Meet your CPUD staff members
The Chester Public Utility District started out in the 1950s as a community services district, providing Chester with wastewater treatment facilities.
It was not until the 1960s that water delivery services were added for Chester. The water department was separate from the community services district until the 1970s when the two districts merged and became the Chester Public Utility District, providing drinking water and wastewater services.
There was one more merger in 2010 that brought in the Chester Fire Department to the district.
The utility side of the district is run by General Manager Frank Motzkus, plus lead supervisor Andy Capella, field supervisor Clint Tissot, field technician Alan Homme, and in summer, a part-time technician is hired.
The role of the general manager is to implement policy that is approved by the CPUD board of directors, file the necessary reports and permits to various state agencies and research funding possibilities for future water and wastewater projects. He also prioritizes the current and future projects of the district.
Motzkus has a State Water Resources Control Board Grade V Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator certificate, a SWRCB T2 Drinking Water Treatment Plant Operator certificate and a SWRCB D2 Water Distribution System Operator certificate. He has been with the district for almost one year.
Capella has been with CPUD for over 25 years. He started out as a meter reader/technician and has worked his way up to lead supervisor. Capella carries a Wastewater Grade II certificate and a D2 drinking water certificate. These certificates are at the state level. After attending classes and passing several tests, these certificates are awarded, but require renewal every few years. This entails continuing education classes and testing. The lead supervisor role is to oversee the day-to-day operations of the water and wastewater parts of the district. His duties include checking the SCADA system each morning to see the status of the drinking water and wastewater systems.
Besides completing and filing many reports on the water and wastewater systems, Capella also oversees the work of the field supervisor and the field technician.
Tissot has been with the district since 2004. He was promoted to field supervisor in 2016. His daily duties include lining out the daily work like monitoring water wells, the lift stations and the settling ponds.
Every day, labs are taken at the treatment plant. Some days he uses the “jetter” to flush sewer lines around town to prevent any build up which can cause a blockage.
In late spring and summer, the water meters in town need to be read. This year, Tissot will have the help of a handheld reader that will eliminate the paper and pencil routine. Tissot holds certifications in Certified Backflow tester, D-2 Water Distribution and Grade II Wastewater Treatment.
Allan Homme (center) bends down as he inspects the progress of Dig It Construction workers during sewer line repairs in Chester.Homme is our newest employee. He also monitors the water wells, the lift stations and the settling ponds, using the jetter when working with Tissot. He and Tissot turn water service on and off for CPUD’s clients as needed, and respond to emergency water and sewer calls.
Homme will also be meter reading with the new handheld reader this year. Last fall, Homme passed his backflow testing exam and is a certified backflow device tester. He recently took the test for the D-2 Water Distribution certificate and is awaiting the results. Homme is also an operator in training for wastewater treatment.
CPUD has personal available 24/7 to respond to any water or wastewater emergency. Capella, Tissot and Homme rotate nights and weekends for on-call emergencies.
