Your article, “What Exactly Do You Do?” (TPO, March 2010) really struck a nerve with me. When I worked at a local prison, I used to tell people I was a correctional officer, and they had all kinds of interest and questions for me.
When I became a wastewater treatment operator and told people my profession, mostly I got was kind of an “eeeewww” reaction. I honestly had never even thought of saying that I make clean water.
The longer I work in this field, the more I realize the importance of what we do, and the more proud I become of my occupation. I have started answering the “What do you do?” questions with: “I make clean water.”
This gives a great opportunity to provide a little education about the importance of our jobs. I am not OK with operators who belittle what they do. We are professionals, and it is past time that our actions and attitudes reflect that.
The way I look at it, if you ever ate a wild-caught fish or swam in a natural body of water ... you’re welcome! Keep up the great work on the magazine. I look forward to getting it every month.
Larry Littrell
Wastewater Operator Group IV
Lake Stevens Sewer District
Lake Stevens, Wash.
