The city of DeKalb has enlisted Matt Anderson as its new water resources director.

On Feb. 2, Anderson assumed his duties following the retirement of his predecessor, Bryan Faivre, in early 2025. He previously held a similar city role in neighboring Sycamore.

Anderson pointed to what he believes made him the candidate for the job.

The city engaged in a nationwide search as it sought to find a replacement for Faivre.

“My familiarity with the system as a whole [and] probably some of the experiences that I have with organizations, in general, and then specifically water operation,” he said.

A veteran public works department official, Anderson comes to DeKalb bringing a wealth of experience to the job. He previously assumed related positions – as a lab supervisor, wastewater operator and public works director – within municipal government, working for the cities of DeKalb and Sycamore and the village of Elburn.

As a Sycamore resident, Anderson said his experience in DeKalb city government has long made an impression on him.

“It’s a very good place,” Anderson said. “I worked for the City of DeKalb for a little over 16 years to start my career, so I have a lot of experience here.”

Anderson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental science from Iowa State University in 2001 and a Master of Arts degree in leadership and accounting from Aurora University in 2015.

Through his studies, Anderson said he has found his footing working in public works for municipal governments.

“I realized I kind of had a passion for public service and water treatment, if you will,” Anderson said.

Anderson said his first days on the job have gone well.

The City Council this week took time to make introductions to help welcome its new water resources director.

City Manager Bill Nicklas touted the city’s pick for the job.

“He comes with a raft of experience, and he has an immense understanding and perspective of the material, in the subject matter that he is a director over,” Nicklas said.

While the job consists of a lot of desk work, Anderson said he believes it’s important to get out into the field.

“It’s an emphasis of mine to try to get out in the field a little bit more because I like that,” Anderson said. “Sometimes you get caught, depending on your workload, but it’s nice to get up to the treatment plant.”

Nicklas said he is delighted to have Anderson on staff.

“He’s with us now with a full plate of things to do,” Nicklas said. “Among those, he’s jumped in right away. We have, as you know, a new shallow well. We are doing some testing on a potential well site on our northwest side.”

In DeKalb’s public works department, staff are busy these days with drilling a test well at the site of Well No. 18 to ensure there is sufficient water quality and volume.

“If that fits then, we’ll look to drill an actual municipal well there,” he said.

Anderson said Well No. 18 would be used to account for future population growth within the city.

DeKalb traditionally relies on the water supplies provided by six deep wells, drawing water from the Ironton-Galesville and St. Peter sandstone unit of the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer, and three shallow wells that draw water from the Troy Valley aquifer, according to the city’s website.

Anderson said the state of the city’s water supplies is adequate.

“Currently, we don’t really run any wells during the day,” Anderson said. “They run at night to fill the towers, and then during the day, it’s drained from the towers. We have some capacity. This will allow us to keep doing a little bit more, so you can save on electrical costs because you’re not using electricity during the peak times.”

Anderson emphasized that the city is working to be conservative with its resources.

The city’s wells are pumping about 3.3 million gallons a day out of a maximum of 12 million gallons a day, he said.

“Everything’s off by 9 a.m.,” Anderson said. “I think it’s a little after 6 [p.m.] is when wells can start kicking, so we could pump during the day. As long as we have enough storage in our towers, which we do currently, we can basically pump at night what we’ll use during the next day.”

Anderson said he’s been looking to get up to speed in his first days on the job.

The city’s lead service line replacement program is anticipated for completion this year, city documents show. In addition, upgrades are in order for the city’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, which is used to monitor the city’s wells and towers.

Anderson said there are some preliminary plans for water main replacements in the future, as well.

In nearby Shabonna and Cortland, water main breaks were reported recently, prompting water to be shut off temporarily.

“Older water mains can have breaks that necessitate repairs,” Anderson said. “We’re always trying to minimize disruptions for residents with regard to water service.”