I am officially off to Georgia, assigned to Hyundai Engineering America. My dedication to always learning the most I can from this field has paid off big; now I get to learn metals precipitation. 7 days straight of 12 hour shifts but only 26 weeks of the year. I'm so excited.

My start as just a laborer assigned to operations back in 2016 has turned into the career I wouldn't leave if you paid me. No college, no certification, just a will to make clean water under any circumstance.

Big thanks have to go out to my Chief Operator from back then. He put up with my bs for real and taught me the way. If he's still on here I hope he can tell who it is.

I recently upgraded the expansion discs to 3d printed parts to replace the modified PVC caps that didn't work the best. This works great, though! Measures exactly what the FilterSmart sensors detect during the backwashes. Instructions and files are here: https://www.printables.com/model/1878078-backwash-expansion-tool

Really just curious, so I was a wastewater operator for a small factory for 4 years and now I'm a wastewater treatment plant mechanic for the city I live in. I'm central Indiana, and about the worse it gets weather wise for us is heavy rain fall and storms that can knock out power. We recently had some bad flooding, and I got to experience what it was like working for the city and dealing with flooded creeks that are normally 15 feet below a bridge rise to almost and half a foot below the bridge. I'm really curious if anyone here works at a plant that deals with hurricanes every year, mostly Florida. Obviously collections are gonna fill up, power may be lost but how stressful is it? Like I can't imagine already being stressed about having a hurricane come my way but to also be running the system when it happens? Idk sounds wild.

Hey! I learned that I’d need to shave for a respirator fit test for a utility operator position in Ontario. I understand why , because it’s for safety of course but I’ve noticed some operators in the OCWA have facial hair. Is shaving only required for the test, or year-round? Different with each employer?

I’d shave for the job, but would prefer to keep my beard most the year otherwise, just because I look like a teen boy without one 😂

Thanks!

Check out this job posting page at Upper Trinity Rural Water District

https://utrwd.com/join-our-team/

Looking for some advice from operators who have experience treating high-grease wastewater from meat processing facilities.
I’m currently operating a 7,000 GPD extended aeration package plant servicing a meat packing company. The facility averages approximately 2,500 GPD in actual flow.
The plant was brought online about two weeks ago, and we’re currently in the process of reseeding and establishing a healthy biomass.
Current challenges:
High grease/FOG loading from the industrial waste stream.
Low biological solids inventory as we’re rebuilding the biomass.
Trying to reduce effluent TSS and improve settling performance.
Relatively low hydraulic loading compared to the plant’s design capacity.
A few questions for experienced operators:
Has anyone operated a similar extended aeration package plant treating meat processing wastewater?
What SVI range have you found produces the best settling and effluent clarity under these conditions?
What sludge age (SRT/MCRT) have you had the most success maintaining for TSS removal in smaller extended aeration systems?
Have you found that maintaining a higher MLSS improves settling, or does it create issues with older sludge and poor floc formation?
Any recommendations for managing grease interference with biological treatment and secondary clarification?
During startup or reseeding, what operational adjustments have helped you establish a stable biomass while minimizing solids carryover?
I’m particularly interested in real-world operating experience rather than just textbook target ranges.
Any input on SVI, sludge age, wasting strategies, DO control, or improving secondary clarifier performance would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

Edit: 4 grease traps, separate sanitary trash trap from restrooms. Equalization well, extended aeration, clarifier and slow sand filters. UV disinfection.