Every day hundreds of people work behind the scenes to keep Prince Edward County running. We are profiling a few of the people that are ‘here for our community.’
We continue the series by talking with Bamidele (Dele) Atteh, a Water Operator in the Water and Wastewater Department at The County. Dele and his colleagues are in the final week of the Fall watermain flushing and hydrant maintenance program. The team does this work twice a year as mandated under the Ontario Fire Code.
Q: Can you start by giving a brief overview of your job?
A: I am a water treatment operator, primarily based in Picton and covering all water serviced areas in the County. I work with a wonderful team to ensure safe drinking water gets to houses and businesses. On a typical day I would attend to water-related concerns like watermain breaks and service leaks, water meter issues, and providing customers with new water service connections. Our team provides overall maintenance of the water system as required according to the Ontario regulations.
Q: How long have you worked with the County?
A: I joined the County in 2015 as a Compliance Technician for the water department and transitioned to Water Operator position in 2016. I have enjoyed working with the County from my very first day.
Q: What do you like most about the job?
A: The job provides service to a lot of customers and knowing that most customers are satisfied with our service gives me a sense of fulfilment. Challenging events do occur, and our ability to solve the problem and restore service as quickly as possible is the part I enjoy the most.
I have a background in geology, environmental studies, and I am just concluding my master’s degree in environmental practice. All my acquired skills are applied in contributing to the way we take from our environment and give back to our environment as it applies to water services.
The great people of the County are very friendly and nice to be around. This is why I have stayed and work for the people.
Q: How has COVID-19 impacted your work?
A: Prior to COVID-19, we attended to issues in homes of our customers in teams. This had to pause due to COVID restrictions. But now, we are distancing more and ensuring a minimum team in people’s homes so we can provide in-house service.
Q: What do you enjoy most about the County?
A: I am a fan of the quiet beaches. I like spending time with my family on the quiet beaches around the County. Since my time here in the County, I found recreational fishing as my fun activity. I enjoy fishing places like Long Point and Point Petre. I enjoy driving round the County to enjoy the beauty of nature.
Click to read all of the Here for our Community Profiles.
