‘Water Heroes Award’
National honor earned by FUD’s ‘true team trust’ flood response
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Marty Roberts, a member of First Utility District’s Facility Operations team, was just one of many team members instrumental in saving the utility’s three pumping stations following February 2019 flooding. - Photo submitted
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Brad Brummett, FUD Operations manager, also was part of that group responding to the flooding. - Photo submitted
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FUD workers install new pumps, replacing those damaged after that flooding. - Photo submitted
Not all superheroes wear capes. Sometimes, as in the case of First Utility District employees, they wear workboots and rain gear as they work around the clock to serve the needs of the community.
That’s exactly what FUD staff did following the “100-year flood” of February 2019, during which more than 13 inches of rain fell in Farragut and Knox County.
Ultimately, all three of the utility’s pumping stations in the Ebenezer/Northshore communities were submerged under 23 feet of water — but its staff, led by general manager Bruce Giles, were able to keep the stations safely running while continuing to serve its more than 33,000 customers.
For their monumental efforts, the team has won the national “Water Heroes Award” from the Water Environment Federation, which will be presented during a virtual ceremony in October.
“My staff is very deserving of this award and I appreciate that they are being recognized on a national level for the way they performed,” Giles said. “I’m proud of the way we went about our business during the flood and the months thereafter. They performed like a true team.
“Our customers felt no negative impact, and in fact, knew very little about the chaos that was happening behind the scenes,” he added.
That ongoing “chaos” Giles described lasted nearly six months, from the realization the stations were likely seriously damaged to their ultimate repair and replacement.
FUD’s operations manager, Brad Brummett, secured diesel bypass pumps to ensure there would be no threat of violating state regulations while the stations sat inoperable. He reached out to Mike Adams, general manager of the Dixon County Water Authority, to borrow electric bypass pumps.
From there, Brummett reached out to another long-time friend in the industry, Mark Robinson with Lenoir City Utility Board. Robinson agreed to help Brummett set up a temporary transformer bank for the electric pump, which was in service until the new pumps were received.
“The entire team at First Utility District worked tirelessly to meet the challenges presented in initial 12 weeks of the crisis,” Chloe Pool, FUD communications manager, recalled. “Two departments in particular worked tireless during the weeks following the flood: our Facility Operations department, headed by Marty Roberts, as well as our CMOM departments, headed by Pat Spangler and Steve Carmon. These incredibly dedicated teams spent countless hours assisting with any possible repairs, installing bypass equipment, working on electrical repairs and assessing anything that could be salvaged.
“... This award was given to our entire staff because every single person gave time and energy to make sure our customers didn’t notice any side affects of the flooding,” she added.
“We could not be more proud of our team.”
