Madison Water Utility Employee Takes First Place in State Meter Madness Competition

Kara Jafferis will go on to compete at the national level

Madison Water Utility employee Kara Jafferis took first place-and a trophy that's almost as tall as she is-in the Meter Madness Competition at the Midwest Water and Wastewater Industry Expo in the Wisconsin Dells on February 5. In this fast-paced competition, contestants are given a bucket with a completely disassembled meter and race against the clock to assemble it. Time penalties are assessed for any safety violations and if the meter is improperly assembled, leaks, or fails to register water use. The person with the fastest time, including penalties, is the winner. Jafferis won the competition with an error free time of approximately 47 seconds. Competitors do not have to be meter mechanics; any employee from a member utility can enter in the contest. Madison Water Utility was represented in the competition by Jafferis, a One-Call Coordinator, as well as Kenneth Erickson, a Public Works Maintenance Worker, Mark Ertel, a Water Services Inspector, and Rick Marx, a Meter Mechanic. A different brand of residential water meter is provided each year, and contestants can receive practice meters to hone their skills. This year, the competition meter was a 5/8" Badger model that has been used as a standard meter by the Madison Water Utility. Jafferis started working for the Madison Water Utility in 1999 as an hourly Hydrant Painter. Since then, she has been a Meter Mechanic and a One-Call Coordinator. She has competed in the Meter Madness competition for the last five years, and placed third in 2009. Jafferis will go on to represent the Madison Water Utility in the national competition, which will be held in June during the American Water Works Association Annual Conference and Exposition in Denver, Colorado. Her conference and travel expenses will be paid by the Wisconsin Water Association.

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