Moving from the Chicago suburbs to rural north central Montana was a culture shock of the pleasant kind. People in my small town of only around 150 were generally very pleasant and openly friendly. In general, there was a great sense of community, unlike back in Illinois, where I only knew one of my neighbors by name. In no time at all, not only did I know everybody, but even their kids’ names. Most everyone didn’t lock their homes, and most left the keys in their vehicles… while virtually every truck had a loaded rifle in the back window. And best of all, I didn’t have to worry about anyone being dishonest in this small mountain community where friends often had to rely on another if things got tough.
As the new Supply Manager at the local mine, while soon everyone knew of me “as the guy from Chicago”, it took just a little more time for me to get to know everyone else. Then one day after a small town meeting my boss attended, my status and notoriety dramatically changed. Returning to the office from the meeting, he announced to me that he had volunteered ME to be the new city water operator!
What??? He volunteered me? Instead of my job… or in addition to my job? During work hours… or on my own time? I had so many questions!
Chapter 1: Meet the future City Water Operator
As the mine was such an important part of our small town, they took on many tasks which benefitted the residents. They maintained all gravel roads in town, especially after heavy rains when many would be washed away or cut into by the flood waters. And every so often they’d send a large CAT grader down the road out of town to the highway- almost 7 miles long- back and forth for an entire shift, removing all of the washboard that made it almost un-drivable at times. Assistance was also provided to the town’s satellite system, and as I was to find out, the city water system.
So it turned out, my boss had volunteered me to be the town’s water operator, a position which would require me to pass a test to become state certified, a requirement for the community water system. He further explained that if those duties were ever required of me during work, the company was fine with that since they also got their water from the town’s system. It was just another way for the company to support the small local town where their headquarters were...
based.
Looking through the book, I really got scared
I was shortly sent a study guide by the state for me to learn. I’d have to take a test by the end of the month, and I had to pass in order to become a Certified Water Operator. Looking through the book, I really got scared! There was a lot of stuff I’d never even heard about, and it required lots of mathematical calculations on pressures and volumes. So one didn’t just get assigned to be the water operator… one had to earn the title and certification.
There was quite the buzz around town. The mine had volunteered me to be the operator, but I first had to take and pass a state test. In no time at all, over 150 people knew of my upcoming test and happily egged me on about “what will the town do if I don’t pass the test?” The pressure to pass was enormous, and I felt it everywhere I went. In the post office, at the café, while gassing up at the local garage and motel… people would ask me how my studying was going, and did I think I could pass on the first try? Taking the SATs was psychologically easier by far, as at least an entire town was not fixated on how I would score and whether I would I pass the test.
Finally, the day came for me to take it at work; my boss “administered” the test to me and then sent it to the state to be scored. A week later, he called me into his office and had me take a seat. The test results were in. It felt as bad to me as if I knew I was going to be terminated; the pressure to succeed for the town was that great!
“Well, I have the results here……. and you passed! Congratulations, you’re the new City Water Operator!”
Jokingly, I told him I’d rather be known as the Water Czar; it sounded far more powerful!
A very heavy load had been lifted from my shoulder. Jokingly, I told him I’d rather be known as the Water Czar; it sounded far more powerful! He laughed and then agreed- the Water Czar is what it’d be! News quickly spread throughout our small town, and people were glad to shake the hand of the new Water Czar. My status quickly rose among the locals, and I was on my way to becoming “one of them.”
...
Chapter 2: Many Roles of the Czar
So began our friendship when he taught me about the water supply in our little town.
My good friend, John, was a local businessman. He had a hotel and garage in town, and was a jack of all trades, if ever there was one. He and his wife were also EMT’s. Additionally, as the owner of a backhoe business, John was also responsible for helping the town to get the satellite system installed, ran waterlines to every home, and dug most all of the septic systems in town. In the interim, he’d also been ensuring the water system was running properly. So began our friendship when he taught me about the water supply in our little town.
Situated at the base of some remote mountains in north central Montana, our well was over 700 feet deep at the base of those mountains in very deep limestone. It was, by its nature, very soft water, and always nice and cold without a hint of bad taste or foul odor. In fact, I soon discovered that I could wash my car and let it air dry without having any water spots result- that’s how pure the water was!
Again, the town responded well to this improvement- just imagine… the first fire hydrants the town had ever seen!
The first thing John and I did was to install the town’s first ever fire hydrants. With the storage tank up in the foothills of the mountains, we were also blessed with tremendous water pressure. One was installed on the south part of town near the post office, café, bar and hotels. The other was placed on the north end, near the mine office and shop. It was a little challenging finding the water lines because John had installed those years prior. We had to go by his memory on where the major lines could be found. Again, the town responded well to this improvement- just imagine… the first fire hydrants the town had ever seen!
Chapter 3: It’s not all glory being the Czar
I know it’s hard to believe, but not all aspects of being the Water Czar were glorious. After one particularly heavy rain, the access culvert in the middle of town was buried in over two feet of gravel. John and his backhoe were out of town, so I had to come up with a way to uncover it by myself. Creatively, I went to...
the firehouse and borrowed 200 feet of 2” firehose.
it was like trying to walk up to a bucking bronco and putting your arm around it at the waist!
Not knowing any better, I tried to hook it up to the newly installed south side fire hydrant to blast away all the gravel. Working by myself, I unrolled the flat line and laid it out all the way to the buried culvert, a six-foot section that had been almost buried on its end upright, and then capped with a cover having an access trapdoor. It housed a manual control valve which shut off the water to the east side of town.
