Inspire
BY MARCUS HARPER,
CITY OF MARION
H
36
NCRWA.COM |
Summer 2013
ow do we inspire? How do we become
inspired? Every idea, every piece of
beautiful art, every useful invention, and every
thought provoking word in a poem or story begins with inspiration.
Where would society be and what would life be like if there were no
sources of inspiration? Whether intentional or accidental, inspirations
serve as our keystone to innovation.
Despite the fact that they are necessities of human life and health, more
than 40% of the world’s population lack access to clean drinking water
and/or proper sanitation facilities (based on a 2012 report from the
World Health Organization & United Nations Children’s Fund). As the
population continues to increase, the challenge of providing clean, safe
water is likely to worsen. As this occurs, hydrology or the field of water
science is to become more and more important.
What will determine whether a young student chooses this field of study
as they undertake their paths in life?While some may follow paths of high
salaries or fame, many will likely follow a path inspired from childhood.
The City of Marion has an annual event where all the 3rd grade classes
from the county schools and the local home schooled children spend
a day touring the city facilities. They visit the Waste Water Treatment
Facility, The Water Treatment Facility, Town Hall, Fire Department,
City Hall, Police Department and Public Works in order to get a better
understanding of how their city and community works to provide all
the services offered to its residents. This year, on April 26th, the City of
Marion had its hugely anticipated tour again.
Speaking on behalf of the water plant staff at the City, we had a great
week of making preparations for our young visitors. We attempted to
think of everything possible to make the plant look nice and enticing to
young minds. From the freshly manicured landscape to the shiny waxed
floors, the “mature” 1955-built conventional plant brought its “A” game
once again. Don Price and Ben Worley were on staff to guide the tour,
answer unique and thoughtful questions, and most definitely INSPIRE
the young visitors.
The question and answer sessions are always my favorite for obvious
reasons, but the questions ranged from, “what is that?” to “what happens
if the river runs dry?” Wow! It’s simple and genius at the same time. At
their age, they were already asking “what happens if?” That is essentially
what we as professionals in our field must do as well. We can never stop
thinking “what if.”
The line of children was so long that
it stretched from one end of the sedimentation
basin to the other. As Don spoke (over the sound of the flash
mix motor) to the group while standing out by the basin, every eye
was facing forward and every child was quiet and genuinely enamored
by the amount of equipment used to treat a glass of water. As the tour
progressed through the facility, I was once again reminded how the small
contributions of others can make a huge impact on our students. We were
all students at one time, and lots of us still are on occasion. What great
benefits we have gained from those that take the time to show us how and
why things work.
Returning to the topic of inspiration, a field trip such as this was for us
and should be mutually beneficial. The kids got to see and discuss topics
that revolved around their Earth Day discussions (reduce, reuse, recycle).
As for the staff, we got a magnificent reminder of who depends on us
for our most valuable resource, water. There is a high probability that
some of those kids will grow up to be employed by the City or some
other municipality, and we hope that they left with a positive impression
as well as a desire to learn more. For more information or advice about
planning a facilities tour with your school groups, reach out to us at
Marion, NCRWA, or one of your neighboring systems that currently offer
these tours.
