The following is written by Sumner Mayor Dave Enslow:
What is the most important service the City provides to you? While some might think about police or fire protection or roads, think about what would happen if we turned on the tap and nothing came out. It’s a service we rely on so much thatoften we don’t even think about it. Plenty of clean, fresh water is basic to healthy families and a healthy community.
Tony Utanis from Public Works gave a presentation on the water system to Sumner Rotary this week. Tony has been working here for over 39 years, and you probably recognize him from events around town. But usually, in factevery day, Tony is making sure that the water you and I and our families drink is safe and clean. That’s no small task–just ask folks in Michigan.
Tony reminded us that George Ryan built the first water system out of his logging operation. They actually used hollowed-out logs, one of which we found still under Mason Street a few months ago. (It wasn’t still being used to convey water!) Sumner then had a private water company for a few years before the City took it on in the early 1900s. When Tony arrived in the 1970s, Sumner was still using ancient sheds to pull water from springs. Although today we still use those springs, they have upgraded the infrastructure around them to keep our water clean and sufficient for our needs. Now, it’s a high tech system of over 90 miles of pipes (none of them made of lead), holding tanks, pumps, you name it. And, most importantly, it also comes with an effective team of staff, like Tony, who monitor, test, watch and keep us all safe.
Today, when you get a glass of water, hold it up in cheers to Tony and the Public Works crew who keep us hydrated and healthy. As our friends in Tumwater are fond of saying, it’s the water!
Fun fact: What would become Tumwater’s Olympia Brewing wanted to originally locate in Sumner. But, Mrs. Zehnder was a teetotaler, so she sold the farm to a yeast company instead!
