Name:

Title: Lab coordinator/Operator

Utility: Biddeford Water Pollution Control Facility

Background: I am a grade 5 operator with eight or nine years of experience, all of which have been at the Biddeford facility. The first five years were with the contract ops/ engineering firm, CH2M Hill/OMI until I was hired by the city when they took the plant over.

 Like most people, I accidentally ended up in wastewater. I was hired as an entry level employee, painting equipment and mowing lawns. At first it was just another job, but as I gained exposure to what it takes to actually make dirty water clean again, I developed an appreciation for the importance of what we do. Having that appreciation and sense of accomplishment makes it easy to continue to learn and try and better myself which, in turn, has lead to career advancement.

The times that I find the most interesting are the days when things are NOT going well. Discovering a problem and then finding a solution is what makes this job challenging and rewarding at the same time.