The Springfield Water and Sewer Commission oversees and maintains drinking water and wastewater systems with physical assets located in seven communities in the lower Pioneer Valley. The Commission's work is organized under six divisions, which are all overseen by the executive director.
Drinking Water Operations oversees the three water supply reservoirs (Borden Brook, Cobble Mountain, and Ludlow Reservoirs), water supply forest, West Parish Filters Drinking Water Treatment Plant in Westfield, and storage and transmission infrastructure.
Jim Laurila, P.E., is Director of Drinking Water Operations.
The drinking water distribution system in Springfield and Ludlow, and the sewer collection system in Springfield, is overseen and maintained by Field Services.
Field Services also provides customer service for repairs of residential and commercial water and sewer service lines; water quality issues; and various inspections and other services. Public access to Ludlow Reservoir is also managed by Field Services.
Dan DiRienzo is Director of Field Services.
Wastewater is treated at the Springfield Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility on Bondi’s Island in Agawam. SUEZ is the Commission’s contracted wastewater treatment operator. The Wastewater Treatment Division also develops and implements projects to remediate the combined sewer overflow (CSO) system in Springfield.
Steve Frederick is Deputy Director of Wastewater Treatment.
Engineering develops and oversees various projects for the drinking water and wastewater systems, as well the hydro-power plant in Westfield. Engineering also reviews and inspects connections made to the drinking water distribution and wastewater collection systems.
Darleen Buttrick, P.E., is the Director of Engineering and Capital Projects.
Servers, communications equipment, mobile technology, Geographic Information Systems, and various hardware and software platforms utilized at the treatment plants and in the field and offices are overseen and maintained by the Infrastructure Technology (IT) Division.
Customer service for billing and financing for the Commission’s various infrastructure projects are overseen by Director of Finance Domenic Pellegrino.
The Commission’s financial planning and budget are overseen by Comptroller Anthony Basile.
Procurement, contracts, and other legal matters are overseen by Director of Legal Affairs and Chief Procurement Officer Theo Theocles, Esq.
The management of day-to-day operations, strategic direction, and personnel is overseen by Executive Director Joshua D. Schimmel.
Mr. Schimmel joined the wastewater department of Springfield DPW in 1993 prior to the formation of the Commission in 1996. He served in Engineering and as Director of Wastewater Operations at the Commission before becoming Executive Director in 2016.
Mr. Schimmel serves on the boards of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) and the Massachusetts Coalition for Water Resources Stewardship (MCWRS). He is also active in several other state, regional, and national water industry organizations, including the Massachusetts Water Works Association (MWWA) and the New England Water Environment Association (NEWEA).