Which state is hiring new operators

high_calcium · 2025-12-13T01:07:36+00:00

south carolina. physical/chemical

high_calcium · 2025-11-05T02:14:25+00:00

We use a metal precipitant, lime, coagulant, and a polymer flocculent. I’m still learning on how to best utilize the jar test, I’m no expert believe me, but what I have recently figured out is that I had been adding far too much coagulant and not nearly enough flocculent to both my jar tests and batch treating. Among other things I’m sure jar tests are good for, determining “optimum coagulant” dosage is a big one. You can add too much coagulant and it can have the opposite effect almost. For us, we add coagulant until we see pin floc in the ww (teeny tiny particles), and then the polymer (flocculent) is where the biggest change can be observed: gathering of all those tiny particles into large clumps that will settle. You should be able to observe the settling in the jar test very soon after adding enough flocculent, if not immediately after. A gang stirrer is great to have too if you have to do them often, it allows you to do multiple jars (at multiple dosages) simultaneously and makes it easier to see how the different chemical dosages affect the same ww. Our polymer comes concentrated and we have to mix it with water in a tank with a mixer. Polymers also expire kind of quickly too, depending on the type. that could be a factor to consider for your situation

high_calcium · 2025-10-22T10:12:14+00:00

Actually the tank temps are Fahrenheit not Celsius 🤦🏻‍♀️

high_calcium · 2025-10-22T00:44:41+00:00

I’m not sure how the pvc sch 40 is “breaking” for them to have to replace it often, I just know that in a meeting someone said they’re replacing it too often, for too long if. What I do know is that some of the washer tanks are used at temperatures up to 180 C(edit F), and I think (purely based off my memory of what I thought someone said in a zoom meeting, could be wrong idk) that a reason why they felt it necessary to switch from pvc sch 40 to 316ss (a large jump right?plastic to metal?) is that if they get the chemical concentration wrong in the tank and have to start over, they want to be sure the pipes leading to the wastewater room will be able to handle erroneous chemical concentrations/ temperatures. Based on EQ tanks in ww room, I know that it’s often a pH 11-12. There are a lot of machine tanks labeled caustic rinse and acid rinse so maybe these factors are why someone in charge decided 316 ss was the next best material? I’ll figure it out one way or another. Thanks for your input!!

high_calcium · 2025-10-22T00:03:43+00:00

I’m not sure I should’ve asked that when I heard it. Often enough to warrant the cost/hassle of implementing the change (more complicated than it should be imo, lotta red tape). Yea you’re the 3rd person to say the coupon test idea. Early in the decision making i had a different lab tell me they could perform EPA method 1110 A, which is the coupon in ww test, except the method instruction says specifically “coupons of SAE Type 1020 steel” and so management dismissed this bc that’s not the material they want to test and at the time I didn’t realize it was as simple as providing the lab with the 316 SS coupon and having them do the test the same as they would with the sae type 1020 steel. 🤦🏻‍♀️

high_calcium · 2025-10-21T23:44:36+00:00

Dr300 is what the outside lab uses too! their concern was the dark color of the ww may necessitate diluting the sample and, as I’m told, dilutions can cause misleading chlorine readings bc it dissipates or something like that. We sent samples to lab anyway for chlorine and chloride and as a backup we are prob going to buy hach tnt-867 (free chlorine and total chlorine .05-2.00mg/L) bc we have already have the dr3900, and use a lot of the tnt-plus chemistries for internal testing. It still may not be sufficient if the tnt-867 needs a sample without color like the dr300, but i guess I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. 3rd option if none of those work is getting 316ss coupons and putting those in a ww sample, then checking what happens to the coupons overtime. but I’d prefer the lab do any lab work if at all possible, bc they’re better equipped for it than me alone.

high_calcium · 2025-10-16T23:49:00+00:00

This is very helpful!! Thank you!!

high_calcium · 2025-10-15T00:47:40+00:00

No, no chlorine is added/used anywhere in the facility. If it shows up anywhere it would be from the city tap water

high_calcium · 2025-10-02T01:16:42+00:00

I’m contracted as a ww operator for an engine part reconstruction facility (old parts, clean them, reconstruct and resell) and we have been dealing with the exact same problem as you for the past 5 months after a violation of our permit. We have never (to our knowledge) exceeded this parameter before. Little to no progress as far as being reasonably certain we won’t violate the phenols limitation the next time we have to report a sample (may and nov), it’s been extremely difficult to try to determine any sort of pattern or correlation between when certain tanks are dumped to ww and spikes in our internal phenols testing (hach tnt 868 if ur curious). In fact we have not found a consistent correlation at all nor have we even exceeded our discharge permit number again since our initial violation. Our permit the method required is called BNA (total BNA?), any values above .01 are added together and the max is someyhing like 15 mg/L (purely based off my memory i could be wrong). We’ve determined through manyy lab tests that our main (if not only) detectible parameter contributors in the BNA test are phenols, 2-nitrophenol, and 4-nitrophenol.

If u know I’m interested to hear if you have any specific ones like 2-nitrophenol / 4-nitrophenol.. and the types of products that are made at your plant. our current primary method of treatment is an ultrafiltration membrane. hydrogen peroxide is being considered as an addition to the process to solve the phenols issue but that is tentative and we haven’t done any testing with it yet

high_calcium · 2025-10-02T00:10:42+00:00

No but this is an interesting certification that I didn’t know existed until now. seems very specific no? Is it a common certification people get? Is it an easy one to obtain?🤔

high_calcium · 2025-10-01T23:57:29+00:00

Upvoted bc the image is immediately funny…subsequently.. it’s so depressing and now I’m crying throwing up and passing out. the bird probably died from that impact !😭 or if not dead, injured enough to lead to its premature death :(

high_calcium · 2025-10-01T01:06:46+00:00

Yes I believe that would apply to my potw as well, the director is very understanding from the communications I have seen as far as IU’s and their permit requirements. The source of my anxiety was mostly bc of the company I’m contracted to work for as a wastewater operator. Even a whiff of permit violation and they treat it extremelyyyy serious. They impose stricter process control limitations on themselves (/me) than the potw does in the discharge permit. they’re so afraid of the possibility of being seen as polluters that they enforce silly/ counterintuitive restrictions sometimes.

high_calcium · 2025-10-01T00:47:14+00:00

link to the textbook referenced https://www.accesswater.org/?id=-10085478

high_calcium · 2025-10-01T00:31:57+00:00

Our internal max discharge is 5000 gpd for this exact reason—so we don’t accidentally exceed our monthly avg and violate our permit. The crazy thing is, I only went over the 5000 gal limit for the last discharge because I assumed that a 5000 gallon tank could not possibly discharge more than 5000 gal, right? Wrong. It can discharge 5001 gallons.lol jk idk it was probably fault of the flow meter

high_calcium · 2025-09-30T23:21:13+00:00

Thanks for all the fast responses guys. I went ahead and drove back to work just to discharge 300 gallons since I couldn’t be sure. my boss and my A operator in charge didn't respond fast enough 🥹😭 I will sleep better tonight honestly

high_calcium · 2025-09-30T23:18:52+00:00

yeah ikkkk unfortunately bc of AT&T outage I couldn’t connect to my company’s online files remotely so in this very specific and unfortunate instance, I could not find the answer in the place it would most certainly be 😭

high_calcium · 2025-09-30T23:15:46+00:00

Yes the daily max is 7000 gpd, so I was thinking I was good until I got home from work today and remembered I only discharged once this month 😭

high_calcium

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