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Anaconda (1997)

Categorized as adventure-horror, this film, starring Jennifer Lopez, follows a film crew taken hostage by a snake hunter who is hunting a giant anaconda. When you mess with the snake, you get the fangs.

While calling this film “horror” is a stretch, it certainly gives those with ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) the heebie-jeebies.

But if you don’t suffer from ophidiophobia, arachnophobia (spiders) or spheksophobia (wasps), you might enjoy a career as a …

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Customer service-field rep

Our field reps handle it all, and sometimes that puts them face-to-face with creepy crawlers, like snakes, spiders and even wasps.

Earlier this month, one field tech encountered a large wasp’s nest during a routine meter inspection.

“He was taking the meter pit lid off, and he noticed this huge bee hive. After emptying three cans of spray, he was able to complete the inspection,” said Kevin Vitry, Customer Service field supervisor.

Skills to do the job:• Excellent customer service.• Strong communication.• Ability to adapt to a variety of situations.

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Christine (1983)

When you combine two horror greats, Stephen King and John Carpenter, you end up with this psychological thriller about a possessed 1958 Plymouth Fury.

A car with a mind of its own is scary enough, but when you throw in an adolescent owner on a quest to change his nerdy image, this movie becomes a dark ride through teenage angst.

Think you can tame the mechanical beasts that help maintain a 100-year-old system?

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Mechanic

You may be surprised to learn that Denver Water manages more than 735 fleet vehicles ranging from hybrid cars to large trucks, and more than 200 heavy equipment machines, including backhoes, cranes, bulldozers and other earth-moving equipment.

It takes a crew of mechanics and staff to keep all those vehicles operating on their best behavior.

Skills to do the job:• Specialized training in automotive and

equipment repair.• Experience with diesel and gasoline

equipment repair.

Vehicle mechanic Chris Mahony services a fleet car.

The Shining (1980)

It’s hard to live in Colorado and not know about this horror classic from Stephen King. He wrote the novel while staying at the Stanley Hotel in the now infamous room 217.

If you are not familiar with the tale, a man takes a job over the winter, isolated in a hotel as the caretaker. (Spoiler alert!) The hotel ghosts cause him to go insane, and he ends up chasing his family with an ax.

There are a slew of other horror films based on isolation, but there are some cabins in the woods that are not plagued with the ghosts of caretakers’ past. …

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Caretaker

Many of the reservoirs and water delivery systems that bring snowmelt from the mountains to the city are located in remote and isolated areas, where most of Denver Water’s caretakers live year-round.

Per Olsson has been a caretaker at Jones Pass, located near Winter Park, for 25 seasons (a season runs May-October). He says the remote access doesn’t bother him at all. “I enjoy being in the wilderness and working outside.”

Skills to do the job:• Jack-of-all trades. • Work includes building fences, maintaining

vehicles or electrical systems, running dam operations, emergency management, managing recreation and interacting with the public.

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Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

The singular lesson of this film: If you’re ever stranded on a dirt road in the country, knocking on the first house you see is not the brightest, or safest, idea.

It also taught us that when a movie claims to be based on true events, it most likely is a fabrication used to sell tickets.

While the events of this film were one tall tale, there is another chainsaw-themed story that’s completely true. …

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Equipment operator

Once upon a time, a 116-year-old tree fell along the High Line Canal. Safely removing the tree required a special tool.

You guessed it, a chainsaw — with a 5-foot long bar.

How do you wield such a monster?

“You take your time with it and are very careful,” said Zach Lane, equipment operator on the High Line Canal. “You have to respect the power of the machine and let it do its work.”

Skills to do the job:• Construction experience.• Equipment maintenance expertise. • A desire to work outdoors.

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The Crazies (2010)

What happens in a small Iowa town when a mysterious toxin contaminates the water supply? Insanity, that’s what.

Based on the original 1973 film directed by George Romero, this version ditches combat virus as the culprit and instead turns precious source water into a catalyst for mayhem and fear.

You can sleep easily knowing that Denver’s drinking water is monitored very closely.

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Water Quality

You don’t have to be a mad scientist, but a love of chemistry or biology might help.

What do our water quality experts love most about their jobs?

“Being able to assure the quality of the water and support water treatment and the customer,” said Maria Rose, water quality specialist.

Skills to do the job:• Project management.• Understanding of regulatory language and

regulations.• Drinking water expertise.

Water quality specialist Anita Hanagan at work in the lab.

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Scream (1996)

The late, great Wes Craven brought us a film that was suspenseful and goofy at the same time.

The film opens with teenaged Casey (Drew Barrymore) enjoying an empty house when the phone rings.

The person on the line is the mysterious Ghostface, who torments Casey and makes her … scream.

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Customer Care

Thankfully, calling Denver Water’s customer care department is a positive experience.

“Within the last two years, we have seen a significant improvement in our customers’ experience,” said Michelle Garfield, customer care manager. “Overall satisfaction with Denver Water increased from 87% in 2013 to 92% in 2015. We have a responsibility to seek opportunities to improve in successful interactions that make it easy to conduct business with Denver Water.”

Skills to do the job:• Ability to problem-solve and strong

interpersonal communication skills.• Empathetic nature.• Passion for customer satisfaction. Karintha Ragland provides customer service with a smile.

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Do you have what it takes to be a part of the Denver Water team?

Follow career opportunities at:denverwater.org/Careers/

@DenverWaterJobs