Clean, reliable drinking water is often seen as a given—but behind every drop is a complex system and a dedicated team ensuring its delivery.
For Victor Hernandez, a Water Systems Mechanic with the City of Round Rock, that behind-the-scenes work is both a skill and a calling. For the past seven years, he’s been immersed in the regular maintenance and troubleshooting that goes into providing clean water to city residents.
“You don’t realize there’s so many jobs behind providing clean water to houses,” Hernandez said. “It’s amazing how hard people work just to get water to your house.”
Hernandez is lauded as an innovative thinker by his supervisor, City of Round Rock Systems Mechanic Supervisor Kirk Sholars, who also cited his trouble-shooting skills of pumps and motors as an asset to their team.
“Victor is always up for a challenge and volunteers in other departments as needed,” Sholars said. “He can be counted on to respond day or night to solve problems and keeping water flowing to the citizens of Round Rock.”
Hernandez had heard the City was a “great place to work for,” but it was only after gaining working knowledge of the environment that he truly found his calling.
“Honestly, I just wanted to work for the City,” he said. “I never thought I was going to find myself until I started working in the Water department. Then I realized this was the job for me.”
The job does come with its share of pressure (pun intended). Late-night troubleshooting and post-storm response are also part of the job, and they usually come with a shortened timeframe to accomplish the task at hand.
“You don’t know what to expect,” he said. “But we always manage to come up with something.”
That “something” might include mechanical or electrical work, plumbing, using heavy equipment or innovating a solution. It could be one of a thousand tasks and might seem never-ending … much to Hernandez’ delight.
“I love my job. Every day is something different,” he said. “You have to know that there’s always something more to learn.”
Interested in working for the City of Round Rock? See open positions and learn more at roundrocktexas.gov/jobs.
