Snakes, chainsaws and living in isolation are all part of running a water system. Some jobs are not for the faint of heart. This slideshow highlights horror films with an uncanny resemblance with some of the many jobs at Denver Water.

1. 1
Anaconda (1997)
Categorized as adventure-horror, this film,
starring Jennifer Lopez, follows a film crew
taken hostage by a snake hunter who is
hunting a giant anaconda. When you mess
with the snake, you get the fangs.
While calling this film “horror” is a stretch, it
certainly gives those with ophidiophobia (fear
of snakes) the heebie-jeebies.
But if you don’t suffer from ophidiophobia,
arachnophobia (spiders) or spheksophobia
(wasps), you might enjoy a career as a …

2. 2
Customer service-field rep
Our field reps handle it all, and sometimes
that puts them face-to-face with creepy
crawlers, like snakes, spiders and even
wasps.
Earlier this month, one field tech
encountered a large wasp’s nest during a
routine meter inspection.
“He was taking the meter pit lid off, and he
noticed this huge bee hive. After emptying
three cans of spray, he was able to
complete the inspection,” said Kevin Vitry,
Customer Service field supervisor.
Skills to do the job:
• Excellent customer service.
• Strong communication.
• Ability to adapt to a variety of situations.

3. 3
Christine (1983)
When you combine two horror greats, Stephen
King and John Carpenter, you end up with this
psychological thriller about a possessed 1958
Plymouth Fury.
A car with a mind of its own is scary enough,
but when you throw in an adolescent owner on
a quest to change his nerdy image, this movie
becomes a dark ride through teenage angst.
Think you can tame the mechanical beasts that
help maintain a 100-year-old system?

4. 4
Mechanic
You may be surprised to learn that Denver
Water manages more than 735 fleet
vehicles ranging from hybrid cars to large
trucks, and more than 200 heavy
equipment machines, including backhoes,
cranes, bulldozers and other earth-moving
equipment.
It takes a crew of mechanics and staff to
keep all those vehicles operating on their
best behavior.
Skills to do the job:
• Specialized training in automotive and
equipment repair.
• Experience with diesel and gasoline
equipment repair.
Vehicle mechanic Chris Mahony services a fleet car.

5. The Shining (1980)
It’s hard to live in Colorado and not know
about this horror classic from Stephen King.
He wrote the novel while staying at the Stanley
Hotel in the now infamous room 217.
If you are not familiar with the tale, a man
takes a job over the winter, isolated in a hotel
as the caretaker. (Spoiler alert!) The hotel
ghosts cause him to go insane, and he ends
up chasing his family with an ax.
There are a slew of other horror films based on
isolation, but there are some cabins in the
woods that are not plagued with the ghosts of
caretakers’ past. …
5

6. 6
Caretaker
Many of the reservoirs and water delivery
systems that bring snowmelt from the
mountains to the city are located in remote
and isolated areas, where most of Denver
Water’s caretakers live year-round.
Per Olsson has been a caretaker at Jones
Pass, located near Winter Park, for 25
seasons (a season runs May-October).
He says the remote access doesn’t bother
him at all. “I enjoy being in the wilderness and
working outside.”
Skills to do the job:
• Jack-of-all trades.
• Work includes building fences, maintaining
vehicles or electrical systems, running
dam operations, emergency management,
managing recreation and interacting with
the public.

7. 7
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
The singular lesson of this film: If you’re
ever stranded on a dirt road in the country,
knocking on the first house you see is not
the brightest, or safest, idea.
It also taught us that when a movie claims
to be based on true events, it most likely is
a fabrication used to sell tickets.
While the events of this film were one tall
tale, there is another chainsaw-themed
story that’s completely true. …

8. 8
Equipment operator
Once upon a time, a 116-year-old tree fell
along the High Line Canal. Safely removing
the tree required a special tool.
You guessed it, a chainsaw — with a 5-foot
long bar.
How do you wield such a monster?
“You take your time with it and are very
careful,” said Zach Lane, equipment operator
on the High Line Canal. “You have to respect
the power of the machine and let it do its
work.”
Skills to do the job:
• Construction experience.
• Equipment maintenance expertise.
• A desire to work outdoors.

9. 9
The Crazies (2010)
What happens in a small Iowa town
when a mysterious toxin contaminates
the water supply? Insanity, that’s what.
Based on the original 1973 film
directed by George Romero, this
version ditches combat virus as the
culprit and instead turns precious
source water into a catalyst for
mayhem and fear.
You can sleep easily knowing that
Denver’s drinking water is monitored
very closely.

10. 10
Water Quality
You don’t have to be a mad scientist, but a love
of chemistry or biology might help.
What do our water quality experts love most
about their jobs?
“Being able to assure the quality of the water
and support water treatment and the customer,”
said Maria Rose, water quality specialist.
Skills to do the job:
• Project management.
• Understanding of regulatory language and
regulations.
• Drinking water expertise.
Water quality specialist Anita Hanagan at work in the lab.

11. 11
Scream (1996)
The late, great Wes Craven brought
us a film that was suspenseful and
goofy at the same time.
The film opens with teenaged Casey
(Drew Barrymore) enjoying an
empty house when the phone rings.
The person on the line is the
mysterious Ghostface, who torments
Casey and makes her … scream.

12. 12
Customer Care
Thankfully, calling Denver Water’s customer
care department is a positive experience.
“Within the last two years, we have seen a
significant improvement in our customers’
experience,” said Michelle Garfield, customer
care manager. “Overall satisfaction with Denver
Water increased from 87% in 2013 to 92% in
2015. We have a responsibility to seek
opportunities to improve in successful
interactions that make it easy to conduct
business with Denver Water.”
Skills to do the job:
• Ability to problem-solve and strong
interpersonal communication skills.
• Empathetic nature.
• Passion for customer satisfaction. Karintha Ragland provides customer service with a smile.

13. 13
Do you have what it takes to be a part of the Denver Water team?
Follow career opportunities at:
denverwater.org/Careers/
@DenverWaterJobs