February 2021
1. What is the best dissolved oxygen residual for an aeration basin?
A. 0-1 mg/L
B. 1-3 mg/L
C. It depends on the F/M ratio
D. as high a possible
E. as low as possible with losing mixing
2. If the influent BOD is 200 mg/L, what concentration of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are required?
A. 10 mg/L N and 2 mg/L P
B. 5 mg/L N and 1 mg/L P
C. 200 mg/L N and 200 mg/L P
D. 5 mg/L P and 1 mg/L N
3. Ciliates are important indicator organisms in activated sludge operations. This is because they?
A. are associated with flocculent biomass and good treatment
B. consume most of the BOD load
C. make sludge settle rapidly in the secondary clarifier
D. indicate the sludge is very young and dispersed
4. The majority of BOD is consumed by
A. amoebas
B. bacteria
C. ciliates
D. flagellates
5. After two months of normal operation with a quality sludge, a large spill of toxic material occurs. It passes through the activated sludge plant, causing substantial toxicity to the biomass. Upon recovery, which group of protozoans will you expect to see first?
A. free-swimming ciliates
B. flagellates
C. stalked ciliates
D. rotifers
6. As sludge age increases, what happens to the following? (increase or decrease?)
A. Oxygen Demand ____________
B. Wasting Requirements __________
C. Biomass (MLSS) Concentration ___________
D. Food-to-Microorganism Ratio ________________
7. For each of the following environmental factors, what range (give numbers) or direction (up, down, high, low) favors nitrification?
A. D.O. _______
B. pH ________
C. Alkalinity ________
D. Temperature ______
E. MCRT ___________
8. For the following criteria, compute the weight percent that was volatile:
Sample volume = 50 ml
Crucible weight = 21.6329 grams
Crucible and dry solids weight = 21.6531 grams
Crucible and ash = 21.6380 grams
A. 28.2%
B. 50%
C. 74.75%
D. 94.32%
Passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972 triggered a push to set up infrastructure of modern water and wastewater treatment plants immediately. The profession saw a huge influx of technicians, mechanics, and engineers in the following years. Now, after decades in the business, many are retiring. In fact, nearly two thirds of Water/Wastewater Operator in the U.S. are approaching retirement age.
One of the biggest challenges faced by employers looking to hire new staff is getting the word out. Many people are not aware of the career opportunities in the Water/Wastewater field, including good pay & benefits, job security, and working with advanced technologies.
Here are several avenues to let potential candidates know about career opportunities in the field:
Job Boards – For both employees looking for jobs and employers posting positions:
- New England Water Environment Association: https://www.newea.org/careers/jobs/
- Maine Water Environment Association: www.mewea.org/about-maine-water-env-association-2/employment-opportunities/
- Maine Rural Water Association: www.mainerwa.org/networking/
- Maine Dept. of Labor JobLink Career Center: www.joblink.maine.gov/ada/r/
Association Outreach & Career Websites:
- Work for Water: www.workforwater.org/careers-in-water/
- New England Water Environment Association Professional Development page: www.newea.org/careers/professional-development/
Water Warriors Jobs Initiatives:
If you are a veteran or know a veteran looking for employment, the Water Warriors Jobs Initiatives can help connect returning and retiring U.S Armed Forces veterans with opportunities in the drinking water and clean water infrastructure fields.
Many skills learned in the Armed Forces translate well into a successful career protecting the one thing no one in our country can live without, clean water. While many of our most qualified water/ wastewater operators are retiring and leaving the industry with a labor shortage, not to mention the imminent loss of decades of institutional knowledge, the Water Warrior Jobs Initiative seeks to tackle this problems by promoting the water/ wastewater field as a desirable career options for returning veterans. The group’s objectives include:
• Providing education and training opportunities,
• Streamlining the certification process for our veterans, and
• Providing placement assistance and internships.
The timing has never been more opportune to provide those who served our country with a career that will provide for their future, while still allowing them to serve their local communities. If you are interested in getting involved in this exciting effort, or want to learn more about providing an internship at your facility for a returning veteran, the MEWEA contact is Peter Goodwin, pgoodwin@tataandhoward.com.
The Department is now accepting applications for SCG program funding requests to correct malfunctioning septic systems which directly or indirectly discharge sewage to waterbodies of the State or are causing public health problems. The SCG Application must be submitted by February 28, 2021, before 5pm.
On November 6th, 2018, voters approved Referendum Question No. 2, An Act to Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue to Fund Wastewater Infrastructure Projects. Passage of this Act provides funding for the Small Community Grant (SCG) Program in the amount of $2,000,000 administered by the Department of Environmental Protection (Department). In 2019 and 2020, $1,000,000 was released each year. The remaining funds are now available for Municipalities to apply for projects.
