Capital Regional District Team Wins 2025 Operator Challenge

The Operator Challenge made a high-energy comeback at the 2025 BCWWA Annual Conference & Trade Show!

Teams from across BC put their skills to the test in two main events that showcased how much expertise, grit and teamwork it takes to keep our water systems running.

We’re thrilled to announce that the Capital Regional District (CRD) team took home the title in this year’s competition – congratulations to the champions Luke Chamberlin, Steve O’Keefe and Simon Chettleburgh!

The Operator Challenge is a unique opportunity for BC and Yukon’s top water and wastewater operators to showcase their technical skills, teamwork and industry knowledge in a fun, fast-paced competition. Designed to highlight the essential work that operators do every day, the event fosters camaraderie and celebrates the expertise that keeps our water systems safe and reliable.

Teams of three competed in two main events:

Pipe Repair Challenge: A hands-on timed event where teams completed a pipe repair, judged on speed, safety and teamwork.

Test the Waters Trivia: A high-energy Q&A competition featuring questions based on Levels 1–3 of Water Distribution, Wastewater Collection and Wastewater Treatment.

This challenge gave us all a glimpse into the talent and dedication behind clean, safe water in our communities and a chance to celebrate the operators who make it all possible!

Thank you to all the teams who competed this year, including Capital Regional District (CRD), City of Victoria, District of Lillooet and a team comprising of operators from the Nanoose and Neskonlith First Nations. A big thank you to Dan Deacon, Darcy Dion and Kyle McBeth for their support of the Operator Challenge. And a thank you to Water Professional’s International for sponsoring the event and the EOCP for sponsoring the First Nations team.