My Dad is a Heavy Equipment Operator

          My dad, Mark Eno, is a heavy equipment operator for the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA). He has worked for the MWRA since 2001. The MWRA brings clean, great tasting water to most of the people that live in Massachusetts. The water travels through hundreds of miles of pipelines and valves from the Quabbin Reservoir in western Massachusetts to Boston. The Quabbin Reservoir was built in the 1930s, and is the largest inland body of water in the state.

          In 1984, legislation was created to form the MWRA. One of the main reasons for the creation was to clear up the Boston Harbor because it was very polluted from years of mistreatment.

          For almost 39 years, the MWRA has had many projects to become what they are today. They manage clean water and waste water treatment for over 3 million people and over 5,500 industrial users. There are over 1,200 people that work at the MWRA. Can you imagine what would happen if we didn’t have water?

          As a Heavy Equipment Operator, my dad works as part of a team in the water pipeline department to fix and install water pipes and valves. His team is made of many people including a foreman, pipe layers and laborers. They work outside in rain, snow, heat, cold – all weather conditions and they sometimes work all hours of the day when there is a problem, like a pipe bursting. They have to make sure the people they serve have water at all times. Their work makes sure millions of people have clean drinking water. My dad has a very important job because everyone on the job site could be very hurt if he can’t see them. One of the machines he runs is called an excavator. It can lift up to 30,000 pounds (the same as four adult elephants). He has to be very careful with each move he makes with the machine to get the job done correctly and to make sure all his team members are safe.

          The men and women who work at the MWRA are unsung heroes in our community, because I know my dad is a hero to me, and that’s why I wrote this essay.