Workers recognized as heroes in fight against coronavirus

Jim Williams, president of American Water Works Association (AWWA), Cynthia Leitzell, Chester Water Authority (CWA) Board Chair, the CWA Board members, and Robert Judge, Sr., CWA executive manager, took time this week to give the employees at Chester Water Authority kudos and recognition for their pivotal role in the fight against COVID-19.

“In my role as AWWA president, each day I’m amazed by the profound sense of duty and selfsacrifice exhibited by the water professionals around me. So in a sense, I’m not surprised by what we’ve witnessed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” Williams said. “Put simply, the work AWWA members are doing during these uncertain times is saving lives.”

“We think a lot during these difficult times about the heroic work of health professionals and first responders who place themselves in harm’s way to keep us all healthy and safe – and we should. But given the essential nature of water service during a pandemic, the work all of you are accomplishing is no less valuable,” Williams continued.

“Consider that CDC’s first piece of advice to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is to wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. Without safe water at the tap, this simple, but critical step to protect against COVID-19 would not be possible. Neither would it be possible to flush our toilets, an everyday convenience that prevents waterborne disease in our communities. You’ve heard me before reference the water profession as a “vocation of distinction.” In these difficult times, it is also a vocation of heroism,” Williams added.

Williams said the AAWA employees are rarely seen but always on the job, a quiet army protecting the community. Thanks to AAWA employees, families struggling to pay bills and uncertain about future employment can have confidence that their tap water is safe and reliable – at a tiny fraction of what they would pay for bottled water.

Williams said that water professionals are not greeted with marching bands as they embark on their work each day. But he hopes they realize that they deserve that kind of recognition.

MEDIANEWS GROUP FILE PHOTO Headquarters of the Chester Water Authority.