On November 1, 2018, Sabrina A. Figler was promoted to the position of Director of Water Quality for the Erie County Water Authority (the “Authority”). Ms. Figler first joined the Authority’s Water Quality Department on June 7, 1993 as an Environmental Microbiology Technician. She joined the Authority after graduating magna cum laude with a Biology degree from the State University College at Buffalo in 1992.
Since joining the Authority, Ms. Figler has authored and co-authored numerous articles relating to testing and water quality and has presented papers at regional and national conferences of water quality professionals.
Upon accepting the position of Director of Water Quality, Ms. Figler began meeting with other Authority senior staff to develop a plan to educate the public about lead exposure and methods used to reduce such risk in drinking water. In Ms. Figler’s view, “The best way to arm our water customer against lead exposure is to educate them. Once educated, families can have peace of mind that the water they drink is clean and safe.” After months of planning and partnering with the American Water Works Association, the Water Quality Department, as a result of Ms. Figler’s leadership, has acquired and developed numerous informational brochures, fact sheets, pictorials, and videos, to be published on the Authority’s website. This public education plan, known as “Get the Lead Out,” has been rolled out before the Authority undertakes the Annual Lead and Copper Study.
Customer service representatives have been busy calling Authority residential customers to participate in the Annual Lead and Copper Study. Ms. Figler’s goal is to test twice the number of homes previously tested in 2016. Ms. Figler has set forth the following criteria for those who are selected to participate in the Annual Lead and Copper Study:
