From the Field to the Office: A Look Back at the Water Federation's 2026 Summer Interns
This summer, the Water Federation welcomed three summer interns who helped advance projects supporting member water co-ops across Alberta. From mapping rural water infrastructure in the field to improving systems and processes behind the scenes, each student contributed to work that will continue to benefit members for years to come.
Kellan De Guzman: Mapping Rural Water Systems
Surveying intern Kellan De Guzman spent the summer travelling across Alberta in support of the Water Federation's GIS Mapping Project, helping member co-ops digitize their water system maps.
Over the summer, he travelled more than 9,100 kilometres, from Southern Alberta to Peace River, visiting 25 member co-ops and collecting more than 700 data points on water infrastructure. The information gathered will help co-ops build accurate digital maps to support emergency response, maintenance planning and long-term system management.
Using GNSS equipment, metal detectors and existing maps, Kellan located and recorded key infrastructure such as curb stops, hydrants, pumphouses, air relief valves and manholes. Along the way, he learned the importance of local knowledge.
"Co-op representatives often knew details about their systems that could not be determined by maps alone," said Kellan. "During one of my most memorable visits, co-op members came prepared with what they knew about their system and even gave me a full tour."
In addition to his fieldwork, Kellan developed a program to automatically sort field data into project spreadsheets, reducing the amount of manual data entry required.
"This was a great summer experience, and I am grateful for the opportunity," he said.
Peyton Falls: Supporting Federation Administration
Business administration intern Peyton Falls spent the summer supporting the day-to-day work that helps the Water Federation serve its member co-ops.
Her projects included supporting the 2026-27 insurance renewals and membership levy process, assisting with month-end reporting and developing the first budget for the 2027 AGM. She also organized shared files and updated safety forms, making information easier for staff to access and use.
"One of the things I enjoyed most about the internship was being able to see how the different parts of administration connect," said Peyton. "A task that may seem small, such as organizing a file or updating a spreadsheet, can make a big difference when it helps someone else find information or complete their work more easily."
The summer also provided opportunities to learn more about the Water Federation's members and the systems they operate. Peyton toured the Rocky View Water Co-op treatment plant to see the treatment process from start to finish and joined a GIS mapping field visit to help locate curb stops.
"The experience was a great learning opportunity and helped me better understand what goes on at our member water co-ops," she said.
Mark Farinas: Improving Systems Behind the Scenes
Database administrator intern Mark Farinas spent the summer improving the systems that support the Water Federation's operations.
His work included migrating the Water Federation's records from an older database to a new server-based system designed to be maintained by a small team. Throughout the process, he carefully reviewed each table to ensure records were transferred accurately.
Mark also developed a new timesheet system to replace manual tracking, redesigned the annual insurance renewal process to make it easier to use year after year, and automated the shared drive audit process.
"Design for the next person and the next year," said Mark. "It's important to build systems with the future in mind so they can be reused year after year with minimal effort. The less a system relies on custom code, the less you need a developer every time something changes."
Meeting co-op representatives and attending member events helped connect his technical work to the people it ultimately supports.
"Meeting co-op stakeholders allowed me to better appreciate the work the Water Federation does," he said.
Thank You, Summer Interns
The Water Federation extends its thanks to Kellan, Peyton and Mark for their hard work and contributions throughout the summer.
We would also like to thank the member co-ops who welcomed our students, shared their time and knowledge, and helped make this work possible. Their support provided valuable learning opportunities while helping advance projects that benefit rural water systems across Alberta.