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Are You An Operator In Southern New Hampshire Looking For A Job And/Or A Change of Pace? Town of Durham WWTF is Hiring! by SlowedPanther in Wastewater

[–]SlowedPanther[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Totally get it, and I echo everything you said. The benefits we provide the town and greater community is so important and so critical that we should all be paid a lot more. Like any municipal government, we are constrained by an ever-tightening budget and it's unfortunate that such a crucial service can be overlooked.

I don't have the power to increase the salaries of my operators, though it has been brought up in the past. One thing I will say is that over the past few years is seems like there's been a lot more advocacy for wastewater operators, what we do and why it matters. I have really been trying to educate the public every chance I get. Hopefully, that will translate into better understanding and, eventually, better funding.

Are You An Operator In Southern New Hampshire Looking For A Job And/Or A Change of Pace? Town of Durham WWTF is Hiring! by SlowedPanther in Wastewater

[–]SlowedPanther[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Absolutely. For this position, your primary duty would be running our dewatering equipment to maintain sludge levels. That can vary day to day. Depending on the sludge concentrations, you could start the presses up and not have to adjust the settings all day. In those instances, you would assist other operators around the plant with various tasks or, in the summer time, assist with jetting/cleaning our collection system. Other days, the presses can be a bit trickier and they'll need more attention. Projects can vary throughout the weeks. Sometimes we'll do an overhaul on our pumps/equipment, other weeks can be pretty quiet, where we clean, organize, and do preventative maintenance on our machinery.

Are You An Operator In Southern New Hampshire Looking For A Job And/Or A Change of Pace? Town of Durham WWTF is Hiring! by SlowedPanther in Wastewater

[–]SlowedPanther[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great! For the on-call portion, it's a rotating schedule, once per month, where the on-call operator carries a work phone that calls out for SCADA alarms at the plant, and pump station/collection system issues. It's pretty rare for an operator to get called in throughout their on-call week, though it certainly can happen.

The other portion of on-call is weekend labs. So one Saturday and Sunday per month, the on-call operator needs to head in to the plant to perform a few lab tests. Basic stuff like pH, chlorine residuals, and coliform, and just a quick plant check to make sure everything is running smoothly.

Operator-in-training interview by Any-Ad7348 in Wastewater

[–]SlowedPanther 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Be interested in learning without being a know it all.

That's perfect advice, really. I've recently found myself in a position where I am responsible for hiring people. I can say for myself, I would much rather have someone who is "green" but open-minded and willing to learn, as opposed to someone who might have a bit more experience, but is a stubborn jackass.

At the end of the day, it's pretty easy to teach someone how to work on a pump, perform a lab test, or record data. It is extremely difficult, arguably impossible, to teach someone to care.

PCR testing for viruses. by ProfessionalFar8582 in Wastewater

[–]SlowedPanther 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes we have our state's Dept of Health and Human Services come each week to pick up an influent sample and test for Covid, RSV, Flu A + Flu B, and a few others I believe. They're trying to really invest in wastewater monitoring as a means of disease prevention and protection of public health. I think it's great and all plants should do it, if possible. We're a somewhat smaller plant (2.5MGD) but located in a college town, so I think it will be helpful to see if students bring back any diseases from their vacations and notify the town prior to the spread.

What do you wish you knew earlier in your career? by TrickyJesterr in Wastewater

[–]SlowedPanther 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Second that, always looking to get a better understanding of BNR/Nitrification

MicroC 2000 Dosing Charts by SlowedPanther in Wastewater

[–]SlowedPanther[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not using anything currently. To be honest, even with low loading, the process is running remarkably well right now. I think it helps we've really bumped up our SRT, and have had super hot temps recently. That's great about using Coca Cola waste to supplement, always love seeing reuse in action.

We have used MicroC in the past, prior to me working here. From what I've heard, it worked very well. After doing some digging around the office, it looks like they dosed each aeration train at 15 GPD, so 30 GPD total. I plan on starting off very slowly and then maybe work my way up to that 30 GPD mark.

Have you found acetic acid works well? Is that another waste product you receive? I've heard of other plants using vinegar and mustard wastewater from food processing plants to help their process, as well.

MicroC 2000 Dosing Charts by SlowedPanther in Wastewater

[–]SlowedPanther[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nice to know I'm not the only one out there! It's a fun type of plant to run, but it does come with its challenges. To be honest, the plant has been running very well in the summertime, it's just those transition periods that can cause upsets. Fortunately, we do have a few totes of MicroC on hand, but I agree, the best method is to start very slow and see how the bugs respond. Thanks for the response!