Todd Saums and Tom McGrain, who operate and manage water resource recovery facilities for the Northwestern Water and Sewer District (Bowling Green, Ohio) have had a busy year.   Saums and McGrain, members of the Ohio Water Environment Association (OWEA) and the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.), spent the first several months of 2019 practicing for this year’s Operations Challenge competition. Along with teammates Bryan Martikan, Jared Myers, and coach …

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Military Veteran Chris Rebone, and wastewater division manager of St. Charles, Illinois, speaks about how a total team effort helped an Illinois plant upgrade to a new bio-P process and make other improvements while sustaining operations and permit compliance. By Jim Force September 2020 Cover Story of Treatment Plant Operator magazine which appeared in print as “Wastewater …

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Two recent podcast episodes detail how Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) stormwater programs are contributing to greater awareness of the stormwater sector’s investment needs and helping to bolster its workforce. The Words on Water podcast, created and hosted by WEF Communications Director Travis Loop, offers listeners firsthand perspectives from the professionals leading positive change across all segments of the water sector.   In December 2019, …

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 July 1, 2020 By Stuart Karasik Until several months ago, in my world of workforce development, life was good. The water sector offered many appealing job opportunities for new professionals, as well as for those developing successful and meaningful longer-term careers. Suddenly and unpredictably, things have been turned upside down. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has …

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Water facility managers from Houston Water and Grand Bahamas Utility discuss unsung heroism in the water sector Turn on the TV, radio, or log on to social media immediately following a large-scale disaster and you find many words of praise and gratitude handed out as a result of the heroic actions of others. You hear these …

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Hosted by Blue Star Families, Hiring Our Heroes, the USO & Grow with GoogleJoin Blue Star Families, Hiring Our Heroes, and the USO for a conversation about the importance of digital skills for military spouses. In addition, Grow with Google will show you how to discover remote job opportunities using Google Search, and help you …

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Notice from Program Management Branch, Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks: June 19, 2020 Nothing is more important than protecting the health and well-being of Ontarians. Since first learning of COVID-19, Ontario has taken decisive action to contain its spread, including enacting a temporary emergency order to ensure that the province’s drinking water and wastewater …

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With nine water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs), eight drinking water treatment facilities, 45 pumping stations, and miles of pipelines to operate and maintain, the Washington County Department of Water Quality (DWQ; Williamsport, Md.) sometimes struggles to find qualified candidates for its many technical jobs.    Since the launch of a new wastewater operator apprenticeship program last …

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Even during the coronavirus pandemic, water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) cannot cease operations even for a moment. It remains critical, then, for WRRF managers to develop actionable plans to ensure continuity of operations despite potential staffing shortages and supply chain disruptions. For utility managers, effectively responding to coronavirus requires additional attention to employee safety and …

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