6
NCRWA.COM |
Winter 2014
from the president
“I urge you to never pass
up the “little things” we
do in our daily routine
that might inspire a
young person’s future
career.”
T
he Maggie Valley Sanitary District, as well
as other treatment facilities across the state,
welcomes the opportunity to conduct tours
of its operations. An operator will take you
on a tour of the treatment plant explaining
the treatment process and describing what is
actually occurring beneath the surface of the
water. Each fall, fifth grade students from our
local elementary school get the opportunity
to learn about the natural environment and
how water is treated and delivered to their
school and homes.
Tours typically include a short classroom
overview in our training/conference room
followed by a walk across the street to our
treatment plant. In this short overview
session, I will subtly ask what career
choices these students would like to pursue.
Predictably, many responses will be fireman,
veterinarian, nurse, professional athlete, and
others you would expect.
The walking tour of the treatment plant begins
with a visit to our SCADA control room,
then on to the chemical feed stations. The
students work in teams as they go through
and observe our lab procedures, sedimentation
process, and lastly, filter backwash. We
discuss the importance of the water cycle,
water conservation, watershed protection
and water quality issues. We also discuss
the impact that weather conditions have on
water supply.
After the tour, we go back to the training/
conference room for a question and answer
session. Once again, I ask the question about
career choices. This time, the responses are
quite different. Many of the students, with
excitement in their voices, say they want to be
a water treatment operator or microbiologist
when they graduate college. Keep in mind
these are fifth grade students.
Why do we, as water system owners and
operators, want to offer tours of our facilities?
Is it for better public relations and a better
understanding of our profession? The answer
is yes, but maybe it is the most effective
recruitment tool we could use to attract
youth to our industry. I urge you to never
pass up the “little things” we do in our daily
routine that might inspire a young person’s
future career.
