Kevin Kirk quietly fulfills an inestimable service to the residents of Friday Harbor. As Chief Plant Operator/Lab Technician, he ensures the water from the 250,000 gallons of sewage Town of Friday Harbor Wastewater Treatment facility receives daily leaves the plant in healthy condition. "I make sure the water meets all the state and federal requirements before it goes out to the bay," said Kirk, who recently marked 25 years of service with the Town.

Born and raised in and near Spokane, Kevin has been working for the Town longer than all but two current employees. He started working for the Town in February, 1978. Kevin collected garbage in the morning and worked wherever needed the rest of the day. "I worked in all the departments. I’d get off the garbage truck and help pave streets, fix water leaks, whatever," Kevin said.

The Town quickly tapped Kevin’s laboratory experience: He worked in a Spokane testing lab before moving to San Juan Island. Kevin performed tests at the sewer treatment plant and started working full-time there when the Town upgraded the facility in 1984.

"You get to play with chemicals. I always enjoyed chemistry and that stuff in school," Kevin said of his job.

The Town’s Chief Operator is looking forward to the challenge of operating the Town’s expanded and upgraded wastewater treatment facility, which is expected to be running early next year. "The new plant will be an improvement," Kevin said. "We won’t be putting chlorine out to the bay, it will cut down on our water use, and we’ll be drying sludge here so we can use it locally for landscaping."