David Bries, Utilities Manager

Dave received an Associates Degree in Civil Engineering Technology from Hawkeye Institute of Technology, Waterloo, Iowa in 1981. He completed AWWA Management Institute through the University of Utah and the Certified Public Manager Program through KU Public Management Center. He is a Colorado Certified Water Professional.

From 1981 through 1998 Dave worked through the ranks at the city of Olathe, Kansas as engineering technician, program manager, and technical support manager. He was the utilities maintenance superintendent from 1998 through 2013, responsible for management of water distribution, meter reading, and wastewater collection systems in a rapidly growing municipality that served over 120,000 residents and customers.

From 2003 through 2013 Dave was adjunct faculty where he taught water distribution and wastewater collection courses at Fort Scott Community College as part of the Environmental Technology degree program.

In 2013 Dave joined the City of Montrose team as the Utility Division superintendent and was promoted to the utilities manager position in 2017. He implemented an Automated Meter Reading Infrastructure (AMI) system to provide hourly meter reading data as well as the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) enhancements to provide better control of pressures and improve water quality.

Dave is a current trustee on the AWWA Distribution and Plant Operations Committee and serves as the city’s representative on the Project 7 Water Authority. He is also a member of Rocky Mountain AWWA (RMAWWA), Rocky Mountain Water Environment Association (RMWEA) and he is on the Planning Committee for Grand Junction Water and Wastewater Conference. Dave received the 2016 American Public Works Association Colorado Chapter - Professional Manager of the Year Award in Water Resources.