Dave Drake
Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator and Trainer
Union City, California
I've worked as a Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator for over 20 years
with Union Sanitary District (USD). I started as a Trainee and worked my
way up to being a Senior Plant Operator.
As a Plant Operator we use all of our senses to manage a living
biological process. What wastewater plant operators do has a direct
impact on the environment. The wastewater (sewer) water we treat is
discharged back into various receiving water (i.e., ocean, bay, lake,
river, etc) or into the ground to replenish ground water supplies.
Operators monitor a computer system which provides real-time and
historical data so operators are able to interpret what's going on in
the plant now and may occur in the future. In conjunction with computer
monitoring operators go out in the field looking, listening, and
observing equipment and processes to identify any warning signs that
something is wrong with the equipment or the biological process.
Being a Plant Operator is a great blend of computer/desk work and
hands-on field work. Depending on the plant where you're working, you
may not only operate the plant but also run laboratory tests and
equipment maintenance. As an Operator at USD, we do preventive
maintenance on equipment, de-rag pumps, and take equipment in and out of
service. We work very closely with the maintenance staff to keep the
Plant running the way it's supposed to.
What I like best about being an Operator is troubleshooting-figuring out
what's wrong and adapting to make things work.
A good Operator steps up, asks questions, and gets involved. He or she
is able to identify and quantify individual items and see the big
picture, then determine how the individual item relates to and affects
the big picture. A successful Operator uses his or her judgment and
takes responsibility for the decisions made. Due to the 24/7/360
operation of many wastewater treatment plants, operators may be the only
staff on-site at times. There are even plants that have single operators
on duty after hours. Operators need to possess the knowledge, skills,
abilities and responsibility to run a facility.
This is a great field for someone who is good with math and science,
especially chemistry; likes to do both desk work and field work; enjoys
using analytical skills and judgment; is willing to get dirty and work
with fecal matter; and work shifts, weekends, nights, and holidays. At
my agency there's great variety in the work we do. Being a Wastewater
Plant Operator continues to be a well-paying, stable job with great
benefits.
For the past few years I've been the Plant Operations Trainer. This
position was created to support the major investment my agency is making
in developing a strong, ongoing training program for Operators. I
qualified for the Trainer position because of my years of experience at
the Plant and my knowledge of the Plant processes and equipment.
We're building a database of information on plant processes; equipment;
and daily, unusual, and emergency tasks. When we started, we had around
20 SOP's (standard operating procedures), five of which were viable. We
now have approximately 200 standardized SOP's. After the database is
completed, the information will be disseminated to employees, and we
will evaluate what operators do and don't know, then provide them
training to close the gap. The goal of the program is to get the correct
information to employees in a timely manner and in a structured program.
I still also operate the Plant on an as-needed basis.
Wastewater Operations is a great career choice for the right person! If
you're interested, check out Cal State Sacramento, Office of Water
Programs (OWP), Operation of Wastewater Treatment Plants Volumes I, II
and Advanced. These correspondence courses can be taken as continuing
education or fully accredited courses. Also, check out whether there are
any "Regional Occupational Programs" in your area. ROP programs combine
classroom and several hundred hours of hands-on training at one or more
wastewater plants. Passing a wastewater course and/or enrolling in a
Regional Occupational Program is a great way to get started in the
wastewater field. Courses and ROP will set you apart from others when
applying for entry level positions at any treatment plant. You can also
contact your local wastewater plant and inquire about their plant and
jobs in this field. We're always looking for good people!
Cal State Sacramento Officer of Water Programs:
www.owp.csus.edu/training/courses/index.php
Safety Officer Belinda Folkes
City of Gainesville
I work for the City of Gainesville at Riverside Water Treatment Plant.
My work positions include Shift Supervisor, Safety Officer, GAWP Safety Committee Chairman, Safety and Liability Advisory Council Member for Gainesville, and private contractor to two private community well
systems.
I graduated high school in Ohio and attended Ohio State
University but never finished my degree. I have enrolled as an online
student to get my Associates Degree in Arts in Business management and
wish to eventually get my Masters in Business or Environmental Science.
I started working in industry for most of my job career; at one time I
managed a car rental location here in Gainesville Ga. My last job was
in heavy industry at an aluminum wheel plant. I did various jobs there
such as furnace operator, fluoroscope operator, mold repair and CNC
lathe operator.
During the last year with that facility I moved into
the Safety and Environmental department where I worked as a waste
treatment operator. While I did not work with sanitary waste like from
a bathroom, I did have to deal with chemical waste and the hazardous
waste that produced. I needed to look for a job that allowed me to
better balance my family and work. I applied with the City of
Gainesville as an operator trainee and now, almost seven years later, I
am a Shift Supervisor earning a good living with good health benefits
and a great retirement plan.
The move to water treatment was pretty
easy. It uses basically the same principles I was using at the wheel
plant. I use chemicals to get the bad stuff out of the water. The only
added operation was filtration and final disinfectant, fluoride and
corrosion control. Now you can drink the water I produce.
I can
honestly say, "I LOVE MY JOB!!!" I get to meet all kinds of people by
going to conferences and by getting involved in committees with various
water organizations, but my favorite thing to do is give plant tours. I
have a regular spring visit from Brenau College's Environmental
Chemistry class; I get school children visiting from Hall and Lumpkin
county schools, daycares,home schooled children, Boy Scouts and Girl
Scouts; adults from senior centers; and anyone who knocks on the front
door any day of the week is welcome to come in and get a plant tour.
We go to the schools and give lectures if we are invited, we have yearly
contests for the area 5th and 6th graders to color a Fire hydrant, then
I go and put the winning designs on the hydrants. I get to do so much
and meet so many people, it's almost amazing.
To top it all off, my
career in water treatment also goes hand in hand with something I have a
very personal passion about, the environment. A lot of what I do in my
job goes hand in hand with conservation and keeping the environment
healthy. I love the outdoors.
Jobs in water treatment are varied and
multiple. There is so much to do that a lot of jobs required for water
treatment are broken down into their own unique job in larger systems.
Smaller systems combine the jobs into one or two persons'
responsibility. There is a place for just about anyone who has an
interest in the field of water treatment. Some require lots of degrees
and education while some require a little more labor. It just depends
on what type of job requirements suit your personal working style.
Start in an entry level position like I did and there is no limit to
what you can accomplish or how high you can climb on the water career
ladder.
Dominic Weatherill, Manager 
I believe the main benefit of working in the water industry is unquestionably job security, as the conservation of this resource will only become increasingly important. For me the benefit of greatest relevance is my ability to hold my head up high, knowing the work I do everyday has significance to the ecology, economy and citizens of this State.