Brian Bruce promoted to president of New York American Water

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American Water announced in a press release last week that Brian Bruce has been appointed president of New York American Water.

Reporting to Northeast Division Senior Vice President William Varley, Bruce is responsible for all aspects of the business, including customer, regulatory and local government relationships and operational and financial performance, and is the principal external contact for American Water in New York. He is responsible for leading operations that provide high-quality and reliable water services to more than 350,000 people in Long Island and in upstate New York.

Bruce was New York American Water’s first vice president of operations, where he oversaw the operations of the company’s customer service, production, water quality, environmental management, transmission and distribution, risk management and maintenance departments.

Bruce, and other executives from New York American Water, took part in a Malverne village meeting earlier this year where several hundred residents showed up to voice their concern in Malverne’s water quality. The village has suffered with brown water for years due to a deteriorating water infrastructure, and residents have been actively complaining to the water company about it since 2010. Many pipes in the village have not been replaced since they were first installed in the early 1920s. Prior to the meeting, resident complaints to the water company with met with suggestions that residents should change their hot water heaters. The typical life of a galvanized iron water main, which is what Long Island’s infrastructure was originally built with, is approximately 80 years old.

Bruce said at the meeting that 8,100 feet of pipe would be replaced this summer, which is in progress. Many residents, however, are not part of this summer’s water main replacement and are still looking for relief.

Prior to joining American Water in 2005, Bruce worked for the City of Papillion, Neb., first as water department superintendent, and later as Assistant Public Works Director. A veteran of the United States Navy, Bruce earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Silver Lake College in Wisconsin and an associate’s degree in water and wastewater technology from Bay De Noc Community College in Michigan.