Retirement – April 30th, 2025

Written by Miles Jorgenson

30 years ago, my drinking water and livestock supply came from a dugout. There were a lot of anxious days (and nights) when I had to fix a pump, deal with a frozen intake or figure out what treatment might clean up whatever was in the water. I could predict the weather based on the colour and smell coming out of the tap! As interest grew in the Wakaw-Humboldt water pipeline, some keen individuals took the reins to explore bringing this new high quality reliable supply to rural homes like mine. A committee was formed, doors were knocked, long days on the road were driven, meetings were held. Information was gathered, disseminated and formalized into actionable contracts. This ultimately led to the formation of a quasi-independent utility under the umbrella of our three founding RM’s; St. Peters, Humboldt and Lake Lenore, hence the moniker “SHL”. Our first customers had river water running out of their taps in 1998. Today, we deliver clean reliable water to over 350 rural homes in our community, ranging from Verndale Hills to Engelfeld to the many acreages and farms surrounding the City of Humboldt and numerous lakeside developments.

Jennifer Crone was part of it all. She was there when all we had was an idea. She brought the RM’s together, helped formulate an organization and through her stewardship, she brought the first customers on the line. Throughout our nearly 30 years, your water utility was established, project-managed and has operated under her excellent stewardship. So, as she prepares for retirement, we wish her well and we thank her every time we turn on a tap and enjoy a worry-free glass of delicious, clean water. Jennifer’s an avid traveller, so we sincerely hope she will visit us from time to time.

As Brooke Ries takes the reins, we hope you will take her call, from whatever beach you find yourself!

Your Board – Keith, Ward, Jeff, Miles, Candice, Justin