Sayward credited for $300K in savings at water division
27 years ago, Richard Sayward was working as a laborer for the Town of Bethlehem, mowing the grass and sweeping the halls at the town’s water treatment plant. Today, he’s in charge of the town’s water treatment operations and, on March 19, he was recognized for his work.
Sayward was awarded the 2009 Management Innovation Award by the Capital Branch of the American Public Works Association, in large part due to his work to find about $300,000 in savings by improving the town’s water treatment operations.
That’s one of the first times I’ve been recognized for the work we do at the water plant, said Chief Water Treatment Plant Operator Sayward, who accepted the award at the group’s annual awards luncheon.
He was nominated by Deputy Commissioner of Public Works Erik Deyoe, who serves as secretary for the local Public Works Association branch.
`His whole crew does a great job, and I was just thankful we were able to get them recognition,` Deyoe said.
Sayward was largely responsible for changing the way the town draws water into its New Salem Water Treatment Plant.
`At every one of our facilities we have a cost associated with how much it costs to produce water,` Sayward said. `I went back through past operating data and looked at all the information we hadand it had appeared to me there was water in that aquifer that we could use that we never had used in the past.`
Not unlike an oil tycoon, Sayward’s research found the town’s well field had excess capacity. The upgrades his study led to an increase in the town’s water supply permit from 400,000 to 1 million gallons of water per day.
`What that allows us to do is shift more away from some of more expensive sources of production,` Deyoe said.
The town can continue realizing the improvements every year.
Sayward was also recognized at a Town Board meeting on Wednesday, March 24.
`Richard Sayward is the type of employee and leader that every supervisor wants to be part of his team,` Supervisor Sam Messina later said.
In 2008, the New Salem Water Treatment Plant was in the news due to mercury leaks from water meters there. The town was eventually fined by the Department of Environmental Conservation and had to replace the outdated meters.
Sayward said the new equipment has not only eliminated the possibility of another mercury mishap, but makes day-to-day operations much smoother.
`We got a clean bill of health from DEC, everything’s been cleaned up,` he said. `We should never have to go there ever again We have made some significant improvements.`
The next big development for the water department will be the construction of a new facility to replace the aging New Scotland Water Treatment Plant. Planning started in 2005, and officials hope that the project can shift into gear this year.
`We’re still looking at some different alternatives and we’re working with consultants to pin down a solution that will work for our community in the long run,` Deyoe said.
But having a new facility on the horizon makes working with aging equipment all the more frustrating, especially when it breaks, as the town discovered in September of last year when damage was found in the New Saelm Plant’s backwash lines and clarifiers. Repairs were priced at over $100,000.
`That’s the most difficult part to do, is spend that good money on something that should have been replaced a while ago,` Sayward said.
Sayward is an avid outdoorsman who also plays golf. He’s enjoyed 28 years of marriage and recently attended his son’s wedding.
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