Wastewater professionals go by many titles: plant manager, chief operator, environmental coordinator. But “bug farmer”?
That’s how Tom Pfiester, wastewater division manager of the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority, describes his work at the Big Coppitt Regional Water Reclamation Facility. And with good reason.
“We look at our bugs every day with our microscope,” he says, calling that instrument one of the most under-used tools in the industry. “It helps us stay proactive and really see what is going on in our mixed liquor. This is really a bug farm, and our job is to grow a good crop.”
So far, Pfiester and his
