Edwin H. Pieper Honored by Patoka Regional Water & Sewer District at Retirement Dinner

On November 9th, 2011, at a dinner for guests and employees, the Patoka Lake Regional Water & Sewer District honored Edwin H. Pieper for 36 years of dedicated and exemplary service to the district and PLRWS.

The event included an invocation and introduction by John Noblitt (Vice President), and remarks and reflections from Jim Burch of Midwestern Engineers, Mike Phillips with Phillips & Phillips Attorneys, and Bruce Heeke from PLRWS.

Thank You Ed for a job well done! Enjoy your retirement!

Here is a summation of Ed's time with PLRWS from the evening's program:

Edwin H. Pieper and Patoka Lake Regional Water & Sewer District

The Patoka Lake Regional Water & Sewer District was established in 1975 by the order of the Indiana Stream Pollution Control Board in response to a petition jointly submitted by the counties of Crawford, Dubois, and Orange to protect, as well as utilize, the resources of Patoka Lake.

A seven-member Board of Trustees governs the District. Two members are appointed from each of the three participating counties to serve four-year terms. With the seventh member appointed by the Governor to also serve a four-year term.

Edwin H. Pieper was very instrumental in the organization of the District in 1975. Although he was involved locally and on a district level with the Democrat Party, he participated in many bi-partisan meetings with both national and state elected officials to create the District during the time of its formation.

He was elected as the first president of the board of directors at their first official meeting on July 14, 1975 and continued in that capacity for 36 years, retiring in September 2011 due to health reasons. In subsequent meetings over the next three months, the board selected Midwestern Engineers and Attorney Mike Phillips to assist in designing an initial system and applying for financing from what was then known as Farmer’s Home Administration.

The first loan closing in the amount of $500,000 took place on Sept. 23, 1975 and according to Ed, “Thanks to FHA, we were on our way and the rest is history.”

Ed presided over the growth of the district from the installation of that first treatment plant and small distribution system to the position it enjoys today serving a multitude of wholesale and retail customers in southern Indiana.

The first employees were in 1979. They were Noel Newlin, Bill Painter and Bruce Heeke. Today, the district employs 41 full time employees and 1 part time.

Ed has given a large portion of his life for the welfare of the District. Being single and residing less than a mile from the office, he has been able to give “hands on” dedication, while still giving the staff freedom to implement policy and perform the duties required to make the District the success it is today.

In reviewing the history of the district it is very difficult to pinpoint phases and projects for which he was solely responsible. That was not his style. He possesses the management skills that enable him to work with and inspire fellow board members and staff alike to move forward with the various phases of the growth of the District and he is very reluctant to take credit for its success.

In talking with Ed recently, he remarked “It’s [Patoka] a God given thing for us.”

As he went on, he told of a trip he made with the district superintendent Ronnie Crews to the Tell City area to inspect a proposed line extension. As they drove the route two little girls were playing in their front yard and Ronnie told Ed, “These little girls deserve good drinking water too.”

That line extension was built, along with many others since that time as a result of Ed’s foresight and leadership during his 36 year tenure.

He seldom ignored new ways of serving the rate payers of the district as the board searched for new technologies to provide cleaner water. A project currently underway will allow enhanced treatment to correct taste and odor problems caused by natural changes in algae and other lake conditions. The district has also investigated new membrane filtering techniques that will likely have to be used in the future.

With the full support of Mr. Pieper, a new effort implemented three years ago by the District was a Watershed Protection Committee charged with keeping the watershed around the lake in its pristine condition in order to continue providing quality water. That committee consists of some board members, soil and water personnel, local health officials and others to aid farmers to prevent run off and other pollutants from entering the lake. They also conduct periodic volunteer clean up days around the lake.

Ed was honored in the past by his fellow board members and the staff of the District when they named the administrative complex and treatment plants as the EDWIN H. PIEPER FACILITY.

During his tenure, Ed served as the appointee of the Dubois County Council. He is a member of St. Raphael Catholic Church in Dubois.