Lynn Brilz: Where Nobody Knows Your Name

Originally published in the Fall 2017 issue of NC Currents magazine.

Lynn Brilz says it’s a good day when the public doesn’t know his name. “It’s best if you don’t know who I am,” laughs the Senior Engineer at the Town of Cary’s (Town) Water Resources Department. “I’ve never received a call from someone saying, ‘Gee Lynn, the sewer is working great today.’”  

Not that Brilzminds. He’s devoted his career to making sure that when people do their laundry or flush their toilets, they have the luxury of forgetting what goes on behind the scenes. “Before I got into this position,” he says. “I didn’t truly appreciate how much planning, coordination, and work are involved in maintaining collection systems and treatment plants.”  

He points to such facets as pretreatment inspection to minimize fats, oils, and grease, sewer-line cleaning, condition assessment inspections, and flow monitoring programs to evaluate performance of the collection system. “On top of that you have all the ongoing maintenance and operations that keep our systems running,” points out Brilz. “To me, the amount of work that goes into maintaining a wastewater collection system is truly remarkable.”  

Yet that is exactly the kind of activity in which he is involved. He is engaged in a wide variety of projects to ensure the system keeps working: from sanitary force main condition assessments and force main cleaning, to rehabilitating manholes and gravity sewer lines with technologies such as cured-in-place lining. “We have an amazing team of dedicated staff that work every day to keep everything running,” says Brilz. As part of the Jordan Lake Water Reclamation and Reuse Project, he has also been involved in converting a sanitary force main to a reclaimed water line.  

In 2016, Brilz had two opportunities to share the insights he gained from working on this project. At the NC AWWAWEA Spring Symposium in Asheville, along with the consulting engineering team, he delivered a presentation on the challenges of building a pipeline in a rapidly changing corridor, with a rapidly growing population. Later that fall, he continued the conversation on the Jordan Lake Water Reclamation and Reuse Project at the Annual Conference as one of four speakers presenting on the project’s unique partnership. Durham County’s Triangle Wastewater Treatment Plant produces the reclaimed water, which is delivered to parts of Research Triangle Park (RTP) in Wake County and to the Town’s Northwest Reclaimed Water Service Area. The Town operates and maintains the pipeline infrastructure within Town limits and Wake County. “Wake County was initially the lead in coordinating the project,” explains Brilz, adding that the Town was able to bring considerable experience to the work, due to its history of operating and maintaining reclaimed water systems since 2001.   

Two of the Town’s wastewater facilities produce water for reuse, mostly for irrigation, but also for industrial purposes, such as cooling towers. In fact, the field in the Town’s signature USA Baseball National Training Complex is kept green thanks to reclaimed water.  

The Water Resources Department manages projects involving distribution and treatment of potable water, as well as the collection and treatment of stormwater and wastewater, asset management, and water resources planning functions. Brilz enjoys working in a team environment with other Town staff, including Public Works and Utilities Department employees whose job is also to “keep things going.” Over the past 10 years, Brilz has mainly been involved in condition assessments, maintenance, rehabilitation, and repair of what’s already in the ground. “I’ve always enjoyed working with existing infrastructure,” he explains. “There’s something satisfying about taking something that’s old and extending its service life by renewing it to keep it going.”

After graduating with a BS in civil engineering from the University of North Dakota in 1990, he worked for a number of consulting firms on everything from site design to paving jobs and landfill construction. “As time went on, my work became more and more geared toward underground utility and wastewater projects,” he recalls, “including pumps stations, other wastewater treatment applications, and things of that nature.” Then in 2000, he was hired by the City of Fargo, North Dakota, and he realized he had found his calling. “Working for a municipality held a special appeal for me,” he explains. “I truly enjoyed working on a team that takes ownership and pride in maintaining something that is constantly improving.” That sentiment was still strong when he moved to North Carolina and ultimately joined the Town in 2007. Brilz also appreciates all the opportunities he has to work on such a large variety of projects. “I would have a hard time listing a single project that stands out,” he says. “Each has had unique and interesting attributes.” Because each project always brings something new and, at the same time, the industry is always advancing, Brilz is always eager to attend the NC AWWA-WEA Annual Conference to keep up with emerging products and technology. “Touching base with people who do what you do and hearing how they manage their projects is always interesting,” he adds. “I think we learn as much from each other as we ever did in school.” The public may not know Lynn Brilz, but his colleagues in the industry certainly do – and he knows their name too. In the end, that’s all the counts.