Before this year, there was no trade publication devoted solely to the needs of wastewater treatment plant managers and operators.
Now there is — you’re holding the fifth copy of Treatment Plant Operator magazine, dedicated to helping treatment plant staff members meet permit obligations, achieve performance excellence, progress in their careers, share information and celebrate accomplishments.
The magazine goes to more than 60,000 licensed professionals working for municipalities, utility districts and private wastewater operations companies. After the first few months of publication, my colleagues and I have a simple question: How are we doing? So far, we’ve had great feedback from readers.
Publish letters?
Some have commented on pictures we have published and have pointed out potential safety issues that the operator shown might have addressed (we always check our pictures and the people in them for compliance with safety regulations and practices).
Several readers have said they appreciate the magazine’s focus on the operations point of view, as opposed to the perspective of design engineers and executives.
One subscriber suggested we add a section near the front of the magazine that includes letters from operators with comments, suggestions and operations tips, to which others could respond with their own ideas and perspectives.
This is an excellent idea, and we would be glad to incorporate it — I hereby invite readers to start the ball rolling by sending contributions.
A few readers have asked us to include drinking water treatment plant operators in the mix. Indeed, many operators are certified in both water and wastewater, and some have responsibilities in both areas. For the immediate future, though, we find it best to stay as focused as possible and will concentrate on the wastewater side.
Other areas where readers would like to see coverage include training and development, succession issues as veteran operators retire, laboratory challenges and energy management.
A few readers have suggested we devote attention in each issue to the specific challenges of water reclamation facilities. It’s another worthy idea, as reclamation remains a growing technology.
Keep it coming
The feedback we’ve received is helpful, and we will consider it carefully as the magazine evolves over its early months and years. As we said in the first issue: It’s your magazine. So tell us how we can serve you best.
Here’s a direct invitation: Write to me at editor@tpomag.com. Tell me what you like about TPO so far. Tell me what you’d like to see more of. Tell me what’s missing that you think we should be covering.
I don’t need anything fancy. Just a simple paragraph in an e-mail will do. I promise to acknowledge every such message I receive, and the COLE Publishing team will use the collective comments as we make decisions about our coverage. We’re here to serve the wastewater treatment industry and the great people in it. The more we know about what you need, the better we can serve you.
I look forward to hearing from you in the days and weeks ahead.
