As those that “can” retire or are replaced with diversity candidates, we can expect more systems to fail. There is more to managing and maintaining critical infrastructures than completing the diversity check-lists for HR. Someone has to know when and what repairs are needed and have the ability to do the regular maintenance on these systems.
Running a Water Treatment Plant is not like changing a filter in your coffee maker by any means.
For the most part Water Treatment Plant Operators are treated like dirt by most everyone. Ignored the 99% of the time day or night by those that turn the faucet handle and water comes out just fine, clean and odor free and SAFE to consume round the clock. Nobody ever calls the Plant to say Thank You for making life so easy for Us.
But get no or low pressure, cloudy/dirty or stinky coming out of the faucet and bet your bottom dollar that Water Treatment Plant phone number is #1 on everybody’s speed dial. And most of the time We Water Treatment Plant Operators have known about the problem and more than likely have already cured the problem and have Crews out Flushing the Distribution System to finish correcting the problem.
Mind you, nobody calls the Plant back with that speed dial to say “Thank You”.
Everyone in the City/Municipal food chain leading up to the actual Water Treatment Plant Operators knows absolutely nothing about what it takes to run a Water Treatment Plant.
I really enjoyed being a Plant Operator for years because I felt that I was part of the Community and took Pride in the job. Then came the Piranha from City hall and H(ighly) R(idicules) swimming upstream trying to use Plant Operators as scapegoats
That’s one of the reasons that I no longer do the Water Biz.
You are nothing but a White Supremacist! /s
“Someone has to know when and what repairs are needed and have the ability to do the regular maintenance on these systems.”
there’s also a SIGNIFICANT amount of chemistry involved with the operation of municipal potable water systems and chemistry is HARD ...