AWWA Water Champion – Ron Roggenback, Montezuma Water Company, Colorado

Ron Roggenback is plant supervisor with Montezuma Water Company, a member owned, non-profit drinking water provider with more than 5,000 members in Southwest Colorado. He has nearly 40 years of experience in the water sector and has been active with the Partnership for Safe Water. Montezuma Water was one of the first utility subscribers to the Partnership treatment program in 1995.  

Certifications: Class A Water Treatment Operator and Class 4 Water Distribution System Operator, Colorado.

Background: After serving in the U.S. Navy for four years and getting a crash course in life, I thought, what does everyone need and can’t live without? Water! I got my foot in the door at Coachella Valley Water District in California, working in the warehouse department. I eventually made my way into the electric shop and became a journeyman electrician. My wife and I always loved the mountains, so after about eight years we set our eyes on Colorado and I was blessed to get on with Montezuma Water Company in July 1993. I started educating myself and taking tests. 

What contributed to your success? I was privileged to work with one of the best plant operators I know, Conrad Hover. He retired in 2019 and I assumed his responsibilities. My electrical experience was a great help in being a plant operator. I never settled for mediocre or to do just enough to get by. I would ask or find out what I needed to do to make myself an asset to the company. (Pictured above, Ron Roggenback in the Navy, at the Montezuma Water treatment plant, with his family.)

What advice do you have for others wanting to build a career as a water operator? Do everything to the best of your ability and be dedicated, especially when no one is watching. That builds good character. You won’t get rich in this business, but you can do well, raise a family and know you’ve contributed in a great way to your community.

Describe your water system: I know we deliver the best tasting and safest drinking water on the planet! We have about 20 employees and cover three counties, with more than 500 miles of mainline and more than 60 pressure zones. We have 18 tanks and 10 booster pump stations. The treatment plant is 4 MGD (million gallons per day) and we utilize the Actiflo settlementation process. 

How have you benefited from being involved with AWWA? Being an AWWA member helps connect you with others of a like mind in our way of life. Keeping your finger on the pulse of our profession is of utmost importance. The Partnership Program takes it to the next level pertaining to our goals of safe and great tasting water. It represents accountability.

Tell us about your family and interests: I have a wonderful wife, Frances, of nearly 44 years; three children, Jeff, Jennifer and Josiah; and six grandchildren. I love everything about Colorado – hunting, fishing, mountain biking, trail riding, snowboarding and archery, to name just a few.

Anything else you’d like to add: Most of all, I thank God for giving me my life and helping me to use it to be a blessing to others and make the world around me a better place.