Keeping Our Drinking Water Safe for You

We honor the Washington winners of the Drinking Water Week Awards

Imagine your life without clean, safe water for drinking, cooking, bathing, and cleaning in your homes and businesses. Behind the scenes, professionals all over the state work hard to make sure you have access to safe water.

We honor them during National Drinking Water Week, May 7–13, with our Drinking Water Week Awards.

We thank them for their innovative solutions; for overcoming difficult, recurring problems; for demonstrating a commitment to excellence; and for going above and beyond the normal range of duties.

One story from this year involves Joe Grogan, the Public Works Director in the Town of Coupeville. Joe won the Grace Under Pressure award. When he started his career as Utility Supervisor in 2016, the Navy had just confirmed PFAS contamination in the town’s newest, highest-producing drinking water well. Joe quickly became an expert on PFAS contaminants, water testing, state and federal regulations, treatment operations, and more.

He was the liaison between the Navy and the town, communicating complex information in a clear and understandable way. He created a calm environment and gained the trust of the community, the press, and the Navy. Joe was recently promoted to Public Works Director and continues to oversee major capital construction projects and the utility crew, all while keeping current with emerging state and federal PFAS regulations.

And the winners are…

This year we are giving ten awards in four categories.

• In the “Above and Beyond” category, Christopher Roblin, Evergreen Rural Water, Ferry County.
• The “Commitment to Excellence” award goes to Scott Dixon, General Manager, Dallesport Water District; Wyatt Long, Public Works Manager, City of Rock Island; Kevin Cook, Treatment Plant Operator, Bellingham; and John Anderson, Water Treatment/Water Quality Superintendent, Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District, Sammamish.
• Joe Grogan, Public Works Director, Town of Coupeville, won the “Grace Under Pressure” award.
• The following people each earned a “Lifetime Achievement” award. John Lovie, Former Whidbey Island Water System Association president, Freeland; Mark “Bubba” Scott, Water System Manager, Pend Oreille County PUD 1, Newport; Tim McMurrin, Water/Wastewater Operator, Klickitat County PUD; and Sue Kennedy, Senior Environmental Specialist, Water Program, Lewis County.

The people we depend on

We depend on our drinking water professionals — water system certified operators, local health jurisdiction staff, water system owners and managers, and water system design consultants. These professionals work across the state, and work within water systems of different sizes and classifications. Some examples of these include:

• A rural community may be supported by a small water system serving only 15 homes, businesses or other customers.
• A large community may be supported by a water utility company serving hundreds of thousands of people.

These professionals do their jobs so that you can trust the water coming out of your tap.

Visit our Drinking Water Week webpage to read the Governor’s proclamation and for more information on each winner and a list of past winners.

Congratulations to our winners and thank you for your dedication to providing safe, clean drinking water to Washingtonians!

More Information

Information in this blog changes rapidly. Sign up to be notified whenever we post new articles. For more information from the Washington State Department of Health, visit doh.wa.gov.

Questions about COVID-19? Visit our COVID-19 website to learn more about vaccines and booster doses, testing, WA Notify, and more. You can also contact the Department of Health call center at 1–800–525–0127 and press # from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday, and 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday — Sunday and observed state holidays. Language assistance is available.