Rural Water Association of Utah

USDA Southwestern Circuit Rider

To protect Utah’s investment in rural and small municipal water systems by providing on-site technical assistance, ensuring Utah water systems are running in a cost-effective manner, meeting all state and EPA requirements, and have adequate income for both operations and debt service within each system.

• Live in and travel throughout the southwestern part of Utah to offer on-site technical assistance.
• Provide assistance in all areas of operations, maintenance, management, security, finance, loan application, health, and environmental issues.
• Provide the type of assistance that offers “showing how” rather than doing it for them.
• Prioritize requests to ensure coverage of water systems with serious health or economic problems first.
• Give priority to persons or groups who do not have access to high-quality drinking water or proper treatment.
• Attend National Rural Water In-Service training, National Rural Water Annual Conference, and RWAU conferences and meetings as needed.
• Review new technical standards set and proposed by public and private organizations.
• Develop informational articles for dissemination and/or classes for instructing other operators.
• Respond to inquiries from facilities, consumers, governmental agencies, and others regarding technical matters.
• Provide a minimum of 30 technical assistance contacts with water systems per month.
• Ensure on-site assistance geographically represents the assigned area of the state during the program period.
• Provide assistance to rural, unincorporated small municipal systems, tribal systems, and incorporated municipal systems under 10,000 population.
• Ensure at least five (5) of the 30 contacts are with systems not previously visited in the past six (6) months.
• Meet with the State Rural Development office at least quarterly and district offices as set out in the Annual Plan of Work.
• Accurately complete and submit required logs and reporting in a timely fashion.
• Perform other internal RWAU duties as assigned.

• Attend staff and coordination meetings with RWAU management to communicate program updates.
• Attend RWAU staff meetings, events, and conferences as scheduled.
• Write articles for RWAU publications.
• Teach RWAU classes as asked.
• Use RWAU technical and professional equipment, including computers, tools, and vehicles, in a professional manner and in keeping with RWAU guidelines.
• Project a friendly, helpful attitude to the public and fellow employees.
• Project a professional appearance that is appropriate for the task, meeting, or activity.
• Follow the Association’s policies, procedures, guidance statements, and strategic plan.
• Assist with membership development and retention.
• Report directly to the supervisor and/or Executive Director.

• Five (5) years of experience working for, operating, maintaining, or managing a water system; rural/community system experience preferred.
• Well-rounded technical knowledge of rural and small system needs and methods of meeting those needs.
• Technical knowledge of operating, maintaining, and managing a rural/community water system.
• Knowledge of the financial, managerial, and operational characteristics of effectively run utility systems.
• Ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, with operations specialists, decision makers, regulatory agencies, and other professionals.
• Ability to identify and describe financial, managerial, and operational issues to field personnel and decision makers.
• Knowledge and understanding of regulations, monitoring, and reporting requirements.
• Willingness to travel extensively.
• Written approval of the NRWA Administrator/Program Manager prior to employment.