You won’t find many women senior wastewater operators today. You’ll find even fewer who operate a four-story, 200 wet-ton-per-day multiple-
hearth furnace.
Yet, that’s part of the job for Michelle Tarantino of the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District (known as Central San) in Martinez, California, east of San Francisco. In just 11 years, she has risen from a position in the warehouse to senior operator. Today she rotates on the day shift in charge of the plant’s biosolids operation, including the furnace, as well as its primary, secondary and tertiary wastewater treatment processes.
Holder of a Grade 3 wastewater operator license,
