Experiences of a New Wastewater Operator

Instructor: Mike Jennings; mjennings@utiliency.com (781-605-5519).  Founder of Utiliency Services, with over 25 years of experience in the field of water pollution prevention, wastewater treatment infrastructure management, and operator certification and training. Massachusetts (4M/1I) and Florida (Grade C) certified wastewater operator

This free 90-minute training class presents the instructor’s personal experiences entering the active certified wastewater operator community, as a later-in-life second career pathway.   

Focuses will include:

• Exam strategy and direct certification process experiences for NH, MA, and FL.
• Personal knowledge gained from hands-on operator experiences – including a virtual-tour of an advanced wastewater treatment facility permitted for 12-MGD daily flow.
• First-hand “eye-opening” experiences of obtaining certification later-in-life, and becoming an active wastewater operator, will be facilitated for group discussion.  
• Common daily, weekly, and monthly operational tasks will be discussed. 

Experiences to be highlighted: 

• Assisting in the operation of a Modified Ludzack Ettinger (MLE) advanced wastewater      treatment facility, having an average daily flow of 6.5 MGD.  Advanced processes include up-flow sand filtration and disinfection with chlorine gas, with authorization for distribution of compliant plant effluent for landscape irrigation reuse. 
• Conducting bench-top laboratory tests (total and volatile solids, pH, alkalinity, nutrients) to guide daily process control strategy.
• Typical daily routine tasks – plant tours and recoding pump/motor run times, sampling and data gathering, process monitoring, and general house-keeping. 
• Calculation of daily sludge wasting quantities to achieve desired mean cell residence      time; utilizing gravimetric analysis of mixed liquor and WAS samples to determine current solids inventory.