moving to Stevensville. He has been employed by the Town of Stevensville for 12 years, and is the only Town operator with licenses in water treatment and distribution, and wastewater treatment. The Stevensville plant requires the highest level of certifications due to its complex process. His responsibilities include providing safe and clean drinking water for the community, with mandatory stringent testing and reporting on a daily, weekly and yearly basis.
According to Bies, his industry is facing a national crisis, with the longer term operators starting to retire and very few new people opting for this career path. Bies says that this is a recurring theme at all of the professional gatherings the public works employees attend, and is a major concern for operators and municipalities around the country. Another challenge for professional operators are new requirements by the federal government regarding lead and copper mitigation and new emerging contaminants, which change on a regular basis. MT Rural Water is an organization which helps smaller systems keep up to date with these sometimes confusing rules by holding training sessions and webinars.
In addition to his water and wastewater treatment responsibilities, Bies can also be found plowing the streets of town, testing and managing the chemicals at the pool and splash pad, tending to the bike path and keeping town parks and cemeteries mowed and weed-free.
Bies humbly stated, “God has blessed our town with outstanding Public Works Directors. Ed Sutherlin, George Thomas and Steve Kruse are the leadership that kept Stevensville’s water clean and safe. They are the ones we need to thank for their conscientious work and caring attitudes over many years. They have kept our town out of harm’s way on many occasions. Now Stephen Lassiter will carry the torch as our newest Public Works Director, and is doing a great job. Cody Anderson and I are the licensed operators of our town, and are trying to keep the ball afloat. I like my job and the people that I work with, it is an enjoyable career.”
Clean water is something some may take for granted, so Bies suggests the next time members of the community enjoy a nice cold glass of water from the kitchen sink, they consider that they now know who is keeping it that way for them.