His grandfather and father were plumbers, his brother is a plumber, and his son is a certified operator. A lifelong Canadian resident and active WPI board member, Morley himself has been working in the field for 25 years.
He currently works as an approvals and compliance engineer for the government of Prince Edward Island. In this role, Morley and his small team tackle a diverse number of tasks, and it is these varying job duties that have made Morley so adaptable. “There is never a shortage of things to do,” he claims. One day he could be out in the field collecting wastewater samples, and the next he could be at a local business teaching them how to operate their system.
The biggest part of Morley’s job is helping set up policies, standards, and procedures on how to best operate water systems. As part of the Canadian Water Operator Certification Committee, he helped generate a volume of best practices for Canada. These precepts have changed over the years, yet they have continued to set effective standards for organizations in each jurisdiction. WPI (ABC at the time) helped his committee put together these practices in a professional way, and Morley respected their expertise during that time. Someone had pitched him the idea of joining the WPI board and, in time, he was able to. Since then, Morley has gone on to help create many wonderful things with great people who are dedicated to bettering the operator certification process.
Morley has participated in numerous projects since joining WPI, but the experience most valuable to him is his involvement with the development and implementation of the standardized exam for certified operators. “At first, I was very skeptical,” he admits. “I challenged the board, I challenged Paul, and I challenged the organization.” A lot of ambition and brainpower (from a very diverse set of backgrounds) went into that process, and he is proud of the outcome. The required flexibility and his collaboration with many kinds of people in his role as an engineer have allowed Morley to have a “wider discussion and contribution” to the projects he works on with WPI. Over the years, he has become more willing to listen and consider every idea that comes his way. For Morley, the most rewarding part about being on the WPI board is supplying sound solutions using all the input they have access to.
A steadfast participant in the water and wastewater industry since childhood, Morley is both proud of and optimistic about WPI’s dedication and versatility. “I have witnessed a real willingness to create a system that puts operators first and makes sure they have the tools they need to succeed,” he states. He is especially excited about his current project, which involves creating a job analysis survey designed to enhance the plant point-rating system. Thankfully, Morley’s enthusiasm and commitment to this pursuit guarantee that he will remain with the WPI team for the foreseeable future.
