June 2022
1. When starting a belt press filter press, you should:
a. Start feeding sludge before wash water is initiated
b. Start feeding polymer 10 minutes before initiating sludge feed
c. Initiate wash water before sludge feed is started.
d. Set the hydraulic pressure to 700 psi
2. What is H2S?
a. Hydrogen peroxide
b. Hydrogen sulfide
c. Sulfuric acid
d. Hydrogen sulfate
3. What percent of the settleable solids are typically removed through primary clarification?
a. 20 to 30%
b. 40 to 60%
c. 65 to 85%
d. 95 to 100%
4. Which conditions will typically allow filamentous bacteria to grow and become dominant in activated sludge?
a. Low D.O. and high F/M
b. High D.O. and low F/M
c. High D.O. and high F/M
d. Low D.O. and low F/M
5. Which condition is typically not the cause of high effluent ammonia?
a. Low influent alkalinity
b. High influent ammonia
c. Low Aeration rate
d. High Aeration D.O.
6. To prevent a violent chemical reaction from occurring, never:
a. Pour acid into water
b. Pour water into acid
c. It can be done either way without a problem
7. The amount of energy possessed by a quantity of water is called:
a. Work
b. Horsepower
c. Head
d. Net positive suction
e. Negative pressure
8. How many hours will it take to the fill depth given the following data?
Data: 14 foot radius
22 feet side wall
Fill depth 19 feet
Pump rate 250 gpm
a. 7 hours
b. 5.8 hours
c. 24 hours
d. 2.6 hours
MRWA Salary Survey Regional Meetings
Join MRWA for regional meetings across the state of Maine to discuss important issues for anyone involved in staffing for water/wastewater personnel. Topics for discussion include:
• Wages, cost of living increase, gas prices, sign on bonuses
• Benefits: technology upgrades and other creative solutions
• Employee retention
• Employee turnover/ retirees
• Any and all additional questions
Dates and locations scheduled so far include:
• REGION 3: Franklin, Oxford, and Somerset, Wednesday, June 1 at 9am at the Paris Utility District. Click Here to register.
• REGION 5: Penobscot and Southern Piscataquis, Wednesday, May 25 at 1pm at the Bangor Water District. Click Here to register.
MRWA will be adding more locations/dates for additional regions.
These dates are fast approaching, so don't forget to sign up.
If you've received a survey and need to complete it, please do so at your earliest convenience!
For more information, go to www.mainerwa.org.
Save the Date - Maine Water Utility Association (MWUA) Summer Outing
MWUA is excited to announce an in-person Summer Outing on August 11th at the Cumberland Fairgrounds in Cumberland, Maine. The Summer Outing event is a joint effort between MWUA and MEWEA.
Starting at 8:00 AM, the event will begin with two hours of training. Next on the agenda, attendees can participate in a corn hole tournament and water main tapping contest.
The highlight of the event will be a pig roast lunch. There will also be steak, hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken and veggie burgers available.
MWUA & MEWEA hope you will join them for the fun, food, training, and networking event. For more info, go to www.mwua.org or contact Bruce Berger at bberger@mwua.org.
Operator Educational Opportunities at Southern & Northern Maine Community Colleges
The Water Treatment Technology program is gaining momentum at both SMCC and NMCC.
Join instructors Patrick Wiley (SM) and Gil St. Pierre (NM) for a variety of water and wastewater courses, including collection & distribution systems, instrumentation and control, electronics, and operator safety. Whether you are interested in an associate degree, certificate program, or just need to take a few classes, the community college learning experience can be customized to fit your needs.
Content delivery methods have evolved and expanded to accommodate working professionals with busy schedules. Options include in-person instruction, completely remote learning, or a hybrid of in-person and online learning. Instructors are available to help everyone who wants to learn figure out the best method for them.
Patrick and Gil are not only experienced instructors but are also seasoned operators with many years of hands-on experience in water and wastewater technology. Both hold Grade 5 wastewater certifications. Gil has operated both activated sludge and spray irrigation systems. Patrick has operated a variety of treatment facilities including activated sludge, MBR, RBC, TF, pond systems, and experimental algae-based treatment. He has authored several textbook chapters on wastewater treatment processes and written about wastewater treatment, water treatment, and collection system odor control.
For more information, or to hear about the fall lineup, please contact Patrick Wiley, PhD (pwiley@smccme.edu) or Gilles St. Pierre (ngstpier@nmcc.edu), or check out the website https://www.smccme.edu/academics/degree-programs/waste-water-management-degree-certificate/.
Check out the MWUA New Website for Water/Wastewater Resources
Over the past year, MWUA has added several resources to help operators save time and improve efficiency. These include:
• The water operator’s toolbox - A series of ten digital and mobile friendly calculators to assist professionals in making calculations whether they are in the field or in the office, from a Blending Calculator to a Chemical Feed Pump Setting Stroke Calculator...we've got you covered. Check out the water calculators now.
• "A Helping Hand" Directory – A comprehensive guide to assist make product selections and purchasing decisions in a snap. Check out the resources directory.
• The PR and Media Guide - A water specific guidance document to assist professionals in working with the media and fostering beneficial outcomes. You'll find tips on how to communicate effectively with the media as well as the best platforms to use to disseminate information during an emergency and/or normal operations. You'll even find pre-written templates you can use! Read the PR & Media Guide.
For more information, go to www.mwua.org.
JETCC Announces Summer Course Offerings
JETCC will offer three webinars this summer:
• DMR-QA – Tuesday, June 7. Topics include program overview, requirements, common causes of failure, and pitfalls to avoid.
