What’s a former police officer doing at the Howard H. Seymour Water Reclamation Facility in Lewes, Del.?
He’s getting the drop on technical and regulatory challenges, skillfully managing a three-person staff and keeping the 1.5-mgd plant in compliance. Walter Baumer’s focus, energy and commitment as project manager earned him recognition from the Delaware House of Representatives as 2008 Wastewater Operator of the Year.
The award cited Baumer for demonstrating “outstanding technical excellence and an exemplary work ethic, contributing to the high level of water quality in Delaware.” That’s not to mention hisyeoman’s work in 2005-07 on construction of the community’s new wastewater treatment facility, incorporating membrane bioreactor (MBR) and biological nutrient removal technologies.
That project tested his team’s ability to keep the water flowing in this ocean resort town of more than 3,100 full-time and 10,000 seasonal residents. He’s also responsible for maintaining 32 lift and pump stations throughout the area.
“I was somewhat surprised to get the award, especially since a lot of good people were nominated,” says Baumer. “The whole concept of working at a treatment plant has changed. It’s much more technologically sophisticated, and this award recognizes the effort and study that goes into running a modern, highly complex operation like ours.”
Winding road
An 18-year water treatment plant veteran, Baumer has been manager of the Lewes facility since his employer, Severn Trent Services, entered a successful public-private partnership with Lewes in 2002.
Baumer’s path to Operator of the Year has been twisty. A New Jersey native, he worked early in his career as a construction contractor and as a park ranger at Cape Henlopen State Park. Then he got into law enforcement, serving as a guard at the Delaware State Prison. From there, he became a police officer in Georgetown, but he hurt his back after only a year and had to resign.
Fortunately, his father-in-law heard of an opening at the wastewater treatment plant, and in 1992, Baumer signed on, starting in the plant.
“This has been a great experience,” Baumer says. “It took me 10 years to earn my Level 4 operator’s license, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of the learning experience. There is always something new to figure out, whether it’s a piece of high-tech equipment or environmental and OSHA regulations. You never get bored, that’s for sure.”
To illustrate his point, Baumer cites the plant’s decade-long evolution. When Baumer joined, it was a newly upgraded secondary treatment facility. Today, it is an MBR plant with a micro-filtration system that routinely exceeds permit requirements for BOD, nitrogen, TSS and phosphorous. Baumer lists three main reasons for the plant’s success: technological, governmental and human.
