Seeley Lake Water District Receives 2018 Outstanding System Award

SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Water District received Montana Rural Water Systems, Inc.'s 2018 Outstanding System of the Year. This is the biggest award the district has ever received.

Montana Rural Water helps small water and wastewater systems that service less than 10,000 people across the state do their job, fix problems and help with funding situations. They are federally funded through sources including the Farm Bill.

"We will help anyone but we are designed to help small communities," said District Manager Vince Chappell who also currently serves on the Rural Water board as the vice president.

There are more than 450 member systems in Montana Rural Water. The Seeley Lake Water District has been a system member for more than 18 years.

The Water District staff has been together for 12 years. Chappell has been running the plant for the last 18 years, Tammy Lewis was hired as an operator 13 years ago and Felicity Deery has been with the district for 12 years as the office manager.

"If you look at how our office works, I have a great office staff, we can all cover each other, we are out there working together as a cohesive group instead of arguing and fighting," said Chappell who added they are all cross trained. "To have a group here that supports each other, helps out and does whatever it takes all the time daily to get this done is awesome. To have a board that sits behind you and backs you and gives you all the tools you need to do it is phenomenal. I've been blessed with a board that listens, understands, that comprehends what you are trying to do. We have been really lucky."

Montana Rural Water's annual conference is the largest in the Northwest. This year there were 1,000 people and more than 116 vendors in attendance. Chappell said it is like one big family. This was the first time Lewis and Derry were able to attend.

The conference is an opportunity for operators to get 75 percent of their education credits, visit with vendors and network with others who work for small systems across rural Montana.

Montana Rural Water staff also submit nominations for nine awards from individual staff and vendor awards to the coveted outstanding system of the year award that recognizes the plant, the operators and the board. A committee then chooses the recipient.

Lewis said that she felt the Rice Ridge Fire brought the plant to the forefront of the staff's mind but then they look at the history and current operations of the system.

During the awards ceremony Feb. 22 Montana Rural Water highlighted the Seeley Lake Water District's $4.5 million upgrade in 2009 that reduced water loss to five percent versus the 30 percent efficiency the plant was operating at in 2001. Fast forwarding to 2017, the writeup for the award stated the Rice Ridge Fire, Montana's second largest fire, burned within a half mile of the plant and more than 50 percent of the community was evacuated.

"The system's manager, thinking outside the box, moved his RV camper to the water treatment facility which enabled him to be on-site to ensure continued operation of the system, which also safeguarded the firefighting protection for the community," stated the award writeup. "It is important to note that the system improvements completed over the previous years vastly increased the fire protection capability of the system."

"It's just nice to do your job, try to do it well and be conscientious and be noticed," said Derry who added they are all customer orientated, are aware of how they are perceived within the community and try to be kind. "Usually when water systems are in the news it is for bad reasons. So for it to be a good reason that is awesome."

"It's being noticed by your peers and people that aren't here every day that see what you go through from a distance," added Chappell. "This is an award praising everyone, it's not just one part of what we do. It is the plant itself, how awesome we have it here and the good plant we have, the awesome office staff and great workers. It recognizes everything we do which is pretty cool."

Board member Freda Grimes attended the award ceremony Feb. 22. "It is a great accomplishment for the water board and water employees. They are such a great group of people to work with. This is a huge accomplishment for a little town like us."

Water District Board President Charlie Hahn added, "We are very fortunate and we are very proud of Vince and his crew."