Deputy Director of Public Works Brian Goetz Honored by the New England Water Works Association

Brian Goetz, Portsmouth’s Deputy Director of Public Works, received the 2017 Award of Merit from the New England Water Works Association (NEWWA), the region’s largest and oldest not-for-profit organization of water works professionals.

The Award of Merit is bestowed yearly to an individual who has been a member of the Association for a minimum of the past five years and who has demonstrated, in the opinion of the Award of Merit Committee, the highest level of outstanding service to NEWWA, a water utility, the water works practice in general, or a combination of the aforementioned.

At the City, Goetz is in charge of the water, wastewater and stormwater utilities. Brian has nearly 30 years of waterworks management and consulting experience and is considered a leader in the public drinking water sector in New Hampshire. He is widely recognized by his colleagues as one of the foremost authorities in the area of water demand and efficiency. Recent efforts include the City of Portsmouth’s toilet and washing machine rebate program that was recognized by the State of New Hampshire in 2015 for their Water Sustainability award.

Goetz has been a member of NEWWA and American Water Works Association (AWWA) since 1987. He is a current member of the NEWWA Water Resources Committee, which he previously chaired for nearly five years. He is a contributor to NEWWA’s publications and is a frequent presenter at NEWWA meetings, most recently presenting on the City of Portsmouth’s experience dealing with PFAS contamination in the Pease Tradeport water system in 2014. He is a Past President of the New Hampshire Water Works Association and a past member of the State of New Hampshire Groundwater Commission. Goetz is a current member of the State of New Hampshire’s Seacoast Drinking Water Commission.

Goetz earned a bachelor’s degree in technology from Bowling Green State University and a master’s degree in environmental policy from Indiana University. He is a grade 4 certified water treatment operator in New Hampshire and Maine, and a grade 3 certified water distribution operator in New Hampshire.

Goetz received this award on January 18, 2018 at the NEWWA and New Hampshire Water Works Association joint monthly meeting in Nashua, New Hampshire.

Photo: Brian Goetz receives his award from David Miller, President-Elect of NEWWA