SENIOR WATER DISTRIBUTION SUPERVISOR

Class specifications are intended to present a descriptive list of the range of duties performed by employees in the class. Specifications are not intended to reflect all duties performed within the job.

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

Under general direction, supervises, assigns, reviews, and participates in the work of staff responsible for the daily operation and maintenance of the City’s potable and recycled water distribution systems including all dams, reservoirs, pump stations, pipelines, hydroelectric power plants, and pressure regulating stations; administers the water metering, water quality monitoring, and cross connection control programs; participates in activities related to coordinating and implementing distribution system improvements; ensures work quality and adherence to established policies and procedures; and performs the more technical and complex tasks relative to assigned area of responsibility.

REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES

The following duties are typical for this classification. Incumbents may not perform all of the listed duties and/or may be required to perform additional or different duties from those set forth below to address business needs and changing business practices.

• Plans, prioritizes, assigns, supervises, reviews, and participates in the work of staff responsible for the daily operation and maintenance of the City’s potable and recycled water distribution systems.
• Establishes schedules and methods for providing assigned services; identifies resource needs; reviews needs with appropriate management staff; allocates resources accordingly.
• Participates in the development of goals and objectives as well as policies and procedures; makes recommendations for changes and improvements to existing standards, policies, and procedures; participates in the implementation of approved policies and procedures; monitors work activities to ensure compliance with established policies and procedures.
• Participates in the selection of assigned staff; provides or coordinates staff training; works with employees to correct deficiencies; implements discipline procedures.
• Plans, schedules, and supervises the daily operation of the City’s water distribution system; oversees all shut-downs of the water distribution system including both scheduled and emergency shut-downs; oversees the daily operation of all flow control valves, dams, and reservoirs within the distribution system.
• Plans, schedules, and supervises the water quality flushing program; collects and evaluates data to monitor water quality within the distribution system; recommends and implements further action as necessary.
• Plans, schedules, and supervises the daily maintenance of the City’s water distribution system; oversees the installation of new water meters and fire hydrants; oversees the repair and replacement of water mains, water services, water meter boxes, mainline valves, pressure reducing valves, fire hydrants, air and vacuum release valves, blow-off assemblies, and related items; oversees the maintenance of dams and reservoirs and monitor the recording of these activities as required by state and federal regulations; oversees the main line valve exercising program; oversees water system locator services; plans, schedules, and supervises after hours overtime operations.
• Oversees operations necessary to ensure water meter accuracy; receives work orders requesting repair, replacement, and/or re-reading of water meters; plans, schedules, and supervises staff responsible for the repair, replacement, and/or re-reading of meters, the installation of temporary construction water meters, and the installation, renovation, repair, and testing of large water meters; prepares and reviews related documentation.
• Oversees operations necessary to ensure that all water meters are read monthly for billing purposes; ensures that meter reads are accurate, meter reading route s are completed on schedule; ensures that operations, services and activities related to scheduling, routing, reading water meters, and downloading and uploading data from computers for meter reading are conducted accurately and efficiently.
• Plans, schedules, and supervises the City’s cross connection control program; monitors compliance and enforcement of City, state, and federal regulations; oversees the scheduling, testing, and data collection for all backflow devices within the City’s water distribution system.
• Plans, schedules, and supervises activities related to the testing, maintenance, and repair of the City’s recycled water distribution system; coordinates on-site testing with the County Health Department and the customer.
• Prepares, reviews, and processes invoices for work performed by division staff and equipment.
• Performs a variety of duties related to the design and installation of improvements to the existing and new water distribution system; identifies pipelines needing improvements; participates in the selection of design consultants; reviews plans and provides written comments during all phases of design; attends meetings including pre-design and community meetings; interacts with selected contractor and inspectors throughout the construction process; addresses customer concerns during construction process; plans, schedules, and supervises work performed by assigned staff during construction; integrates finished project into the existing water distribution system.
• Participates in the preparation and administration of the assigned program budget; submits budget recommendations; monitors expenditures.
• Maintains records concerning operations and programs; prepares reports on operations and activities.
• Performs the more technical and complex tasks of the work unit.
• Attends and participates in professional group meetings; maintains awareness of new trends and developments in the field of water distribution system maintenance and operation; incorporates new developments as appropriate into programs.
• Performs related duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS

The following generally describes the knowledge and ability required to enter the job and/or be learned within a short period of time in order to successfully perform the assigned duties.

