Kannapolis Water Treatment Plant Operations Manager, Gerald Faulkner, recently received the 2025 B Well Operator of the Year Award from the North Carolina Waterworks Operators Association.

This prestigious award is presented to an individual for “demonstrating outstanding ability, and devotion and technical expertise in the operation of a water treatment facility.”

Gerald has been in the industry for 27 years, beginning his career at the Kannapolis Water Treatment Plant in 1999, after working as an electrical contractor for Cannon Mills. In 2004, when the City assumed operations of the Water Treatment Plant, Gerald was promoted to the position of Water Treatment Plant Operations Supervisor and later named Manager.

During his tenure, Gerald has supervised an expansive $13.4 million plant upgrade, overseeing the construction and operation of three new distribution pump stations, two elevated water tanks and one sewer lift station. He has served as a project manager on multiple SCADA improvement projects, multiple raw water pump station upgrades, the Clearwell rehab project, and numerous green projects, which involved the installation of two variable speed pumps used to reduce energy usage.

Throughout his career, Gerald has pursued a variety of training opportunities to improve his knowledge and skills. He continuously looks for ways to improve plant operations and trains plant staff in the newest technologies available. Additionally, the Kannapolis Water Treatment Plant has been awarded the American Water Operations Plant Award for the past nine consecutive years.