It is easy to take water for granted. We turnon the tap and there it is. We drink it, cook with it, and bathe in it. We even play in it. Everyone likes water. The water in Mooresville is delivered through Indiana American Water and it is Mooresville resident, Troy Bryant, who leads the team that makes sure that not only is water there when you turn the faucet on, but that it is safe and healthy, too.
Bryant didn’t grow up in Mooresville thinking he would ever shoulder that responsibility. In fact, after graduating from Mooresville High School he enlisted in the Navy. Jamie was his high school sweetheart. She followed him, they married, and had one child, Jordan, while they were serving our country. Troy and Jamie returned to Mooresville after the Navy and had two more children, Coleman and Abigail. He needed a job and General Waterworks was hiring. It took him about a year, but he got the job and starting out reading meters.
For the next 26 years, Bryant worked his way up through the ranks being promoted to supervisor and then to Superintendent in 2005. He stayed with the local organization through a purchase by United Water in 1994 and then in 2000 the company was purchased by American Water and became a part of Indiana American Water.
American Water itself is a privately held company that services communities and provides water to approximately 1.3 million people in 46 states and Ontario Canada. The company has grown since 1886 and employs more than 7,100 people, five of which make up the team in Mooresville Indiana. “Our employees are
very tight into the community,” Bryant said. “When you are providing something like water, that people consume, it comes with a great deal of responsibility.” Bryant makes a point to be present in the community as a resident as well as a local business. He brings a promotional water trailer to events, sponsors the concert series downtown and works with the Morgan County Solid Waste Authority for their Tox Away Days. He stays in touch with the town council and strives to build community and business relationships through the Chamber of Commerce.
Most of the employees have dedicated two or more decades of service providing water to the people of Mooresville. They focus on providing the best service and water quality possible. The proof of their dedication is clear. “Responsibility for water safety is a serious and heavy responsibility,” Bryant said. “The state can hand out notices of violations if we aren’t meeting parameters. Reporting needs to be done and we have never had a notice of violation from the state.”
All of the long-time employees are licensed by the state as Drinking Water Operators. They all attended classes provided by the American Water Works Association (AWWA), passed a test, and then maintain continuing education credits to renew their licenses regularly.
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