Competing against 26 teams in Division 3, the SacSewer Warriors earned first place in the Maintenance Event and third place in Safety. Photo courtesy of SacSewer

SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - The Sacramento Area Sewer District (SacSewer) is demonstrating the depth of operational excellence behind one of the region’s largest essential service providers, as its Warriors earned second place overall in Division 3 at the Water Environment Federation’s (WEF) Operations Challenge at WEFTEC in New Orleans this week.

Competing against 26 teams in Division 3, the SacSewer Warriors earned first place in the Maintenance Event and third place in Safety. Made up of employees from SacSewer’s collection and treatment operations, the team also posted some of its fastest competition times to date after months of preparation and practice leading up to the event. Operations Challenge brings together skilled water sector professionals competing in events designed around technical skills, and real-world scenarios involved in utility operations including collections, process control, maintenance, laboratory and safety.

While the results are a point of pride for the Warriors, the competition also offers a visible look at the people and expertise behind SacSewer’s essential services. The skills demonstrated in the competition – technical knowledge, safety awareness, teamwork, communication and problem-solving – are the same skills employees rely on every day to operate and maintain critical infrastructure and provide reliable service to the community.

Preparing for Operations Challenge gives employees an opportunity to sharpen their technical and leadership skills, practice working under pressure, learn from colleagues in different areas and exchange ideas with other utilities. Photo courtesy of SacSewer

“The Warriors give us an opportunity to showcase the people behind the services our community depends on,” said Christoph Dobson, general manager of SacSewer. “Their performance reflects the professionalism, dedication and pride that our employees bring to their work every day. We’re proud to see the Warriors represent SacSewer and demonstrate the caliber of talent we have throughout our organization.”

The Warriors also represent the interconnected nature of a modern sewer utility. While each area of the organization brings specialized knowledge and expertise, it takes people working together across disciplines to safely and reliably collect, treat and recover resources from sewage.

“The beauty of SacSewer’s work is the way all of these people with diverse skills come together to serve our community,” Dobson said. “The Warriors are one example of that collaboration. Whether someone works in collections, treatment, the laboratory, engineering or another part of the organization, every role brings a different area of expertise to the work we do. Together, those contributions allow us to safely and reliably serve our community.”

Preparing for Operations Challenge gives employees an opportunity to sharpen their technical and leadership skills, practice working under pressure, learn from colleagues in different areas and exchange ideas with other utilities. SacSewer has captured the Warriors’ preparation, competition and experiences through a series of videos that offer a behind-the-scenes look at the skills and teamwork required to compete – and the benefits Operations Challenge brings to SacSewer and the community we serve. To watch a video demonstrating why Ops Challenge matters, visit: youtube.com/watch?si=RhGHvV8g1ZCsRL5F&v=ynLU-UoG5Js&feature=youtu.be

The experience also provides an opportunity for employees to learn from one another and bring new ideas and perspectives back to their work at SacSewer – an added benefit of participating in a competition that celebrates the expertise and professionalism of utility operations.

 “When we invest in our employees’ skills, we’re ultimately investing in the reliability, safety and quality of the services we provide to our community,” Dobson said.