As one operator in an army of environmentally correct Sewage Treatment Plant personnel - I say...check us out!! There are thousands of treatment plants across the country that most people are totally unaware of. Sewage Treatment Plants are like bad politicians and Pauly Shore movies-no one wants to know! Next time you can't flush your toilet, you'll see a whole new light at the end of the pipe. (Assuming you don't have a septic system!!) Take a tour of your local treatment facility. What's being done there is quite amazing. They'll love to show ya! As an operator you are bombarded daily with all types of substances, smells and dangerous machinery ("Deadliest Catch-basins"). In the long run, you take that nasty liquid that comes in, do that voodoo that you do and presto, the final product is as clear as drinking water as you can get (although I wouldn't drink it!) Dirty Jobs, like COPS, is "reality TV" at it's best so imagine my surprise and excitement when I saw Mike tagging along with a Mobile Waste Recycling Vehicle (Cesspool truck) doing daily tasks I am all to familiar with. So Dirty Jobs staff, get in your cars, drive down the block, break out the cameras and go bother your local Treatment Plant Staff!! PS-Bring lotsa hand soap and maybe a nose plug!
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How do you dispose of yours where I worked a couple of falls we would knife the treated sludge into farm land and on a good day we would move out about1 million gallons a day hence the term professional poop shooters the gators operators would call them selves.
Hey ATV1212, I work at a plant in the very populated New York area. The sludge, if that's what you're talking about, is 1/2 incinerated (another dirty job) and half trucked out of state-maybe into your state. The semi-clear "effluent" or discharge runs out a 72" pipe into the Atlantic Ocean-maybe into your ocean.
P.S. 10 years age my wife bought me a mug that says: "It's a dirty job and I get to do it!" I think I see a theme here! Fellow Human-waste "Engineer" spock8113@yahoo.com
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Actually I would love to have the chance to tour a local sewage plant. I think it would give much more resepect for what happnes the next time I flush.
However the local sewage facility won't hear of it. Like what I flushed away last night is not to good gor me to see.
I would love to see some pictures of your facility. The more detailed the better.
Hello 2inch-a screen name that raises more questions than answers!
I'm sorry your local facility won't let you tour, but 9/11 has had an effect on this. I probably should have been more clear. Most municipally large plants will give tours as good public relations, but there are also many small privately run plants that aren't so receptive. If your dealing with a smaller private plant, say under 1 million gallons a day, than I would say you're correct-not likely to get a tour. But if it's a large public facility, you may have to schedule a tour, they should oblige your request. As for pictures of my plant, I don't have any digital photos. We hand out cheesy "propaganda" brochures on our tour that make us look smarter than we really are!!! There is, however a pump at the end of the tunnel-you can log onto this site- WWW.sewage.net.......yes, it is Sewage.net!!! and websites for many of the facilities in the country are alphabetically organized. A favorites list MUST for any REAL sewerperson! I want to get our plant on the site, but I'm too busy shoveling against the tide.
Good luck & Happy Sewering! spock8113
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Thanks for the web address. AS for my screen name it was not intended to raise questions. but rather was a last didch effort to find one not already used.
Perhaps you can do me a favor and provide a detailed look at the totle process of taking something that most people just forget about wants flushed, and turning it into something that does notb look so foul.
I, according to my mom, have a morbid interest in the unseen things in the world. If it is dirty and unleasent yet vital to life as we know it I am interestede in it.
2inch, If you happen to live near Pittsburgh, ALCOSAN will soon have a tour of their facility, they do it every year about this time. Try http://www.alcosan.org, their plant is impressive. The sludge is turned into Alcosoil, used on highway median areas and incinerated as an energy source. Also, they claim that the "effluent" discharged into the Ohio river almost meets drinking water standards. Nep
Hey 2inch, Once you get on that web site, just start clicking on the facility name-the facility website will come up and some have very detailed information. There are pictures, virtual plant tours, process descriptions and basic flow diagrams. Remember, not all the sites have this, but poke thru and see what you find. I did a quick search starting in the A's. Click on Asheville in NC. Just below the aerial picture of the facility is an icon that says "Click for tour". Once you start the virtual tour, just click on the icon in the upper right corner that humorously says "Go with the flow". Asheville's site is pretty good and the plant is somewhat typical, although some processes are a little more advanced. By the way, it's not a morbid interest, it's a reality of life and a really cool occupation! You can never learn too much! spock8113
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Spock8113 no we don't get any of your sludge to land apply this city make quite enough on there own ,b but this is treated orgainic solids that are broken down and stored in a couple of 10-15 acre ponds ,then stirred up starting about now and trucked in tankers out to farms and knifed in with 2505 terra gators and these huge beasts would drive you crazy if you ever got to drive one big foot would not stand a chance and going 30mph + it's fun to get them sideways doing a power slide
Hi i had the chance to tour over 35 sewage plants ranging in size from 15,000 to 80MGD. When i try to talk about sewage systems to my class mates to teachers ( i am in 12th grade only) i get the response EWW or gross. Though after 9 11 it has been hard for me to get tours but i usually still get them. This is another site ( but you have to understand how a plant works and on the site are the engineering drawings of a plant) i will post the link ( it is none password) if any one would what it. I been to plants that use process from activated sludge too MBR plants and i would like to get in the wastewater field after high school. PS i like the photos what is the size of the plant in MGD? Tom
Our plant, right now does about 25 MGD on average. To get into this field, it's mostly civil service. You should look on local government websites in the employment vacancies. There are state, county, city or town websites that probably have job postings for starting positions. These positions are probably like what I started as, laborer or trainee. Your state probably has a time frame for experience before you can start going to certified classes to get your license. Most courses use the Califirnia-Sacramento Training manuals http://www.owp.csus.edu/ for your license. Then there's a state test for the Grade License you need. License is based on flow. Go for the top license. See if this helps. By the way, see "What do you do for a living" on top of the "comments-Questions" message board. Any more questions, just post here.
