After 20 years working within several positions in the Village of Bluffton, John Bowers, has accepted the position of operator of the Village of Ada water plant.

He begins his new position in the neighboring village on Monday.

Since 2013 he has served as Bluffton’s waste water treatment plant operator. Bluffton’s plant handles over one-half million gallons of treated water on an average day, under Bower’s oversight.

“I started working for the village when I was 19,” said Bowers, a 1999 Bluffton High School graduate.

Working with Dan Bowden, waste water plant superintendent, Bowers holds a  Class III Waste Water Treatment license and Class II Drinking Water license.

Bluffton’s current waste water treatment plant went into operation in 2003 and had its first major update in 2015.

In addition to working for the village, Bowers has served on the Bluffton fire department since 2008 and said that he will continue as a member of the department.

Mayor Richard Johnson presented Bowers with a plaque on Wednesday, reading “John Bowers 20 plus years of service to the Village of Bluffton, Thank you!”

Johnson said that during the interim other village personnel will handle operations at the waste water treatment plant, until a decision is made on Bower’s replacement.