Installing a large brass nozzle on the far end of the line by the culvert, I walked back along the limp, flat line to open the hydrant valve. The lifeless hose suddenly went rigid when I put the wrench to the hydrant, but I didn’t give it much thought. Arriving back at the nozzle end, I picked up the hose and was surprised at how heavy a 2-inch line full of water can be. And then I opened the shutoff handle while holding onto the hose all by myself.
We’ve all seen comedies where the goof-ball firefighter is whipped around by the end of a firehose… well that was me, but for only about five seconds. The power of water coming out of a two inch fire hose choked down by a brass nozzle was incredible! While I held on for dear life and trying to keep it against my right hip, it was like trying to walk up to a bucking bronco and putting your arm around it at the waist! In just moments I was thrown to the ground and beaten repeatedly by the discharging hose. Quickly, I rolled away as fast as I could, only to see the 2-inch live water snake dancing and gyrating around just like it happens in a movie. Getting up, I quickly ran to the hydrant and shut things down.
Looking around, fortunately I could see that nobody in town had seen the Water Czar get beaten up by a hose!
Looking around, fortunately I could see that nobody in town had seen the Water Czar get beaten up by a hose! Rather than wisely going to get some help, I figured instead that if I took the brass nozzle off, the discharge from the line would not be so violent and strong. And by myself, I could just use the shutoff handle which still remained on the line end, once the nozzle was taken off. So back I go to open the hydrant and charge...
the line. Then back on the business end of the hose, but this time I straddle it with the line between my legs like I’m going to ride a witch’s broomstick.
While a minor victory for the Water Czar… I was very glad that nobody saw the whole thing!
With about two feet of the huge hose sticking out past my crotch, I opened up the shutoff handle, and a solid two-inch stream of water gushes forth from the firehose with INCREDIBLE POWER. It was all I could do to keep my balance, but I was able to at least keep on my feet as the monstrous stream blasted at the gravel, eroding it away in less than a minute. While a minor victory for the Water Czar… I was very glad that nobody saw the whole thing!
Chapter 4: Did you know that E.coli… is NOT a good thing?
Every month, I had to go around town to two or three different sites to collect water samples from inside sinks, and then send the samples in to the state for testing. This went on for several years with boring monotony, always getting back clear results. But one month in the early summer, I got notice from the state that my samples had tested positive… for E. coli!
E. coli is a type of fecal coliform bacteria commonly found in the intestines of animals and humans. However, the presence of E. coli in water is a strong indication of recent sewage, or animal waste contamination. A quick call to the state, and they helped me outline a strategy for how to find the source of our problem. First, I had to post public notice at the post office for all residents to boil any water used for cooking or drinking. Then calculations were run for how much bleach I had to dump down the over 700 foot deep well to sterilize the water source. Safely in an enclosed and covered deep culvert, I hardly suspected it as the source of contamination, but I ended up dumping in twice what I calculated, just to be sure.
I hardly suspected it as the source of contamination, but I ended up dumping in twice what I calculated, just to be sure.
Calling again upon my good friend, John and I then went up to the large, buried storage tank, well up above town in the hills. It was around eight feet in diameter and perhaps twenty feet long with only the access hatch visible from above....
At one end was a vent pipe, curved like an upside-down “J” so the tank could breathe as new water is pumped in, or pulled down from use in town below. We first examined the vent pipe and right away noticed that the protective screen on the end is missing…
why is that?
“That’s not so good, Ken!” I wholeheartedly agreed!!!
Opening the hatch, I looked inside and saw what appeared to be a broken up mouse nest, and perhaps a half-dozen dead, decaying baby mice, floating here and there! Relaying this to John and then pointing with a flashlight, John announced, “That’s not so good, Ken!” I wholeheartedly agreed!!! Apparently a mouse had gotten into the vent pipe, built a nest, and somehow it and the litter of babies fell into the town’s water supply tank to drown and decay.
Back to town, and we were glad we posted that “boil water” notice right away. I think I actually had the postmaster also place a note in each person’s mailbox, something easy to do in a small town. A quick call to the state water quality bureau, and they confirmed that what we found, most certainly was the cause of contamination. He said we had to drain the tank, remove the decaying debris, and then wash the tank fully down with full strength bleach to kill all bacteria. This was back well before the concept of the hazards of a confined space was ever even identified as a risk.
Wisely, John stayed up top while I climbed down into the tank to begin the outlined cleanup and sterilization task. First the critters were cleaned up, and the broken up nest. Then I proceeded to splash bleach all over the floor, walls, and inside top of the cylindrical tank lying on its side. I then took a new, clean floor mop and swabbed the entire inside surfaces. Nearing the end of this process, I began to get very dizzy and felt like passing out. Calling up to John, I told him the chlorine in the bleach was getting to me, and I’d better get out right away. We could finish outside by working from the access hatch to continue to spray the walls down with more bleach.
we joked about us both dropping and dying in the town’s water storage tank and the serious impact it would have on our small, close-knit community.
It’s a good thing I didn’t pass out. Knowing...
my buddy John as an EMT, he would’ve come in to rescue me and probably also been overcome by the fumes. Later, we joked about us both dropping and dying in the town’s water storage tank and the serious impact it would have on our small, close-knit community.
Several days later, people would’ve been complaining that the water smells a little bad… tastes a little funny… sort of like… John and Ken!!!