How Victoria’s Water Team Keeps Your Taps Flowing Smoothly

You turn on the faucet and water comes out. Simple, right? Well, not exactly, and that’s what Public Works Director Ken Gill wants you to know.

Gill recently sat down on the City of Victoria’s Town Talk podcast to pull back the curtain on the complicated process of getting clean, safe water to your tap.

With over 30 years of experience across the City’s Engineering and Public Works departments, Gill has seen it all, from road repairs to storm drains to water treatment.

Most residents don’t think twice about their utilities. According to Gill, that’s a sign of success.

“I want you to take us for granted,” Gill said. “That means I’ve done a great job. Every light you made, your water worked, your toilet flushed—it’s great.”

That behind-the-scenes success was tested recently when a faulty disinfectant pipe temporarily shut down water treatment operations. With only the water already stored in towers available, crews hustled through the night to avoid service disruption.

Their work paid off and residents never even noticed.

“We were pumping water at five o’clock in the morning, before that rush [starting at 6 a.m.],” Gill said. “The best part about it was nobody knew [what had happened] except the people that were involved.”

Looking ahead, the City is already planning for future water needs. Gill recalled the long road to transitioning from groundwater to surface water and said they’re now exploring multiple water source options to stay ahead of demand.

“It was a 10- to 15-year process last time,” he said. “So we’re asking, where do we want to be in 10 years?”