On Tuesday, January 20, 2026, during the regular City Council meeting, City Manager Katie Ambrose announced that Ian Rohrbacher, Water System Superintendent for the City of Rochester, was the recipient of the Meritorious Achievement Award, which recognizes outstanding service to New Hampshire’s drinking water community.

The Meritorious Achievement Award recognizes an NHWWA member in good standing who has provided outstanding service to a water utility or drinking water community through diligence, innovation, leadership, or simply hard work. Recipients of the NHWWA Meritorious Achievement Award are presented with a plaque and recognized in front of their peers for their accomplishments.

Rohrbacher has a background in electrical and computer engineering and entered the drinking water industry in 2001 as a distribution mechanic for the City of Somersworth. In 2006, he transferred to the treatment plant, where he was responsible for the operation and maintenance of both an upflow clarifier and a ballasted sand clarifier.

In Rochester, he manages the water treatment and storage systems, oversees the cross-connection control program, and directs the planning and operations for a 4.5 MGD conventional surface water plant, a 0.9 MGD groundwater treatment plant, six pumping stations, and the City’s multiple reservoirs.

To learn more about the NHWWA Meritorious Achievement Award, visit nhwwa.org/meritorious-achievement-award.