| Letter from the PEAC-Treatment Chair - Winter 2017
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Letter from the PEAC-Treatment Chair - Winter 2017

Treatment in the winter, especially for a plant treating high quality surface water, can seem like the plant can be switched to “auto-pilot”.  Colder water temperatures mean lower levels of organics and more consistent raw water quality - the plant just cruises.  Therein lies the risk - complacency.  

Many water treatment plants require significantly less attention in the winter than in the summer.  That’s not true for all plants, especially those that have source water that may still grow algae in the winter or source water so clean, cold, and low in alkalinity that coagulation presents the most challenges during the winter months.  However, for many water treatment plants the winter sets up the perfect “storm” for complacency to bite the operator.  Webster’s Dictionary defines complacency as, “a feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s achievements.”  In water treatment-ese it means everything is running so well that we operators get lulled into a false sense of confidence and lack of operational intensity.

What are some things that operations staff can do to ensure they don’t get bitten by the complacency bug when operations are just purring along?  This is the perfect opportunity to make sure plant staff understand why they do the things they do as part of their job and also why they do things the way they do at the plant.  If the reason plant activities are done the way they currently are is, “that’s the way we have always done it...”, then complacency has its foot in the door.  If that is the case, you may consider taking a long, hard look at the way routine tasks are done.  This helps with making sure the reasons for doing tasks a certain way are understood and confirming that the procedures in place are still the best way to carry these tasks out.  Some prime candidates for scrutiny include:
  • Filter backwash procedures
  • Coagulation control protocol
  • Flow change protocol
  • Data collection
Often, once the time is taken to understand and explain why a process or procedure is set up the way it is, there will be a learning/teaching moment for staff to learn more about the finest details of the plant. Therein lies operational excellence - it’s all in the details.

Another worthwhile exercise to conduct periodically is thoroughly reviewing the lab analyses being performed.  Sit down as a team to go through the lab analyses currently being performed and ask, “is there anything we can remove because it no longer has value to us?” followed by, “is there anything we need to add to help maintain better control of the unit processes?”  Make sure the tasks that staff are performing have value and provide information that helps to better operate the treatment plant. Making operators part of the decision process that directly impacts how they do their job will bear fruit in the form of empowered operators that take ownership of the plant and, more importantly, the quality of the water it produces.

Complacency can be a sinister threat to the water treatment plant and public health protection.  It can hide behind the most nonthreatening plant conditions, such as low production rates and consistent, high quality raw water, until it isn’t… 

The Partnership for Safe Water's self-assessment guidance provides information that can help utility staff take measures to help prevent complacency.  I encourage you to review this guidance to help ensure that staff remain proactive in their efforts to protect water quality and public health.

Happy Holidays!

Kevin Linder
Partnership for Safe Water, PEAC-Treatment Chair
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