Does anybodies plant have a carbon deficit and they have to dose some form of carbon? What do you use?

What’s the best way to clean oily debris off skimmers? Hosing doesn’t seem to get it off, but I’m afraid power washing may break off the rubber components.

First let me say sorry if some of this is repetitive/poorly worded or answered elsewhere, I'm still going through the subs posts for info, but since people seem to be pretty chill and helpful I figured, I'd post to get some input...

I've read a decent bit about the job, I got interested in it after meeting someone that works for a clean water plant and she loved the job gave me the run down but then i forgot to get her number and never spoke to her again lol.

I'm 40, and I've worked for 20+ years in Networking/IT, and I'm burned out, have done Disaster Management/Recovery after hurricanes for emergency services internationally as well as mostly the usual IT day to day headaches while basically being on-call for all 20+ years. So the stress has never let up (maybe a grand total of 1 month off in past 10 years, I'd estimate). All for understaffed teams, and more recently completely empty teams where I've been forced to carry the load of 3-4 people, to say I'm burned out is an understatement. I'm estimating I've got about a year left on my current contract (that I'm debating trying to get renewed) and looking for alternatives to support me and my wife (she's working on her own new career path).

I'm located in Central Virginia, and I've been keeping an eye out on job boards, and never seen any OIT job listings, so not sure if the plants in my locale are just very well staffed or they just don't list OIT. I started looking into certifications and licenses but as I've read most seem to want you to have some basic on the job work first.

Just wondering if anyone had any tips as I get closer to deciding if I should give it a shot when my current contracts are up. I imagine if no OIT jobs pop up I'll just apply to the lowest license jobs I can find and mention I'm not currently licensed but willing to train and get my license?

Was also wondered if anyone lives in VA that might know how competitive the industry is especially in Central VA

Finally, if anyone came from a similar field, if it was an improvement or more of the same (understaffed, constantly on edge, bad work/life balance, etc)

Has anyone emigrated to another country from the United States and continue to do wastewater? Long term healthcare wise moving to another country might be beneficial for my family so I'm just curious if anything would be transferrable or I should go for college credits over certificates now. I would be coming from California.

How much is regulatory. Math? Process control? Any tips?

Hi all,

Plant runs two HUBER Q presses that have been in operation for less than a year. Prior to install they sat outside in the elements for 3 years. Recently the performance of both presses has declined significantly. The outer surface of the screen baskets has heavy sludge deposits and very little free water seems to be escaping, the filtrate is very cloudy and tinted brown which points to solids loss through the screens. The feed inlet pressure rapidly builds just after starting the presses and causes the presses to rev up and down reducing the dewatering ability of the presses, after startup we were managing 18-20%, now we are lucky to hit 15% except for the odd run that presses fine. We can't run the presses at the same feed rate as when they were first installed (>100 gpm, thin biological sludge T.S. normally around 0.5%) and are trying to track down what's going on. We haven't changed polymers or how we calculate doses/mixing. I think that the scraper that sits on the screw flight is worn and no longer sufficiently cleans the inner surface of the screen, leading to impacted sludge and no outlet for water to escape. Has anyone else experienced an issue like this or changed the scraper on a HUBER screw press before? Do you know what material it's made of, like nylon or a hard rubber? The only information I can find is how to replace the scraper and that the material is sold in meter lengths.

Thanks!

I need help I took the Test I failed . I studied the course work and some Richard Dillion I need helppp !!!!!!!

How do y'all handle shutting off customers that are sewer only customers? We do not operate the water system, but they work with us and shut off water to the deadbeats. However about half of our visionary are flat rate and have wells. What methods are you guys using to shut off gravity deadbeats?

Had to replace an airline in one of our SBR tanks

Plant was built in 1946 and updated in 1990. Tan circle building upper right is the washwater basin, sed basins and large filters in the middle, with snaller filters under the white building with the tower (thats the 1948 building and the tower is a still working olllld elevator)

Whats cool about this it you can see the different elevations the water takes, wash water up high, filters and sed basin gravity fed from a reservoir across the road on a hill, and reclaim basins/thickener below the level of the basins/filters.

