Drinkers of Glenwood Springs water might taste the freshness of snowmelt splashing down Grizzly and No Name creeks.But they can’t detect the pride that city employees put into delivering that commodity to their homes and businesses. Not even now that those employees are prouder than ever.Glenwood Springs recently was named System Member of the Year for 2004 by the Colorado Rural Water Association, which has about 750 members.”Basically it’s the best one in the state out of all the water plants, so we’re pretty proud of that,” said Jerry Wade, who manages the city’s drinking water plant.The award recognizes the work of Wade; Buddy Burns, superintendent of the city’s Water & Wastewater Department; and plant employees Warren Hays, Dennis Christie and Guy Poorman.

Paul Shreve, training specialist for the Colorado Rural Water Association, said the team was chosen for sponsoring and helping coordinate several training seminars last year.He added, “The entire crew is extremely helpful, and the facility that they are responsible for running is one of the cleanest and most professionally run in the state.”The association sends licensed evaluators to facilities around the state. Shreve said Glenwood stood out among those nominated in terms of its plant conditions and operations.Wade has worked at the plant for 27 years, going back to when the main water plant was built. He believes the award speaks well of the city’s water quality and of the effort that goes into providing good drinking water to city residents. He said award evaluators look at water quality, plant maintenance, record-keeping, overall appearance of the facility and other criteria.He believes employee attitude makes a difference – and it all goes back to pride.

“We take a lot of pride in the facility and covering all the bases,” he said. “You have a good attitude and then your workplace is going to reflect that.”The city always has enjoyed having a high-quality water source in Grizzly and No Name creeks in Glenwood Canyon. However, it used to suffer from occasional contamination problems brought on by stream turbidity during spring runoff. That all changed after the city completed a pretreatment plant in 1995.”Ever since that addition, that was pretty much what did it, giving us some more tools to treat the water,” Wade said.The drinking water facilities also apparently benefit from good management. In both 1984 and 1996, Wade received the Operator of the Year award for Colorado from the American Water Works Association – the first time anyone had won the award twice.”Those in essence are for the crew as well because I don’t run this by myself,” he said.

Wade and his crew work in relative obscurity. Their main facilities are tucked away in a valley at the bottom of Red Mountain, seen by few others than those who hike and bike up a nearby trail.But crew members are always looking to educate others about what they do. Wade can be contacted for tours at 945-8372. An online tour can be taken at the city’s Web site, http://www.ci.glenwood-springs.co.us/. Click on “city departments,” then “public works,” and then “water.”The plant produces an average of more than 5 million gallons per day. The system includes 10 water storage tanks, along with pump and pressure-reducing stations. The city also has two raw-water pumping stations for irrigation uses.It’s all enough to keep Wade and his crew plenty busy, he said. But he’s not complaining.”I’ve been here a long time and I still enjoy coming to work. … I love it. It’s great,” he said.