Many clean-water plants do their own outreach. The City of Montpelier (Vt.) Wastewater Treatment Plant is among them.
“But when you do tours for school groups, it doesn’t get you much overall coverage,” says Bob Fischer, lead operator. “It just gets you that class and teacher.”
Doing things at the state association level “gives a little more oomph,” says Fischer, also president of the 600-member Green Mountain Water Environment Association (GMWEA). In that spirit, the GMWEA teamed with the North East Biosolids and Residuals Association (NEBRA) to promote the first Vermont Water Quality Day on May 25.
The day’s events included tours and other events at eight of the state’s 90 clean-water plants. Also on tap was a demonstration of biosolids land application near Essex Junction — broadening the day’s focus to include the industry’s resource recovery function.
Raising the profile
The GMWEA has made a point in recent years of raising its profile. “Three years ago, nobody besides the operators even knew who we were,” says Fischer. “Everybody knows who we are now. We’ve become a real player.”
Among its activities, the association has reached out to environmental groups, notably Lake Champlain International and the Conservation Law Foundation. An annual Legislative Breakfast gives members exposure to state lawmakers. Partly as a result, Fischer has testified twice on industry issues before state legislative committees.
Fisher also serves on a citizens’ advisory committee on Lake Champlain water-quality issues, and the association has commented to the U.S. EPA on proposed total maximum daily load for phosphorus.
What comes next?
Looking to raise the organization’s profile further, the GMWEA board conceived Water Quality Day. “We ran it by Ned Beecher, executive director of NEBRA, and he was excited about it,” says Fischer. “Some of our board members and operators were hesitant, but I said, ‘Well, it’s like the Legislative Breakfast. We’ve had our third one, and a ton of legislators were there; the first time we had hardly any.’
“We thought it would be better to go forward with Water Quality Day and let it grow, rather than sit on our hands. We moved forward, and it has taken right off.”
Beecher proposed asking Gov. Peter Shumlin for an official proclamation. Since Beecher lives in New Hampshire, Fischer made the request, which the governor granted, declaring May 25 as Water Quality Day in the state. With support from Mary Ellen Parkman, GMWEA executive director, Fischer and colleagues sent notices to the news media, gaining advance coverage in newspapers, on Vermont Public Radio and elsewhere. At the association’s request, Lake Champlain International notified its 4,000 members.
Getting bigger?
On the day, treatment plants opened for visitors from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. David Mears, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation, opened the festivities at the Montpelier wastewater treatment facility with a brief talk to high school students, and facility tours followed.
Pleased with the event’s success, Fischer is looking to expand it next year. “We’re going to try and draw stormwater in,” he says. “And since we’re a combined water and wastewater association, we may try to work drinking water into it, too. We’re always looking to get the word out any way we can.”
