Author Archives: Jessica Rozek

A hundred miles north of New York City, not far from the origin of the 107-year-old Catskills Aqueduct that supplies 40% of the Big Apple’s water, a new generation of professionals is being trained to protect the region’s coveted water resources.   All are students of SUNY Ulster Community College (Stone Ridge, N.Y.). SUNY Ulster launched its new wastewater operator training program in January 2019 to address a looming worker shortage and prepare new and current operators to manage and maintain water resource recovery facilities, according to professional engineer Henry Jaen, the program’s director.   Designed …

Continue reading “SUNY Ulster’s evening training program designed for new and current water professionals”

When it rains, it doesn’t always pour. At least not at Columbia, South Carolina’s water resource recovery facility – even after a historic 1,000-year flood in 2015 and the wettest December on record three years later.  “During these periods, we were treating sustained flows that were 25 to 30% above design capacity every single day,” said David Wiman, superintendent for the city’s 60-mgd plant. “And every single day, the plant was well within regulatory limits.”   …

Continue reading “Columbia, S.C.’s atypical apprenticeship program is working, and here’s proof”

A federal mandate to make massive and costly repairs to stormwater and sewer infrastructure helped create a workforce development program for the future of Kansas City, Mo.  Along with more than 40 other cities nationwide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the early 2000s directed Kansas City to correct issues in its combined sewer system as well as infiltration and inflow issues in its separate sewer system. The combined sewer system covers about …

Continue reading “Making Green Stewards”

As a new decade dawns, the water sector faces several urgent challenges, according to members of the Water Environment Federation House of Delegates (HOD; WEF, Alexandria, Va.). At WEFTEC 2019 in September, the HOD hosted a debate to examine the most pressing of these challenges. Within this forum, delegates focused their attention on climate change, workforce development, communications, and legislation, respectively. Among these discussions, common challenges emerged related to shifting beliefs, awareness, and perception about the water sector — both internally and externally.  …

Continue reading “Roles of the Water Worker”

Located about 48 km (30 mi) southeast of Syracuse, N.Y., Morrisville State College gives students the opportunity to study everything from seahorse conservation to cannabis farming.   But the classes that attract the greatest number of students from across the state to the small agricultural and technological college are those taught at its Environmental Training Center (ETC).   Hundreds of new and experienced water and wastewater professionals travel to the ETC each year to complete the training courses they need to become …

Continue reading “Morrisville College Crash Course Prepares New Yorkers for Operator Certification Exams”

Working in the water sector, I am constantly learning and being challenged by the people around me. Ours is a profession that, at its core, requires working with others to find solutions that make sense for the future.  I love the spirit of cooperativeness that you can find so often behind the fence of a water resource recovery …

Continue reading “From the President: Preparing for Tomorrow’s Workforce Challenges”

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 …

Continue reading “WEF Members Todd Saums and Tom McGrain Aid Bahamas Relief Efforts”

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, …

Continue reading “Words on Water podcast highlights stormwater awareness and workforce issues”

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 …

Continue reading “Viewpoint: Celebrate the Water Sector Workforce’s Remarkable Qualities”

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 …

Continue reading “New Online Operator Workforce Portal from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks”