Prairie City’s public works director was recognized for his job performance and accomplishments.

Director Chris Camarena said he was shocked when he got the Collections System Operator of the Year Award from Pacific Northwest Clean Water Association because the award usually goes to bigger cities.

“I don’t know if anybody here in Prairie City has ever gotten operator of the year before,” Camarena said. “Since I’ve been here, this is the first time.”

Camarena has worked with Prairie City’s public works department for 20 years. He took over as assistant public works director in 2008 and became the director in 2014.

Camarena was awarded virtually and said it was an honor to be the recipient. He also said the award would not have been possible without the public works team and their hard work.

“They’re good at what they do and have a lot of dedication to what they do,” Camarena said. “I can’t do any of this without them, and I contribute everything to them.”

Outside of his job with the city, Camarena also participates in various groups in Prairie City such as the Prairie City Fire Department, emergency medical services, the Prairie City school board and more that makes his work as a public director more rewarding.

“We try to work together as a community here and help each other out,” Camarena said. “We tie a lot of stuff together like working on projects with the kids at school and help tie it in with public works.”

When the Canyon Creek Complex fire happened in 2015, Camarena said he and several other team members were firefighters during the incident. They spent days living in a fire truck and doing their duties as firefighters, but when they got back home, work continued as the water facility had to be checked on to make sure it was running during the emergency.

“It doesn’t just stop when you flush the toilet or turn the faucet off,” Camarena said. “We have to do a physical and visual inspection of our complete system every single day, and making sure water is safe for everybody.”

Camarena said he has great relationships with public work directors in other cities.

The goal for Prairie City’s public works team is to leave the water and wastewater system better than they found it. Camarena said the team has been working on many improvement and preventive maintenance programs on the water and wastewater systems.

Camarena said there have been many challenges to overcome in the systems.

“I told the mayor, ‘Hey, I wouldn’t know how to run a normal system,’” Camarena said. “The city has had issues with their water and wastewater system for years here, but you just keep on truckin’ on through it and try to get it fixed.”

Along with the manual labor, the job also consists of seeking grant opportunities to help fund the improvements to the systems in Prairie City and their multi-million wastewater treatment project, which replaced failing pumps and aging infrastructure.

Camarena said he is thankful for his job and that the doors and phone lines are always open to answer questions regarding the systems.