It’s been estimated that some 1,200 World War II veterans die every day. It makes me wonder how many clean-water operators now retire daily, since so many are nearing that point in their work lives.
In a way it’s not appropriate to make a correlation between soldiers and wastewater professionals. But in another way it’s fair to question why so many in clean-water careers will retire with little notice beyond their professional circles. In their own way, they are heroes.
This commentary is inspired by a story in this issue of Treatment Plant Operator about Bill Nester, a 45-year professional, retiring as executive superintendent of the Upper Montgomery Joint Authority in Pennsylvania. He and the facilities he has operated and managed have won a list of awards too long for us to publish. Yet how many people in his community know him, let alone know all he has done?
Just one of many
And the thing is, Bill Nester is not unique. I’m guessing he would be the first to say that many others in the profession are just as dedicated and just as accomplished as he is. Yet, when they leave the scene, the world will (to borrow a phrase from Abe Lincoln) “little note nor long remember.”
What we’re about to see in the next several years is the departure of an entire generation of clean-water operators, many of whom started in the business after passage of the original Clean Water Act.
Look at all that has happened in the last four decades because of the treatment plants they ran. Rivers and streams reborn. Smallmouth bass where there had been only carp and bullheads. An entire Great Lake rejuvenated in an incredibly short time. Year by year, more water bodies fishable and swimmable. And more progress still being made.
It’s not all the operators’ doing, of course. The impetus for all this progress came from citizens who rallied around Earth Day, from enlightened legislators who passed the laws, and from government agencies that created and enforced the regulations.
Engineers designed the treatment facilities. Contractors built them. Manufacturers produced the equipment and kept offering new and more cost-effective technologies. Taxpayers and ratepayers supplied the funds to make it all happen.
On the front lines
And yet it was the operators who kept watch, making it all work. They purposely turned away from more glamorous careers to dedicate themselves to clean water. Or they went to work at a treatment plant “because they needed a job,” and in so doing found a lifelong calling.
To borrow another phrase from a time of warfare (in this case from Winston Churchill), seldom has so much been “owed by so many to so few.”
Today, the Honor Flight program is recognizing World War II veterans — much belatedly — by taking thousands of them to visit that war’s memorial in Washington, D.C. Clean-water operators don’t want or expect to be honored on anything like that scale. But as they retire, don’t they deserve some note of thanks?
Recognize them
And with that, here’s an offer. Send us news of people retiring from your organization. It doesn’t have to be the executive director, plant manager, or chief operator. It can be anyone who has been a major contributor.
Send us a picture of the person, along with a short note describing his or her background and accomplishments, and stating why he or she deserves appreciation. We would love to publish one or more of these items in every issue.
And while you’re sending the information to us, send it also to your local newspaper and radio or TV station. You might be surprised at how receptive they are to publishing it. In some cases they may even follow up with a feature story.
Many operators are probably content just to ride quietly off into the sunset when they retire. But it would be good for them, and good for the industry, to see them get a little pat on the back on the way.
Send your notes to me at editor@tpomag.com. I promise to respond to each one, and we pledge to publish as many of them as we can. Let’s work together on this little task to give some credit where it’s due.
