At the recent Ohio AWWA (American Water Works Association, Ohio Chapter) Awards Reception, Jeff Swertfeger, Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW) Superintendent of the Water Quality and Treatment Division, was this year’s recipient of the distinguished George Warren Fuller Award!

In recognition of a lifetime of service to the water works profession, AWWA created the George Warren Fuller Award in 1937. This illustrious award is presented to a member for distinguished service to the water supply field, and in commemoration of sound engineering skill, brilliant diplomatic talent, and the constructive leadership, which characterized the life of George Warren Fuller.

Jeff Swertfeger has been helping to ensure safe drinking water in Cincinnati and the region for the past 28 years. He has a BA degree from Indiana University (with double major in Biology and Environmental Science), an MS degree in Environmental Science from the University of Cincinnati, and a Class 4 Water Supply license from the State of Ohio. Jeff was promoted to Superintendent of the Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW) Water Quality and Treatment Division in 2014, and he and his staff are responsible for maintaining high water quality and consistent regulatory compliance as we supply safe drinking water to our service area of 1.1 million people.

“I want to congratulate Jeff on winning this incredible and much deserved award. It’s a true testament to the important work Jeff and Greater Cincinnati Water Works are doing to make Cincinnati’s water among the best in the world,” said Acting City Manager Patrick Duhaney. “Because of the work of Jeff and his colleagues, Water Works is able to ensure safe water is available every day to the hundreds of thousands of people living and working in the Greater Cincinnati area.”

Jeff has planned and overseen research activities to improve water quality and published numerous papers on drinking water quality, including one on achieving a lead-free public water supply in 2005, (several years before the recent interest in lead… he was ahead of his time!).  He has served on the project advisory committee for several Water Research Foundation (WRF) projects dealing with lead, is a member of the American Water Works Association (AWWA)’s Lead Technical Advisory Workgroup and has participated in the Lead Service Line Replacement Collaborative, WRF’s Focus Area Council, and AWWA’s Water Quality Division.  Jeff has received several awards for his work including the 2002 Engineers and Scientists of Cincinnati’s Young Scientist of the Year Award, two Chair’s Awards from the Ohio Section of AWWA, and the John J. Sadzewicz Award of Excellence for contribution to public health practice.

GCWW Director, Cathy Bailey said, “What an honor this is for Jeff and GCWW. Water professionals, utilities, and customers across the country have greatly benefited from his outstanding contributions to this great industry. We are proud to have Jeff on our team!”

 

 

About George Warren Fuller

George Warren Fuller {1868 - 1934} was a sanitary engineer who was also trained in bacteriology and chemistry. His career extended from 1890 to 1934, and he was responsible for important innovations in water and wastewater treatment. He designed and built the first modern water filtration plant, and in December 1897 Fuller was appointed by the Engineer Corps to conduct sedimentation and filtration studies to be used in the new Cincinnati treatment plant and was the Chief Chemist and Bacteriologist for these studies. In March 1898, an experimental station was placed in full operation near Eden Park Reservoirs. George Warren Fuller conducted a series of tests through January 1899, which served as the design basis for the full-scale “Rapid Sand Filtration System” (or “American System”) that was later implemented in Cincinnati’s New Works Water Treatment Plant. He also designed and built the first chlorination system. Initiated in Cincinnati, both systems and others were eventually utilized at many other facilities across the nation to treat and disinfect drinking water supplies.  Fuller was President of both the American Water Works Association and the American Public Health Association, and he was recognized internationally as an expert civil and sanitary engineer. While a member of AWWA he was primarily responsible for the creation of standards of practice which ultimately developed into the AWWA Standards Council.