Organization
The Joint Water System is governed by its 14 member Board of Commissioners. The Board employs an Executive Director to serve as the Chief Administrative and Operating Officer for the System. The Executive Director has aligned the staff into four sections with interlocking responsibilities: Administration, Maintenance, Operations and Engineering, each headed by a working manager.
 |
Executive Director: As the Executive Director, Mr. Willett leads, organizes, and directs the agency's planning efforts to improve the capital plant and regional water delivery system; and implement a stable mix of funding sources for the agency to ensure sound business management of the system's finances. He provides coordination and development of operating and capital improvement budgets, directs the agency's public information and legislative advocacy programs, and manages other resources in compliance with the policies and procedures established by the Board. He oversees an agency with 15 employees, an operating budget of more than $7.4 million annually, and a capital improvement program of more than $35 million.
Before joining ARJWS, Mr. Willett was the staff economist for the San Diego County Water Authority where he provided broad economic analyses on water resource and energy issues. He analyzed the impacts of Metropolitan Water District water resource and financial policies on San Diego County residents and successfully led negotiations with Metropolitan to alleviate treatment facility constraints. Mr. Willett also provided ongoing support for the Water Authority's Regional Water Facilities Master Plan and $3.1 billion Capital Improvement Program and the development and implementation of a new rate structure.
Prior to that, Mr. Willett worked for the City of Phoenix (AZ), serving as an economic analyst for water and wastewater where he forecast water use and developed agency budget projections. In addition, he managed the resource planning team that successfully implemented an interdepartmental GIS effort linking assets with the customer service database.
Mr. Willett studied engineering at Clemson University and earned a bachelor's degree with honors in Environmental Planning and a master's degree in Water Resource Management from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. He and his wife, Allison, and daughter, Kathryn, live in Anderson.
Administration: The Administration section is headed by the Business Manager, Ms. Connie Finger. Ms. Finger accompanied the administration section when operations were purchased from Duke Energy. She has been with the System and Duke for over 21 years. She is responsible for billing, purchasing, safety programs, and general administrations. She supervises Ms. Ann Gates who is responsible for payroll, benefits, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and general administrative support. Ms. Gates also serves as the Clerk of the Board.
Maintenance: Mr. Ed Makison manages the Maintenance section of the Joint Water System. Mr. Makison has over 23 years of experience in water distribution and maintenance. He is a licensed Class "A" Distribution System Operator in SC, a certified master plumber, and is an approved evaluator for the SCDHEC backflow testing program. He is responsible for the planning, budgeting, and managing the ongoing maintenance of the Joint Water System facilities. He is charged with coordinating ongoing maintenance with large capital facility projects, as well as ongoing operation of the system.
Mr. Makison leads an experienced team with over 68 years of combined water distribution and maintenance experience. Mr. Steve Martin maintains a Class "A" Water Distribution Operators License, as well as a Class "A" Water Treatment Plant Operators License from the State of SC. Mr. Martin takes the lead on engine, small motor, and pump repairs. Mr. Johnny Pickens has been in the water distribution and maintenance field for over 35 years. Mr. Pickens oversees the maintenance of the Joint Water System facilities and grounds. Mr. David Harris is a recent addition to the maintenance staff. He brings over 13 years of experience as an electrician to the System. The most recent addition to the maintenance staff is Mr. Mark Miller. He brings over 7 years of maintenance experience to our team.
Operations: Water Treatment Operations are under the supervision of Mr. David Melton. The Operations section maintains a continuous operation of the Lake Hartwell Water Treatment Plant and is a certified water quality testing laboratory for the Joint Water System, member agencies, and outside parties. Mr. Melton has a combined 19 years of service with Duke and the Joint Water System. He has worked in power distribution, water distribution and is now in water treatment operations. He holds a Class "A" Water Distribution Operators License, as well as a Class "A" Water Treatment Plant Operators License from the State of SC.
Mr. Melton leads a veteran staff of water treatment plant operators with over 130 years of combined water treatment operations experience. Mr. Donnie Curry has over 34 years experience with Duke and the Joint Water System. He has earned a Class "A" Water Treatment Plant Operators License from the State of SC. Mr. Bill Marchbanks also holds a Class "A" Water Treatment Plant Operators License from the State of SC. He has been employed first by Duke and now by the Joint Water System for over 28 years. Mr. Frank Morris has 25 years of experience as a water treatment plant operator. He holds a Class "B" Water Treatment Plant Operators License from the State of SC. Mr. Will Drake has worked at the Lake Hartwell Treatment Plant for over 9 years as an operator. Prior to that, Mr. Drake served as the chief operator for the Town of Williamston. He has over 33 years experience in water treatment. Mr. Drake holds a Class "A" Water Treatment Plant Operators License. Mr. Jimmy Clemones had over 13 years experience in water and wastewater treatment prior to joining the Joint Water System staff in 2002. He holds a Class "A" Water Treatment Plant Operators License and a Class "A" Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators License from the State of SC. Mr. Bryan Bates is the newest member of the Water Treatment staff. He holds a Class "A" Water Treatment Operators License. He has over 6 years experience in water treatment with the Belton-Honea Path Water Authority, most recently serving as its Chief Operator.
Engineering: As System Engineer, Mrs. Barrington oversees and manages the capital improvement programs, provides engineering support for existing maintenance activities, and directs system planning activities. Mrs. Barrington has over nine years of experience in the water and wastewater utility industry. Before joining the ARJWS, Mrs. Barrington served as Senior Civil Engineer for the Western Carolina Regional Sewer Authority. Her responsibilities included managing the planning, design, and construction of wastewater treatment plants and conveyance systems. Prior to that, Mrs. Barrington served as Special Projects Manager for the Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority. She managed the design and construction of a new 15 million gallon per day (MGD) water treatment plant and led a master planning effort for the two-county service area.
Mrs. Barrington graduated from Clemson University with a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering and a Masters in Public Administration. Mrs. Barrington is a registered professional engineer in the state of South Carolina.