Meet the Team — Tom Krause, Engineering Technician – Operations
What is your role at Waukesha Water Utility?
My main role at the Water Utility is drawing up the plans for new infrastructure of water mains for the streets that City Engineering has determined need to be repaved or infrastructure the Water Utility has determined needs to be replaced. This also includes completing a Department of Natural Resources Water Main Extension Checklist, along with creating specifications and bid items for each project. On projects that the Water Utility bids, I also create erosion control and traffic control plans.
During the construction of new infrastructure, I inspect the water main and services being installed. This consists of completing a daily inspection sheet showing an item list and a sketch of everything that was installed for each day.
Once a project is completed, I coordinate conductivity and deficiency inspection and I create an as-built drawing showing the new infrastructure, so that this information can be entered into our geographic information system (GIS) mapping system.
For new infrastructure installed by a developer, I review and make comments to the water main plans submitted by the design firm of the developer. I also inspect the installation of the water main and services, coordinate the conductivity and deficiency inspections and create the as-built drawing.
One of my other roles is processing all Water Service Applications. This includes creating a sizing worksheet to determine meter and later sizes, completing the active service list, checking for customer contributions and writing a letter to the applicant with an explanation of specifications, water meter and lateral sizes.
What was one of your more interesting days at Waukesha Water Utility?
One of the most interesting days was actually several days, this happened when the Waukesha Water Utility hired a contractor to install a 24” ductile iron water main across the river just south of the City’s downtown area. WWU needed to connect a large diameter water main from the east side of the City with an existing large water main on the west side of the city, so once we have Great Lakes water there would be large feeder pipe going through the City.
The process included installing two culverts on one side of the river and placing a portable water filled cofferdam (enclosure) on both sides of the water main installation. The contractor was then able to install the water main like a normal open trench installation through the river bed.