JOHN CAMDEN

Other duties included managing 10 county contracts for performing sanitary surveys, one technical assistance contract, and one professional sanitary survey contract. John was the team leader for Comprehensive Performance Evaluations (CPEs) that evaluate surface water treatment plants for performance, management, O&M, and engineering design to improve the plants performance.

John has held a class 1AB Water Distribution and Treatment license (highest level) from the State of Montana since 1978. He worked for the City of Helena Water Department from 1978 through 1992 and was responsible for operating the Ten Mile and Missouri River water treatment facilities. Those duties included plant operation, records for the state, O & M of the plant, pump station and storage tank O & M, collecting water samples, and handling customer complaints. Other duties included managing the Ten Mile watershed, reservoirs, and head gates.

He was also involved in two major water plant construction projects located in Helena and was involved in the plants design, construction and on-site start up of the water treatment facilities. John is the current director of the Montana Section of AWWA.

Groundwater Technician

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NICK CLOS

Nick has over 30 years experience in the Water & Wastewater field with extensive experience and training in water and wastewater treatment, operations, distribution and collection systems, security and construction. He has working knowledge of State and Federal regulations including monitoring and reporting of USEPA and MTDEQ required sampling.

Nick has the ability to establish rates and fees for systems and communities for both capital improvements and operation and maintenance. He has extensive experience in all phases of construction, extensive experience in chlorination equipment (chlorinators, chlorine analyzers, automation equipment), installation of submersible, centrifugal, metering and feed pumps. Award: Wastewater of the Year 2000.

Contact Nick with any questions related to Wellhead, Source Water Protection.

Circuit Rider #2

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KEVIN DUROCHER

Kevin began his career in the water field in 1994. His primary experience is with surface water treatment, having worked at the Great Falls Water Treatment Plant for 8 years, but also has experience with groundwater systems. He has additional water treatment experience in the US Army Reserves, running a portable reverse osmosis treatment unit. In addition, Kevin has teaching/training experience as a military instructor at Fort Bragg N.C. for over 3 years and most recently as a high school science teacher.

Training Specialist

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TANYA HARPER

Tanya is a native of Great Falls and is a graduate of Great Falls High. She attended Kinman Business University in Spokane and received a diploma in data entry and computerized accounting.

Office Assistant

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KRISTINE KLINE

Kristi has over 29 years of experience in water and wastewater treatment which includes overseeing operations and maintenance of the treatment facility, supervision and training of current and new employees in areas in operations, maintenance and safety, management and training of the treatment facility laboratory and she has provided laboratory service for four area treatment facilities.

Kristi's administrative duties include yearly budget preparation, permit regulations, pre-treatment programs and enforcement, general operational functions, review and analysis of designs and specifications of engineered plans in future and current construction projects.

Email Kristi
Phone: 406.945.2043

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DAN KRAMER

Dan has over 17 years of experience as a groundwater and wastewater professional and technician for multiple water districts. He helped develop two grant projects, one being a backup well system, and the other being the expansion of a single cell lagoon system to a wetlands treatment system.

He currently provides support for water and sewer systems that serve Native American people and he analyzes system problems and helps guide in the formation of water and sewer districts. Dan also helps new operators become certified and/or stay in compliance with state regulations. He has extensive training in electronics, computers and mechanical maintenance and repair.

If you have any questions or need assistance regarding SDWA Regulations, Water Training Requests or Consumer Confidence Reports, contact Dan.

Contact Dan for any questions you have related to Wastewater Rate Structure, CWA Regulations, and/or Sludge Regulations.

Wastewater Technician

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Rory Schmidt

Montana Rural Water Systems, Inc. (MRWS) has hired Rory Schmidt as a new Stimulus Circuit Rider for a 17-month position. Rory brings many years of experience with him in this new position. This temporary position fills the role of ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) Circuit Rider for the duration of the program.

This position will work with communities on the USDA Loan and Grant Backlog list and also assist new applications in obtaining loans and grants from USDA Rural Development. The circuit rider will assist communities with the applications process, environmental reviews, vulnerability assessment and be a liaison with agencies. The purpose is to move the projects forward and locate new projects that can be funded and to assist in applying for these available funds.

Rory will be traveling throughout Montana working with communities and is required to have 35 contacts per month along with monthly visits to regional Rural Development offices. Rory can be contacted by calling his cell phone at 406-839-1920 or MRWS at 406-454-1151.

Stimulus Circuit Rider

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RAY WADSWORTH

Ray has 40 plus years of experience in the water and wastewater industry serving in a variety of technical and management roles. He has extensive experience as a manager, administrator, supervisor, trainer, and teacher. He has experience in business operation, business management, business ownership, accounting, and bookkeeping.

Ray has specialized experience in educational and vocational training, as well as training and experience working with disadvantaged persons and special education. He has experience related to geologic, hydro geological, litho logic, hydrostratigraphic, and depositional characterization, groundwater flow characteristics in the porous media in both the unsaturated and saturated (vadose) zones of subsurface environments, water system design, implementation, operation, and maintenance, groundwater/surface water use, treatment, and disinfection and wastewater system design. Awards: President's Award; Program Manager of the Year.

Water and Wastewater
Special Project Manager

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JOHN WEIKEL

John Weikel has been actively involved in the water/wastewater industry since 1980. This includes:

• 20 years in conventional surface water treatment which involved 13 years of operating an Aquifer Storage and Recovery System,
• 5 years in Reverse Osmosis/Ion Exchange
• 3 years activated sludge wastewater experience.

In 2007, John began working for the Montana Department of Environmental Quality as an Environmental Specialist in the Public Water Supply Section. For the past year he has been the Surface Water Rule Manager overseeing the operation and compliance of all the surface water systems in Montana.

He has an Associate Degree in chemistry, a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies, and has two classes remaining to complete his Masters Degree in Environmental Policy and Management with Denver University. He is a certified Montana 1B/1C water/wastewater operator and retains his Florida A-Drinking Water License.

Source Water Specialist

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Wendy Weissman

Wendy's career has taken many turns in the last 15 years. After college graduation from the University of Delaware, she worked for an insurance company in Baltimore, Maryland as their Comptroller. That lasted until 1997 when she moved to Great Falls, Montana. She took an interest in the non-profit world when she moved to Great Falls, and worked for the YWCA/Mercy Home as their comptroller and grant writer from 1998 to 2002. At that point, she started her own business as an independent CPA and currently has 2 employees working for her.

Her specialty has become small businesses and non-profits, having over 200 clients – mostly individuals, small businesses and non-profits. Wendy is very active in the Great Falls community and serves on many boards – mostly as Treasurer.

Wendy also specializes in Quickbooks and has become a Certified Quickbooks Advisor. That allows her to have a certification to train clients on Quickbooks. During her non-tax season, she teachs Quickbooks classes and has one-on-one sessions with clients to show them how to best utilize Quickbooks to meet their needs.

Wendy has been teaching at the University of Great Falls in the accounting department since 1997. She teachs one class per semester, which allows her time to teach and still practice as a CPA doing tax returns and helping small businesses. In 2009, she earned the Adjunct Faculty of the Year Award.

Wendy's second degree from the University of Delaware is in music – specifically clarinet. She plays in volunteer bands throughout Great Falls.

CPA - Auditor

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HARRY WHALEN

Circuit Rider

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