Joey Jaco

Overview

Joey Jaco is the director of utility operations for the City of Columbia. He oversees a water system providing 150 million gallons of water a day to 375,000 customers in Columbia and in Richland and Lexington counties.

Joey, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from the University of South Carolina, oversaw the city's recovery from damage to its water system during the 1,000-year flood of 2015.

Joey previously worked as director of utilities and engineering for the city and earlier as city engineer. A registered professional engineer and certified floodplain manager, Joey is active in the American Society of Civil Engineers, American Water Works Association and the Association of State Floodplain Managers. He is an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina.

Joey is also president of the We Are Olympia Neighborhood Association, the former mill village area of Columbia where he grew up.