Knowledge of:

• Operations, services, and activities related to potable and recycled water distribution system operation and maintenance, cross connection control, backflow prevention, metering, and hydrant repair programs.
• Potable water distribution system location, configuration, and condition.
• Pertinent federal, state, and local codes, laws, and regulations including state and City mandated construction codes for a potable water system as well as recycled water and cross-connection control regulations.
• Principles of supervision, training, and performance evaluation.
• Materials, methods, techniques, and terminology used in the maintenance and repair of potable and recycled water distribution system infrastructure and in the implementation and enforcement of cross connection control of potable and recycled water systems.
• Operational characteristics of equipment and tools used in work activities.
• Proper procedures used in the maintenance and repair of hand and power tools.
• Principles of hydraulics as it relates to water distribution, backflow prevention and cross connection control, metering, and fire hydrant operations.
• Principles of water metering; types and sizes of meters utilized in various installations.
• Residential, commercial, and industrial plumbing practices and codes.
• Mathematical principles.
• Occupational hazards and standard safety practices including those associated with working on a high-pressure water system and those associated with working in vaults and confined spaces.
• Practices and procedures of traffic control including principles and practices used in the design and implementation of traffic control plans.
• Basic principles and practices of municipal budget preparation and administration.
• Principles and procedures of record keeping.
• Principles of business letter writing and basic report preparation.
• Office procedures, methods, and equipment including computers.
• Computer applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, and statistical databases.
• Principles and practices of customer service.

Ability to:

• Supervise, organize, and review the work of assigned staff involved in assigned program areas.
• Coordinate and direct potable and recycled water distribution system operation and maintenance, cross connection control, backflow prevention, metering, and hydrant repair programs.
• Participate in the selection, training, and evaluation of assigned staff.
• Recommend and implement goals, objectives, policies and procedures for providing assigned services and activities.
• Understand the organization and operation of the City and of outside agencies as necessary to assume assigned responsibilities.
• Understand, interpret, and apply general and specific administrative and departmental policies and procedures as well as applicable federal, state, and local policies, laws, and regulations.
• Prepare and maintain records including time and material use records.
• Prepare clear and concise reports.
• Participate in the preparation and administration of assigned budgets.
• Plan and organize work to meet changing priorities and deadlines.
• Estimate time, materials, equipment, and costs needed to perform various work.
• Effectively represent the City to outside individuals and agencies to accomplish the goals and objectives of the unit.
• Work cooperatively with other departments, City officials, and outside agencies.
• Respond tactfully, clearly, concisely, and appropriately to inquiries from the public, City staff, or other agencies on sensitive issues in area of responsibility.
• Ensure adherence to safe work practices and procedures.
• Ensure safety around work areas in high traffic.
• Respond to distribution system maintenance/repair emergencies.
• Safely drive and skillfully operate equipment and machinery.
• Demonstrate an awareness and appreciation of the cultural diversity of the community.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

Education and Experience Guidelines - Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

Education/Training: Equivalent to the completion of the twelfth grade supplemented by specialized course work related to the operation, construction, maintenance, and repair of water distribution systems.

Experience: Six years of increasingly responsible experience related to the operation, maintenance, and repair of water distribution systems, hydraulics, and cross connection control including one year of lead supervisory responsibility.

License or Certificate - Possession of a valid Grade 3 Water Distribution Operator certificate. Possession of a valid Grade 2 Water Treatment Operator certificate. Possession of a Cross Connection Control Program Specialist certificate may be required for some positions. Possession of a valid driver’s license.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT

The conditions herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.

Environment: Standard office and field setting with travel from site to site. Some exposure to extreme noise of jackhammers and other equipment; mechanical and electrical hazards of equipment and underground-overhead utilities; fumes and odors of vaults, paint, and diesel; dust from excavations and blasting; toxic substances such as glue, dry chlorine, and PVC; all types of weather and temperature conditions. Work and/or walk for long periods of time on various types of surfaces including slippery or uneven surfaces and rough terrain. Work schedule is a 9/80; subject to 24-hour emergency callbacks and standby and requires working varying hours, overtime, weekends and holidays. Work environment is both formal and informal, team-oriented, having both routine and variable tasks with variable pace and pressure. Work is performed in both indoors in office and shop area and outdoors in streets, dam sites, reservoirs, and vaults.

Physical: Primary functions require sufficient physical ability to work in an office and field setting and operate assigned equipment. FREQUENT walking, standing, sitting, downward flexion of neck, side-to-side turning of neck, lifting below and at waist level of objects weighing up to 25 lbs. and transporting for distances up to 300 feet; OCCASIONAL bending and stooping, squatting, reaching above and at shoulder height, kneeling, balancing above ground, pushing/pulling, twisting at waist, upward flexion of neck; lifting of objects weighing 26-75 lbs. from below waist to above shoulder level either with or without assistance and transporting for distances up to 25 feet; lifting of objects weighing over 75 lbs. with assistance and transporting for distances less than 10 feet; manual dexterity to operate computer keyboard, grasp writing materials; strength to grasp hand and power tools; INFREQUENT crawling, climbing; lifting of objects weighing 26 lbs. to over 100 lbs. from below waist to chest level either with or without assistance and transporting for distances less than 10 feet.

Vision: See in the normal visual range with or without correction; vision sufficient to read computer screens and printed documents.

Hearing: Hear in the normal audio range with or without correction.

Date: October 2004
Johnson & Associates