Hudson 7 First Annual Water Operators Appreciation Week Highlight: Port Ewen Water District and Tim Byron, Senior Water Treatment Plant Operator

May 31, 2024 marks the sixth anniversary of the Hudson River Intermunicipal Council (Hudson 7).  To celebrate, we are launching our first annual Water Operators Appreciation Week (May 27 - 31) in order to bring public awareness to the important role of our water treatment plant professionals.  We are also hosting a tour of the Poughkeepsies’ Water Treatment Facility on the Marist College Campus that is open to the public on Friday, May 31 at 10am.  Please contact us at [email protected] if you’re interested in attending. 

Each day this week, we will feature one of the five public water treatment plants located in the Hudson River estuary, and highlight a member of their staff dedicated to ensuring the delivery of clean, reliable and high quality drinking water to the communities that they serve.  

Today, we turn the spotlight on the Town of Esopus’s Port Ewen Water District, located in Ulster County and Tim Byron,  Senior Water Treatment Plant Operator.  

The Port Ewen Water district serves a population of around 4500 people and has 1500 service connections that are supplied by surface water from the Hudson River, its primary and currently its only drinking water source. The Roger Mabie Water Treatment Plant where drinking water is processed is located at 131 River Road in Ulster Park and is pumped into the distribution system and a 2-million gallon water storage facility located at the southern end of the district. 

We were very happy that Tim was able to take some time out of his busy schedule to talk to us. 

What is your title and what do you do?  How long have you been in your position?
I am a Water Treatment Plant Operator at the Port Ewen Water Treatment Plant in the Town of Esopus.  I have been in the drinking water business for 20 years, and have worked for the town of Esopus for 19 years. 

How did you come to choose a career in drinking water?
I became interested in the drinking water field after some conversations with my wife's uncle Bob.  He worked for a large water company at the time, and told me about the fine career he had made for himself.  The job security and constant need for clean drinking water were two of the factors that convinced me to give it a chance.  My first job in the field was working for Camo Pollution Control in Wappingers Falls, NY. When a position opened up at the Port Ewen Plant one year later, I jumped on the opportunity to work closer to home.  

What do you appreciate about your job?
I appreciate many things about my job.  Having a reliable job that is consistent day in and day out is certainly important to me!  Running the daily operations of the treatment plant, while maintaining the buildings / grounds of the property, always provide enough work to keep us busy.  Here in the town of Esopus, the water department is involved in reading meters, marking water and sewer lines in our district, maintaining and repairing the water and sewer distribution systems as well as running the water plant. My coworkers and boss are always willing to provide me with help whenever I need it, and are a pleasure to work with.  When I get overwhelmed at times, all it takes is a brief look out at the Hudson River, and I realize that I'm where I need to be. The outgoing tide is pretty good at taking my troubles out to sea right along with it. 

What advice do you have for young people considering the same career?
I have told quite a few people about the benefits of a career in water treatment.  The young people that the town of Esopus has recently hired, have all heard me say that this career will be as fulfilling as they want to make it.  The potential is there for advancement, and there is schooling available to get them as far up the ladder as they want to go.  I can't think of a better long term career for a young person who is looking for a stable job, with meaning, purpose, and the opportunity to provide generations of families with clean drinking water from our Hudson River.

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About the Hudson River Drinking Water Intermunicipal Council (Hudson 7): The Hudson 7 is a collaboration of the mid-Hudson municipalities and counties that draw drinking water from the Hudson River Estuary for more than 100,000 people in the Town of Esopus, Town of Hyde Park, Town of Lloyd, Town and City of Poughkeepsie, Town and Village of Rhinebeck located in Dutchess and Ulster Counties. These communities are served by five drinking water treatment plants that utilize Hudson River water, operated by the City and Town of Poughkeepsie, Village of Rhinebeck (for the Village and Town of Rhinebeck), Town of Esopus, Town of Lloyd and Dutchess County Water and Wastewater Authority (for Hyde Park).