• Cybersecurity – Thursday, June 16. The course will cover cyber threats to the water/wastewater sector, safeguarding your systems, and what responses to take in the event of a cyber-attack.
• Wastewater 101 - Tuesday, July 19. An introduction to the wastewater field suitable for new operators, lab analysts, and collection system personnel. The webinar will introduce definitions, terminology, and concepts of biological treatment.
For more information, go to www.jetcc.org.
Welcome to the New JETCC Program Manager
Let’s extend a warm welcome to the new JETCC Program Manager, Peter Zaykoski, who took over the position in NEIWPCC’s South Portland Office vacated by retiring Leeann Hanson.
Peter joined NEIWPCC in 2018, serving as the NEIWPCC Quality Assurance Program Manager and managing NEIWPCC’s partnerships with the Hudson River Estuary Program and Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve.
Peter lives in Biddeford and is excited to tackle this new role helping water and wastewater professionals advance in their careers. He is already busy scheduling summer and fall courses, and planning JETCC’s biennial North Country Convention (NCC) for the spring of 2023.
Peter, alongside Spring Connolly, will lead NEIWPCC-JETCC into the future. Peter can be reached at pzaykoski@neiwpcc.org, telephone 207-253-8020.
Save the Date – MRWA 42 Annual Conference and Trade Show
MRWA is thrilled to return to the Samoset Resort for their 42nd Annual Conference on December 6-8, 2022 at the Samoset Resort in Rockport, ME. The space is big enough to accommodate the tradeshow and expansive selection of live classes, and offers many amenities and expansive ocean views!
More information on room blocks will be available shortly. MRWA highly recommends booking your room sooner rather than later once the room blocks become available. The accommodations located at the Samoset will go fast!
For more information, go to https://www.mainerwa.org/page/ConferenceAndEvents2
RCAP Welcomes New Environmental Technician
Wade Hanson has joined RCAP Solutions as Maine’s newest Environmental Technician! Wade’s career has provided him with numerous opportunities in helping rural communities and tribal governments. Most recently, Wade worked as a Tribal Administration Planner, where he collaborated with RCAP Solutions to leverage millions in grant funding for the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians to finance a much-needed infrastructure improvement project.
Wade also comes to RCAP Solutions team in Maine with experience in economic development. Over the years, his efforts and connections have helped the Houlton area grow and thrive through a spirit of collaboration and teamwork. Wade is a graduate of the University of Maine and holds a degree in Civil Engineering Technology.
RCAP Solutions’ Environmental Resources staff works hand in hand with community leaders and homeowners to incorporate the best tools and resources suited to protect public health and the environment while progressing towards financial sustainability and improved quality of life.
MRWA Offering In-Person Chemical Pump Training Classes
Chemical Feed Pumps 101 discusses a wide variety of chemical feed pump technologies. During this 3-hour review we will be discussing peristaltic pumps, hydraulically backed diaphragm pumps, solenoid pumps, motor driven pumps, and the new technologies – double diaphragm pumps and stepper/brushless DC motor driven pumps.
If time allows, we will also discuss the best technology for many common applications. This course is designed for class participation, and we will gladly focus on applications that are beneficial to the participants. No one technology or brand will be exclusive to the presentation. (Product neutral)
Dates/Times/Locations: This will be a two-session live 3-hour class.
Session 1: Tuesday, June 14, 2022 9:00am to 12:00pm
• Lincoln Water District: 3 Taylor St, Lincoln, ME 04457
Session 2: Wednesday, June 15, 2022 9:00am to 12:00pm
• MRWA Office: 254 Alexander Reed Rd, Richmond, ME 04357
For more information, visit https://www.mainerwa.org.
DMR-QA Study 42 officially opened April 15, 2022. If you completed a proficiency study before April 15 we will still accept the results, just make sure to send the NPDES Permittee Data Report Form (found on page 13 of the study packet) along with a copy of the graded test results and laboratory checklists to the State DMR-QA Coordinator Brett.A.Goodrich@maine.gov by September 9, 2022.
If your laboratory happens to receive a “Not-Acceptable” score for one or more parameters, you must complete a corrective action and perform retests for all parameters with Not Acceptable results. A copy of the corrective action report and retest results must be sent to the State DMR-QA coordinator by November 4, 2022.
The full study announcement letter can be found at this link: EPA Discharge Monitoring Report - Quality Assurance (DMR-QA) Study 42 (2022).
If you have any questions regarding DMR-QA study 42 please contact Brett Goodrich at 207-287-9034 or Brett.A.Goodrich@maine.gov.
1. c. Initiate wash water before sludge feed is started.
Wet belts encourage proper dewatering to take place faster.
2. b. Hydrogen sulfide.
3. d. 95% -100%.
The standard definition of a settleable solid are those solids that settle within 60 minutes. Typical primary clarification provides more than 1 hour of detention time ... hence, all settleable solids will (theoretically) settle in the primary clarifier.
4. d. Low D.O. and low F/M
Filamentous bacteria can better compete for low food values at low D.O. as compared to floc-forming bacteria.
5. d. High Aeration D.O.
When the aeration D.O. is high, this usually results in very low effluent ammonia levels due to complete nitrification. However, high aeration D.O.'s may result in high nitrate values in the effluent due to reduced denitrification rate.
6. b. Pour water into acid.
Always add the acid into the water. Water into acid will cause a violent reaction!
7. c. Head.
This another word for head pressure. Head is measured as static, friction or dynamic. When suction and discharge heads are added together, it is called TDH ... total dynamic head.
8. b. 5.8 hours.
0.785 X 28 ft X 28 ft X 19 ft X 7.48 gal/cf = 87,466 gal
87,466 gal / 250 gpm = 350 min = 5.8 hours
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