By C. MacDonald

Today concludes National Public Works Week and there's no more important and unsung city department than Public Works. It's the one you don't think about unless something goes wrong. It helps you drive safely, drink safe water and so much more. It works to protect you 365 days a year.

One of the top Public Works Departments is in Huntington Beach, CA, where 200 full-time and 30 part-time employees apply their magic. Public Works tests water quality more than 30,000 times a year, maintains 360 miles of sewer lines and 29 lift stations (which pump 9.5 million gallons of sewage daily), deliver 9.5 billion gallons of water through 626 miles of pipe, maintain 143 signalized intersections and 3,765 park, parking lot and street lights, as well as all city vehicles and buildings (from Civic Center, the Fire Stations and Libraries to the Recreation facilities).

"It takes talented people to do this and I've never worked with a better, more caring group than here in HB," said Travis Hopkins, Director of Public Works. "They really take pride in what they do."

Recently, Public Works employees showed residents exactly what they do at a special Surf City Night's Exhibit. Billy Wallace, a certified arborist, stood by his tower truck explaining how his group helps maintain 65,000 trees. Rick Legere showed how his folks operate all the street valves and fire hydrants. "A small computer enables us to keep a history of each valve and what condition it's in," he said. Terry Tintle and his team maintain the street markings and stop signs. "We take our jobs very seriously because they involve you and your family's safety," said Tintle, one of several employees with more than 30 years experience.

Mark Birchfield works in "wastewater," like Ed Norton of the famous Jackie Gleason show, "The Honeymooners." He jokes about Norton but also takes his job seriously. "If sewage gets into storm drains it goes into the ocean," he said. "Twenty years ago, it took 24 months to clean the city's sewer system. Ten years ago it took 12 months. Today, it takes 7-8 months to clean because of new technology and our trained personnel."

Birchfield showed how small cameras, with tracks, like a tank, journey through sewer lines to help identify the problems. Chris Gray, who retired after 37 years, explained how bad the city's infrastructure used to be. "We couldn't see inside the sewers but now with the camera and our CCTV trucks, you can see what needs to be done. Cleaning is done with high pressure water, much faster and more efficiently than before. There even are different nozzles for grease, root cutting and calcium deposits. We don't have to dig up the streets as much as we used to and many pipes are lined from manhole to manhole."

These are just some of the jobs done by Public Works. If you see them working nearby, be sure and say "Thanks." They're on your team to make your city a better, safer place to live.

Here are some important contact numbers for the public in Huntington Beach: Public Works Engineering, 714-536-5431; Report Graffiti, 714-960-8861; Parks/Trees/Landscape Division, 714-536-5480; Water Billing, 714-536-5919; Rainbow Environmental Services, 714-847-3581; Street Sweeping Schedule, http://hbmaps.surfcity-hb.org/viewer.htm

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