I passed grade 4 wastewater in Iowa today 🎉🤠🙉🍻

Our anaerobic digester has 4 feet of foam and we can figure out why but to try an stop the foaming we turned down the primary pumping… but now the second primary has a 17” blanket I’m worried about it going septic what could I possibly do

Just got done cleaning the influent channel of wipes from overnight. Pretty sure it was from a septic hauler. Did not have a banana to use for scale so I substituted a standard rake.

Dear all,

Can we use seawater for WC flashing especially for the Hotels near the beach

Thank you

Sure, I'll jump on the band wagon

I'm in Wisconsin and I'm looking for a way out of retail and for some reason this job seems attractive to me. Currently, there are no job listings for an operator apprenticeship and my technical college doesn't offer it as a program. Is there any other way I can get in? Maybe start as a water utility worker (if I can successfully get hired)? What was your guys' path into this career?

I have an interview tomorrow in Ontario for a distribution 1/wastewater 1 position.

I currently have 7 months experience as an oit in distribution and supply.

I'm looking for any advice/potential questions any of you might have that will help me for this interview.

The location and position is perfect for me and I really want to land this position.

Thanks!

Did i just find a tape worm? Checking our sludge because we've had a huge daphnia bloom in our aeration and secondary clarifiers all week. But also, post your micro pics!

I’m currently a Plant operator , I work with NG boilers (water tube) recently I visited my local Wastewater plant and i became very interested in this trade! I really enjoyed the ins and outs . Now, I’m interested in getting into WWT, problem is I don’t have any Waste water experience, so my question is, Would my boiler operator knowledge help translate to WW? I know it’s not the same but im hoping it can translate even a little . Thank you

I know the length, diameter and slope of the pipe. I also know how many EDUs are connected, and I know the type of pipe (clay). What other information do I need to calculate the reserve capacity of this part of the collection system? Thanks!

Hey guys. I want to know if anyone has done SARS-COVID19 or any other infectious disease sampling and evaluation at WWTP laboratories? I’m curious to find out specifically what equipments and testing methods did you use ? Was this study conducted by the CDC or independent consultants ? Any help or feedback is appreciated. Thank you!

I've been tasked to find a suitable dusk mask for handling dry polymer powder. However it CANNOT be considered a respirator. The idea is to avoid fit testing to comply with PEOSH.

At our main station that all 20 of our lift stations feed to go to the plant we have a huge shinmawa or shinmaya I can’t remember how to spell it. But we’ve already burned through 2 of them and they were less than a year old. We are currently operating on a shaft driven pump from the 70s. Wondering what some average sized wastewater plants are using pump wise to feed their plant?

Going into contract negotiations soon. What're some items in your contacts that you stand by beyond simple pay scales, seniority longevity, and grievance process?

What are industry standard holiday rates, shift differentials, health benefits?

Example: Does your contract provide for fully paid access to CDC recommended vaccinations for workers that interact with sewage?

Example 2: Does your contract include reimbursement for training costs or licensing fees?

Running an ICEAS sbr plant. When wasting, the sludge is initially thick but then quickly thins out and seems like it’s pumping straight mlss. Does this mean the pumps are oversized? Is there a way to prevent this without replacing the pumps?

Has anyone used the exam prep from american water college for s-2 prep.

I am taking my s-2 exam for a second time soon and really need a good exam prep course.

Hello everyone,

I'm planning to start a contracted wastewater operations business in New York State, and I’m looking for insights from anyone who’s either experienced in setting one up or is actively running a similar business. My focus will be exclusively on the operations side of wastewater facilities — lab work and maintenance won’t be included in the contracts with the facilities. I'm currently Grade 3A Licensed, studying for 4A.

A few key questions I have:

1. Licensing and Compliance: What are some best practices for ensuring compliance with NYSDEC regulations? Are there any common challenges or steps I should be aware of?
2. Contracts and Scope: Since I’m only offering operational services, any advice on contract structuring and scope definition? How do you clarify what’s in or out of scope for clients to avoid misunderstandings, especially regarding lab work and maintenance?
3. Business Model and Scaling: For those who have scaled their operations business, what were some of the biggest hurdles, and how did you address them? Are there any tips for finding and maintaining clients?
4. General Tips: Any insights on marketing, building trust with new clients, or running day-to-day operations would be greatly appreciated.

I’m also interested in any resources, professional associations, or networks that could provide support along the way. Thanks in advance for any guidance or advice!