Leave The Names Alone
I do not support the movement to change the titles of wastewater treatment plant operators. The idea behind the movement seems to be that operators would gain respect by giving themselves a title that sounds more appealing. The opposite is true.
For example, I am thinking of looking for a new apartment. When I do, the landlords will ask me what kind of job I have. If I tell them I am a water resource recovery specialist, or a clean-water operator, they will ask what that means. When I tell them that means I operate part of a sewage treatment plant, they will realize that I am trying to sanitize my job title, and think less of me, not more.
The title of your article (“Let’s Be Clear,” January 2014) asked, “What’s in a name? Or a title?” The answer is honesty. If I tell people I am a wastewater treatment plant operator, they sometimes react with disgust. They should, because being an operator is occasionally a disgusting job. I can fix being disgusting by taking a shower, and putting on clean clothes. It is harder to repair the damage to my reputation caused by a dishonest job title.
When people look down on me because I am an operator, I don’t mind. I like to be underestimated by people, because that makes it easier to impress them, and thus gain their respect.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Field
Operator In Training
Fairfax County, Va.
Prefers The Term ‘Recycling’
Concerning plant names and job titles, I would prefer that plants be called “raw water recycling plants” and that operators be called “water recycling specialists.”
I work with Gulf Coast Authority at the 40-acre industrial wastewater treatment facility in Texas City, Texas. GCA has provided regional wastewater treatment services since 1974. We serve two chemical plants and a marine terminal operation. Wastewater is transported by pipeline to our facility, where it is treated with oxygenated sludge.
The treated stream is then polished in a series of retention ponds before discharge to the Texas City ship turning basin. We have a treatment capacity of 15.7 mgd (5-6 mgd average). I have a B license in wastewater and am lead operator on my shift.
Clifford Pabón
Respect Follows Knowledge
I am of two minds regarding this subject. Does the industry need a more positive reputation among the non-wastewater general public? Sure it does.
Does changing the name from “sewage treatment plant operator” to “water reclamation facility specialist” help in this effort? I don’t think so, but I don’t really know. One thing I do know is that if you put a tutu and lipstick on a pig, it’s still a pig.
The thing that needs to be done is to educate the public in what it is we really do, and what it is we have to know to be able to do what we do. Then the respect will come. When I married my wife, her 13-year-old daughter wouldn’t tell her friends what it was I did for a living. Now, some 21 years later, she has no such qualms. She’s proud of the work I do. It’s not what we call ourselves, it’s what people know about what we do that will make the most difference.
And speaking of specialists, if you’re a clean-water plant specialist, what is your specialty? Process control testing? Troubleshooting? Maintenance? Instrumentation? Laboratory analysis? It would make more sense to call yourself a generalist, as you have to do so many things well that you’re really not a specialist, are you?
And, by the way, if we need to change our titles, shouldn’t this periodical change its name from TPO to WRS (Water Reclamation Specialist)?
David E. Bloyer
Compliance Coordinator
Public Utilities Department
Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County, Ga.
Proud To Serve
I grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin. Upon graduating from high school in 1976, I enlisted into the U.S. Air Force. My job was to operate, maintain and repair water and wastewater treatment plants; my title was environmental support specialist.
After completing one year of on-the-job training and a Level 5 correspondence course, the title changed to environmental support technician. In essence, I was the operator, mechanic, electrician, lab technician, and administrator. I am proud to be in the water and wastewater industry — 35 years and still going strong.
Dave Humpal
Assistant Superintendent
Town of Brownsburg, Ind.
Better Names Needed
The whole root of the issue as I understand it is that our titles do not accurately reflect what we do. Mine, for instance, is “co-superintendent, wastewater treatment facility.” Our staff members are called “utility operators.” Neither name is bad by any means, but they surely could be better. We have gotten away from calling our facilities “sewage treatment plants” or “sewage disposal plants” and have upgraded to “wastewater treatment facilities” for the same reason. We must have expanded our vocabulary in the past 25 years. Also, we no longer use the word “sludge.” We now use the word “biosolids.”
Operators are by first perception someone who turns on a machine, pushes buttons, and when the job is done, turns it off. This sounds too mundane, boring, requiring a minimal skill set. Anyone can flip a switch or push a button.
A specialist is an expert operator, troubleshooter and repair technician. A problem solver. An authority on the subject. Isn’t that what we really do at our facilities? I think so. It’s what our staff does at our facility. These are not Webster’s definitions, but I think most people perceive these titles as described.
When you go to the doctor for a serious problem, do you wish to see just a doctor, or a specialist? When you have a whole community depending on outstanding water resources, would you wish to have an operator in charge, or a specialist? We are specialists. There is no false glorification of our positions by renaming them.
I am all for changing the titles and names of our facilities for the following reasons:
We need to eliminate any negative wording in order to attract our young people into this profession.
We need to promote the importance of what we do. We serve mankind by protecting the public heath, the environment and arguably our most valuable resource: clean water.
When I enrolled at Vermilion Community College in Ely, Minn., the program was called Water Resources with a Hydrology option or a Pollution Control option.
I like the titles of “water resource protection specialist” and “public water supply specialist,” or some variation of these. We should change the titles not so much for us, but for those who come after us. We have to do a better job of selling the profession than we are currently doing.
I would like our facility name to change to “water resource preservation facility” or “water resource protection facility.” To me, these names depict what our purpose is in a more positive way than “wastewater treatment facility.” Plus, it really doesn’t cost anything to change a name, compared to other things that we could do. Let’s waste the waste!
Al Gorick
City of Bemidji, Minn.
Co-Superintendent
Wastewater Treatment Facility
Call Them Specialists
I enjoy reading TPO and WSO magazines — they provide me with current news. I truly believe the title “specialist” would give a professional image. I’ve worked in wastewater collections for 10 years, first conducting internal pipe inspections on wastewater mains 6 to 120 inches. My current position is in the Operations Support section.
We play a vital role in the collection and transport of untreated liquid waste through a network of pipes, lift stations and manholes, getting it to the wastewater treatment plant quickly as possible to avoid septic conditions, which would make the operators’ job of treating the waste harder. Our work involves knowing about the components, construction, maintenance and operation, industrial waste monitoring (pretreatment) and, most important, the safety of the collection system.
I take pride in and enjoy my work, but I never see any articles in TPO on the wastewater collections operator. Your material helps me be a better employee.
Thank you,
Gregory E. Banks
Wastewater Collection Division
Dallas Water Utilities
Editor’s note: Much more about collection systems can be found in a sister publication of TPO, Municipal Sewer & Water.
What TPO Needs
This magazine is missing information operators need. We want to read about solutions to plant problems with pictures of equipment. For example, a pipe delivering sodium bisulfate to a chemical controller was frozen and solved by …
Another example is a tool someone made that makes us be more successful in everyday duties. Maybe someone came up with a creative, cheap way to remove thick sludge from an aeration basin?
It is very frustrating not learning about examples of work schedules that operators like to work. Many plants have horrible work schedules and the boss will not make changes because the employees do not have a solid solution and cannot show examples on paper. Or talk with a boss who got positive results from employees.
This is what operators in California want to read about, and we like to look at pictures of plant equipment, process flow diagrams, before and after projects, and so on, not people. But my favorite part of the whole magazine is reading Ted J. Rulseh and Sam Wade articles. Thank you for reading my thoughts.
Abraham Perry
Calistoga, Calif.
