Our thoughts and prayers are with the Garofano family during this tragic time.

Click here for obituary.

The family is intending to create a memorial fund to honor Michael and his son via the purchase of a plaque or similar item to be placed at the City Reservoir. In lieu of flowers, you may send donations payable to the Garofano Memorial Fund, c/o Rutland City Treasurer's Office, PO Box 969, Rutland, VT 05702-0969.

*Reprinted from AWWA Streamlines*

Raging flood waters spawned by Hurricane Irene's destructive path through Vermont took the life of Rutland Water Treatment Plant Manager Michael J. Garofano, 55, Sunday (August 28, 2011) as he attempted to check water utility intake pipes near the city’s reservoir.
 
Garofano’s body was recovered Monday in the swollen waters of Mendon Brook following the flash flooding, said Alan Shelvey, Rutland Commissioner of Public Works.

“Mike was respected by everyone here,” Shelvey said of the 30-year public works veteran. “He was the perfect person for that job. He was very zealous about anything that affected water quality. Mike was making sure the water supply was protected — he was doing what he always does to safeguard water quality.”

Garofano’s son, Michael G. Garofano, 24, who accompanied his father Sunday night, was still missing by the end of the day Wednesday. A Vermont National Guard helicopter, canines and about 60 people have been searching for the younger Garofano, an independent landscaper.

Mendon Brook, normally “a placid little brook, sits at the bottom of a rocky hillside in the Green Mountains,” Shelvey said. “There has been such destruction up there hampering the search for Mike’s son. There’s a lot of debris, huge boulders and downed trees everywhere. But the water level of the brook has subsided and it’s relatively serene now.”

Garofano senior was an AWWA/NEWWA member.
 
Hurricane Irene rains also took out 600 ft of iron pipe conveying water to the city reservoir. “Until a new pipe is built, we can’t pump more water into the reservoir,” Shelvey said. The city estimates there is about 30 days of water remaining in the reservoir and has asked residents to conserve. The water treatment plant was not damaged.