The Municipality must submit the Grant Application, to determine initially if the Owner(s) qualifies for grant funds by providing the Applicant Information form and the Application Description of Existing Conditions Form which can be found at https://www.maine.gov/dep/water/grants/scgp.html along with more information about the program.
Please submit the Grant Application to zoe.leblanc@maine.gov or by mail addressed to Zoe LeBlanc, SCG Project Engineer, Bureau of Water Quality, 17 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333-0017, by February 28th, 2021, before 5pm.
If you have any questions about the process, please contact Brandy Piers, SCG Coordinator by email at brandy.m.piers@maine.gov or by phone at (207) 287-6093 or Zoe at the above email or phone (207) 287-2730.
Welcome to the first of a series of newsletter articles focusing on the most commonly seen errors when DMRs are submitted in NetDMR, and some helpful hints to avoid making these mistakes. This first article will focus on searching for and selecting the correct DMR for the monitoring period for which you intend to report results.
Have you ever had trouble finding the correct DMR to submit? Or inadvertently submitted the wrong form? The most commonly seen mistakes seen during these steps are:
1) Submitting a DMR for the wrong month/ year
2) Submitting a DMR for the wrong outfall/ permitted feature
NetDMR provides search options to help permittees submit the correct DMR form. These include: monitoring period end date, permitted feature, and discharge location. By properly utilizing the search options in NetDMR, these mistakes are much less likely.
If your facility has only a couple of permitted features, searching by the monitoring period end date range is a good option to find the correct DMR. When using this search option, make sure to enter both the first and the last day of the month in which you are entering results.
If your facility has many outfalls/ monitoring wells/ spray fields, it may be more helpful to select the specific permitted feature and discharge identification. When you are using this feature, NetDMR will automatically update the discharge identification field when you select the permitted feature and click “Update”.
If you have any questions regarding NetDMR please contact your compliance inspector or the NetDMR coordinator at Brett.A.Goodrich@maine.gov or 207-287-9034.
The March 1, 2021 renewal deadline for operators with odd-numbered certificates is rapidly approaching. Certificates can be renewed online at www.jetcc.org. Renewing includes:
• Paying renewal fee (currently $125)
• Updating your contact information, including email, and;
• Providing documentation that you obtained required TCH
A summary of completed TCHs for each operator, listed by certificate number, can be found at http://jetcc.org/jetcc-docs/NEIWPCCOpsData.pdf. If you have attended training that is not listed on the website, please submit certificates of completion to NEIWPCC as soon as possible.
For training that is not preapproved, please complete the TCH Request form, which can be found at http://jetcc.org/certification-exam-forms.php. Please do not wait until the last minute so we have time to review your information.
If you still need TCHs, it is not too late! A list of approved virtual and correspondence training can be found at the DEP website, https://www.maine.gov/dep/water/wwoperator/ under Additional Materials.
If you are scheduled to renewal on March 1, 2021 and foresee issues obtaining your TCHs, please reach out to your DEP inspector, NEIWPCC at certification@neiwpcc-jetcc.org, or Judy Bruenjes at judy.k.bruenjes@maine.gov.
DEP recognizes the challenges for certified operators to meet Continuing Education requirements when in-person training, classes and conferences have been cancelled or postponed. If you foresee issues getting your TCHs in time for the March 1, 2021 renewal deadline, please contact us BEFORE the renewal deadline.
Again, thank you for your continued participation in the DEP Wastewater Operator Certification program.
1. B. 1-3 mg/L
2. A. 10 mg/L N and 2 mg/L P.
For aerobic treatment, the required ratio of C:N:P in the wastewater should be 100:5:1.
Since the given BOD is 200 mg/L, N and P should be 10 mg/L and 2 mg/L, respectively.
3. A. are associated with flocculent biomass and good treatment.
4. B. bacteria
5. B. flagellates
6. A. Oxygen Demand – decreases
B. Wasting Requirements - decreases
C. Biomass (MLSS) Concentration - increases
D. Food-to-Microorganism Ratio (F/M) – decreases
7. A. D.O. – up; about 4.5 mg/L D.O. to oxidize ammonia into the nitrate form
B. pH – up; best condition for nitrifiers is neutral to slightly alkaline pH
C. Alkalinity – high; for nitrification, each mg of nitrate requires 7.1 mg of alkalinity
D. Temperature – high; minimum 59 Degrees F needed for 90% nitrification.
Below 50 Degrees F, expect maximum of 50% nitrification
E. MCRT - high - In general, MCRT > 10 days ensures complete nitrification
8. C. 74.75%
Find the weight of dry solids: 21.6531 gm - 21.6329 gm = 0.00202 gm = 20.2 mg
Next, find the weight of the ash: 21.6380 gm – 21.6329 gm = 0.0151 gm = 15.1 mg
Divide dry weight by ash weight and multiply by 100 to find percent ash:
15.1 mg /20.2 mg X 100 = 74.75%
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