PARIS — Louise Grant of Norway retired from a 37 year career with Paris Utility District’s water treatment facility at the end of 2021. Within weeks she was surprised by the news that she had been recognized as a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator of the Year Award for the state of Maine. Grant was nominated by Stuart Rose of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

In addition to her contributions to managing and maintaining water standards as utility technologies and operations evolved over the years, Grant is something of a trailblazer in a field that has traditionally been dominated by men. Growing up during the 1960s she did not have her sights on breaking any glass ceilings.

But neither she nor her family was surprised when she did. In 1980 Grant was the first woman hired to work at the wastewater treatment plant in Paris.

“My father was a mechanical engineer at Maine Machine Products,” Grant recalled of her childhood. “The guys there said to him one day – and he came home and told us this and we were really shocked – (they said) ‘thank god you had four daughters and only one son because you’ll only have to pay for one to go to college.’ His response was that he was encouraging all of his kids to get an education beyond high school because that was the way they would all be self-sufficient.

“My mother was very big on education. She hadn’t gone to college but she took classes, even later in life she took writing classes. She was geared towards English and my dad was a mathematician.”

Both of Grant’s parents always told her to learn as much as she could and be self-sufficient.

“They taught us that getting married was not our ticket to security,” she continued. “They wanted us to know that if something happened that we could make it on our own. It was unusual for parents to say that to their kids in the 60s. Because that was the expectation, that women would be homemakers.”

After graduating from Oxford Hills High School, Grant studied biology at St. Joseph’s College in Standish then switched to University of Southern Maine after moving to the Portland area. Not feeling passionate about the direction her coursework was trending in, she began taking classes at then Southern Maine Vocational Technical College. Then she heard about a job opening at the Paris wastewater plant.

When the chief operator interviewing her asked Grant what made her feel qualified for the position her answer was, “‘I have a lot of lab experience in salt water testing. Salt water, fresh water, dirty water, it’s all the same testing, the same chemistry. I understand the techniques and equipment. I’m ready for the challenge.’ And they hired me!

“Walking in the door I was thinking that it was a man’s lifestyle, a man’s world. Other than office staff at the main office, I was the first woman to work here. They had never hired a woman to work on site. It was different.”

The facility where Grant started working was built in 1975 and meant to meet the water demands of AC Lawrence Tannery in Paris. At that time there were eight operators on staff working two shifts. Grant already knew most of the crew from growing up in Norway but she still felt the pressure of being perceived as a weak link in a man’s world.

“Early on I did wonder how it would be, a woman coming in,” she said. “I felt they were thinking that (my being here) was not good and I wouldn’t be able to pull my weight. Well, one day I went to get some samples where the initial and pre-treatment was done. I saw a cow hide had come down the line and was partially plugging the channel. I thought about getting one of the guys, because I’d seen what has to be done. If it wasn’t pulled out it might overflow the channel. So I decided to try it myself.

“I grabbed the hook and it took all I had to pull that cow hide out. It was pretty good size and it was soaking wet. I pulled it out and set it over a grate. I went out and asked the guys what to do with a cow hide. They asked what I meant, did we have one. I told them we did and it was hanging on the grate. They said, ‘who pulled it out?’ and I told them I did. They just kind of stared at me and I asked what I was supposed to do with it. They answered that’s what I was supposed to do with it but ‘we didn’t think you could pull that out!'”

In those days the tannery accounted for about 80% of the plant’s operating cost. When AC Lawrence closed down in 1985 Grant was one of just three employees retained to operate the facility.

When the wastewater plant had to be overhauled in 2010 to come into compliance with more stringent environmental laws Grant took on the challenge of learning a system that was data controlled instead of by old-school methods. She also eventually took on the responsibilities of testing and monitoring drinking water for the town of Paris.

Two months into retirement, Grant is finding it is not that much fun away from PUD.

“I’d like to be busier,” she said. “One of the reasons I got done, I thought about holding out until 70. But with the COVID, I wasn’t sure if our daughter and grandson would need our help with remote learning at home. It’s worked out pretty well. I did interview with SAD 17 but the hours weren’t what I wanted. So I’m looking for something part-time to stay busy. I’d like to work with animals maybe.

“For now I’m doing stuff around the house. But I’m not the type of person to be satisfied with sitting around.”

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