Gordon Cruickshanks isn’t concerned with cliches such as the glass being “half full” or “half empty.”

He’s more worried about what’s in the glass.

For the past 23 years, Cruickshanks has been instrumental in making sure the drinking water is safe for the residents of Waynesboro.

Cruickshanks manages the state-of-the-art water treatment facility, located outside of Waynesboro on Rattlesnake Run Road, which is designed to treat 4 million gallons of water per day. 

“What makes me feel best about my job is that you know you are providing 12,000 to 13,000 people with safe drinking water every single day,” said Cruickshanks, who leads a staff of eight employees that provide 24-hour supervision and testing at the plant.

“I mean everyone expects it, but somebody has to do it and I just happen to be one of those somebodies,” Cruickshanks added.


Cruickshanks graduated from Penn State in 1986 with a degree in environmental resource management. It was a fairly new major at the time and he got into it because his strong point was science and he enjoyed chemistry.

A career that has always involved water began at a wastewater treatment plant in Hagerstown shortly after graduation.

Cruickshanks came to work for the Waynesboro Borough Authority in 1991. In 1992, Waynesboro constructed the water treatment facility which replaced its original plant that was located in the same area.

In 1999, Cruickshanks added management responsibilities of the borough’s wastewater treatment functions. It was something he was familiar with from the early part of his career.

“Gordon is well versed in both water and wastewater operations,” said Leiter Pryor, director of borough utilities.

“He does a great job ensuring that both plants run efficiently and effectively producing the highest quality water possible each and every day. Gordon is truly an asset to the borough utility team.”

One condition of Cruickshanks’ employment is that he lives onsite and is on call all the time while he is in the area. 

As a result, the borough allows Cruickshanks to live in a home located about an eighth-of-a-mile from the water treatment facility.

“He’s on call all the time and it’s significant that he lives close in case of an emergency,” Pryor said.

Clean and cheap

So how much pride does Cruickshanks take in the water that is purified at his plant?

“A lot of people probably say I would never drink that water, and others might say I love that water. I’ve heard both, but the biggest insult to me is people that drink bottled water in the borough,” Cruickshanks said. “The drinking water out of the faucet is a fiftieth of the cost. It’s insulting to me and I take it seriously.”  

Cruickshanks continued on jokingly, “I always say you know you are cheating on me when I see borough employees drinking bottled water.”

Cruickshanks also takes a pride in his staff which he credits for the ongoing success of the facility.

“When you have long-term employees you get to know them pretty well, you know what to expect from them and you even become friends with them,” Cruickshanks said. 

The operation

Ninety percent of the water supply in Waynesboro comes from the water treatment plant on Rattlesnake Run Road. The other 10 percent comes from a well located on Route 316 which Cruickshanks referred to as Well No. 2.

Located near the water treatment plan is a settling basin which holds 4.5 million gallons of raw creek water. 

The water treatment staff constantly measure pH and chlorine levels as well as monitoring tank levels and flow rates.

According to Cruickshanks, the one thing that he and his staff need to watch closely are heavy rain events. 

He explained that a “day or two” following a heavy rain is when that rain water will trickle into the plant. This requires the staff to mostly shut and reopen valves accordingly.

“When raindrops start coming down, it’s not a factor, but when streams grow, the water gets turbulent and it gets dirty,” Cruickshanks said. “In this field you are always watching the weather and fortunately over the last 20 years, weather forecasts have gotten better.”

Other challenges include meeting goals and regulations which Cruickshanks points out “are getting tougher and tougher every time,” and keeping pharmaceuticals out of water supplies “which is expensive because only so many labs do the testing.”

An electronic upgrade at the water treatment plant is expected in a few years, according to Cruickshanks.

Like everything else over his long career, he expects a smooth transition.