A Day in the Life of a Circuit Rider: Jigar Patel

This article originally appeared in the Q2 2024 Edition of the Rural Water Magazine.

As one of the National Rural Water Association's Roving Circuit Riders, Jigar Patel has the unique experience of providing technical assistance to water systems all across the country. "I've worked in Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Virginia, West Virginia, and Arizona," he said.

Roving Circuit Riders assist states in the Circuit Rider program by filling gaps due to retirement, leave of absence, or other circumstances, ensuring systems continue to receive uninterrupted technical assistance and avoid a vacancy in the program. In this unique role, Jigar must display adaptability and dedication.

Jigar faces unique challenges with his roving position. "There are some challenges in switching states every few months, such as getting to know the State Association personnel, the local rules and regulations, and the lay of the land," he explained. "One of the most important tasks is picking up where the previous Circuit Rider left off."

As with other Circuit Riders, Jigar's days vary based on the needs of the systems in that state. "I plan on going to several systems that either have called me or the association for assistance or just stopping by to check on them to see if they need anything," he said. "If a previous Circuit Rider had visited the system because of an issue, I follow up on it to make sure it is resolved."

Helping systems can entail things as major as locating a leak or explaining new rules and regulations or as simple as dropping off a sample for them, Jigar said. "For one system in Arizona, it would have been six hours round trip for the operator to take a sample to the lab, so I offered to take it so he could prepare for the board meeting he had that evening regarding upgrade plans and rate increases," he said.

While working in Connecticut, Jigar helped locate a major leak. "A system called me about a leak. Water was coming out of the cracks in the middle of the road and nowhere near where the service line was thought to have crossed the heavily traveled two-way road," he recalled. "The operator couldn't figure out what side of the road the leak was in and didn't want to shut down both lanes searching for it, so he called me."

Jigar hooked up a correlator and input the needed data, such as type, size, and length of pipe, until the leak was found. "The correlator pinpointed the leak to one side of the road," he said. "The operator then confirmed the leak with the ground microphone before they shut down one side of the road to dig. This allowed them to close only one side of the road and not cause any congestion or diversion of traffic."

Besides helping systems with day-to-day issues, locating leaks is one of Jigar's favorite things about his position. "I love locating leaks because I like solving problems," he said. "Solving a problem that a system hasn't been able to figure out is my most meaningful job. And there's fulfillment when you get to help somebody."