Protect our Environment—and Ourselves—With Efficiency and Focus

wastewater treatment as much as possible and try to let the “bugs” do the work.

S We build wetlands to remove nutrients from wastewater effluent and stormwater, while allowing plants to grow and provide us oxygen.

he water industry is a vital part of our society. Without water, there cannot be life as we know it. Water comes in various forms: fresh, brackish, salty, and all forms in between. Our environment does a phenomenal job of filtering water for us through evaporation, transpiration, and precipitation. In whatever form the water comes to us—fresh, brackish, wastewater, or stormwater—we have a duty to manage this precious resource to the best of our ability.

Luckily, we have developed techniques over the years to be more efficient and use less energy.

S Automation and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) technology have allowed us to optimize our processes to make sure we operate equipment at peak efficiency. S We use structures and gravity flow in

Being efficient with our processes and our energy consumption helps us be good stewards of the environment and we should all look at this as we implement new projects and consider the long-term impacts on the environment around us.

On a separate note, after talking with people from all over the state who work in all the numerous professions of our industry, it’s obvious that we are all pretty busy. Since 2020, we have seen many retirements in the world of water, without a large backlog of people to fit into those roles. We need qualified people for operations, distribution, construction trades, and engineering. Consequently, there are other careers that are just as crucial that help support workers to get the job done, such as meter readers, geographic information system (GIS) professionals, finance/accounting/procurement specialists, and human resources personnel.

Internships and Mentoring

Recruiting and retaining people is vital to the sustainability of our industry. For all of the professions that make our industry work, internships provide a glimpse into different jobs for people who don’t know a lot about what we all do and determine if it’s something of interest to them. Mentoring helps guide junior staff members to keep them involved, in not just the work, but also the networking and educational portions to help people grow as individuals and in their careers.

The FSAWWA provides educational, networking, and mentorship opportunities for its members and we encourage you to utilize the section to the fullest extent.

We spend a lot of our time performing our job duties. Professional and personal growth, whatever that may look like, can make that time be more enjoyable and provide a sense of purpose. Reaching out to others to get help or insight from them, receiving training in areas where you want to gain more knowledge, and helping others from your own experiences are all ways that we can all help each other.

It’s helpful to hear from other people about what they’ve learned from their experiences on the job. I’ve learned many tips from the people around me, including ways to design that are more efficient, or make sure the end user has an easier time operating the equipment, or just how to be a better person.

Self Care

As I acknowledged earlier, we are all busy, but periodically, please take a minute and just close your eyes and breath. Relax, let that email go unanswered for another minute, let that phone call go to voicemail, and tell that person walking in that you will get back to them shortly.

That email will still be in your inbox, you can call that person back, and whatever question someone needs answered will still be there. Taking a few moments now and again to collect your thoughts and relax will make your day feel so much better and prevent burnout of the people who are critical to the success of our industry: YOU!