Request for Donations
Background
For nearly 20 years, St. Cloud Technical & Community College (SCTCC) hosted a satellite Water Environment Technologies (WETT) program at the Eden Prairie water treatment plant. Approximately 240 students attended and graduated from the Eden Prairie site.
A big “Thank you” to the City of Eden Prairie, for their commitment to the program for the past 20 years!
Closure
At the conclusion of the 2019 spring semester, SCTCC abruptly and permanently closed the Eden Prairie program. They continue to offer the WETT program in St Cloud.
Identify Needs
Upon learning of the closure of the metro WETT Program, a core group of MN AWWA and MWOA (MN Wastewater Operators Association) operations professionals met to determine next steps.
The Committee met with Utility leaders, across the Metro area, to identify and understand their hiring needs. Collectively, they all agreed, that now, more than ever, they need trained and competent candidates to fill vacant positions.
The Leaders expressed their concerns that the cancellation of the WETT program severely impacted the recruitment pathway for vacancy filling.
They stated the value and benefits of having a local and professional education and training program. They shared concerns regarding their needs of having qualified job applicants. Due to the wide-variety of treatment processes, technology and desired job skills and capabilities, they need a specialized training program.
Partnership
After exploring a number of options, a partnership was formed with St. Paul Community & Technical College. The College agreed to host a new water and wastewater technology program within the department of workforce training and continuing education. The Program was aptly branded – “Water Utility Treatment and Technology” (WUTT).
Needs from You
In order to train the students adequately, it is important that the WUTT Program has high-quality, up-to-date equipment and materials. At this time, training aids for this brand-new program are not on-hand.
Below is a partial list of tools, equipment and materials this program will need to support the successful training of new operators. We are asking you to consider donating any items that you may have at your disposal. It takes a lot of hands-on training materials to satisfy the needs of this course.
Thank you!
Thank you from everyone on the WUTT planning committee for considering this donation request!
Your contribution will enable us to prepare the future workers of our industry.
Those able to donate items will be recognized for their generosity on a plaque of gratitude placed in the WUTT Program laboratory at St. Paul Community & Technical College.
If you can help out, please contact Steve Grossman, City of Lakeville, to make arrangements. His email is: sgrossman@lakevillemn.gov
With Gratitude,
WUTT Subcommittee , MnAWWA
Equipment Needs
- Lab Equipment
- Kevlar Gloves
- Erlenmeyer flask
- Petri Dish
- Beaker
- Sample Bottles/Whirl bags
- Settleometer w/stir paddle
- Powder filling funnel
- Chemical Funnel
- Tongs
- Measuring (Mohr) pipette
- Stir bar/Stir bar retriever
- Volumetric Pipet
- Graduated Cylinder
- Buchner funnel
- Suction bulb
- Weighing boats
- BOD Bottles
- Alcohol burner
- Solids filters
- Magnetic filter flask apparatus
- Vacuum pump
- Side arm flask
- Reagent bottles
- Volumetric flask
- Membrane filter
- Rinse bottles
- Hot plate/stirrer
- Aluminum dish for solids
- Gang mixer
- Analytical balance
- Refrigerated unit for sample/reagents
- Incubators air/water bath (fecal/total)
- Burets & Stand
- Desiccators
- Muffle furnace
- Centrifuge
- Autoclave
- Drying oven
- pH meter
- Turbidity meter
- D.O. meter
- Spectrophotometer
- Field kits
- Reagents for kits/tests/titrations (includes a lot)
- TnT methods (op control such as COD)
- Safety glasses/gloves/shower/eyewash
- Microscope with slides/slide covers
- Fume hood
Wastewater/Collection Equipment
- Operational control tests & Equipment meters from lab
- Sludge judge
- Sample containers
- PPE
- Tools
- Actual WWTF/Lift station/Pond/solids handling to visit for samples/visuals
- Pumps/feed systems (Whatever common pumps/feed systems that can be acquired)
- Samples of various media types and aerators
Water/Distribution Equipment
- Operational control tests & equipment/meters from lab
- Various industry valves for hands-on training
- Cutaway valves and pumps
- Centrifugal and positive displacement pumps, (3 HP and under work best)
- Hand Tools
- Power Tools
- PPE
- Sample containers
- Chemical feed systems (Whatever common pumps/feed systems that can be acquired)
- Reverse Osmosis System (full scale)
- Fire Hydrants
- Pipe-DIP, C-900, 1” copper, fittings, etc.
- Water meters
Auto Controls
- PLC’s
- Multimeters
- Motor starters
- Automated valves
- HMI’s
- SCADA
- Test Meters for troubleshooting / maintenance / operation (industry relevant)
- Circuit examples (series vs parallel)
- Single phase/3 phase motors (maintenance/troubleshooting)
- Control panels
- Chemical feed systems
- Online equipment such as pH, Turbidity, chlorine analyzers
- PPE
WUTT Modules
1. Water Distribution Operator
a. Public water systems
b. Safe Drinking Water Act overview
c. Drinking water terminology and acronyms
d. Water characteristics
e. Water treatment facility overview
f. Operator duties.
g. Water quality issues/maintenance.
h. Valves and pipe options. Fittings
i. Hydrants
j. Storage Tanks
k. Meters
l. Pressure zones.
m. System sampling and testing. Fluoride, chlorine, coliform, lead & copper.
n. Cross-connections
o. Locating
p. Well house inspection.
q. Excavating & trenchless technologies
r. Flushing program.
s. SCADA
t. System installation, disinfection, psi testing
u. Pump O & M
v. Math skills
2. Collection System Operator
a. Why wastewater is treated.
b. Overview of wastewater treatment
c. Characteristics of wastewater
d. Sources of wastewater
e. Clean Water Act
f. NPDES permits
g. Terminology and acronyms
h. Operator Duties.
i. Components of collection system.
j. Types of systems.
k. Pipe materials and fittings.
l. Lift station components, purpose, types
m. Cleaning techniques
n. Collection System safety.
o. Confined Space entry
p. Excavations
q. Traffic control.
r. CDL Training
s. SCADA
t. Pump O & M
u. Math skills
3. Water Treatment Plant Operations I
a. Sources of drinking water
b. Advantages and disadvantages of various water sources
c. Wellhead protection program
d. Groundwater treatment rule
e. Well Construction and maintenance
f. Centrifugal pump theory
g. Centrifugal pump parts and purpose
h. Positive displacement pump theory
i. O & M of pumps
j. Surface water sources
k. Source water protection
l. Surface water treatment rule
m. Watershed management
n. Primary sources of contamination
o. Chemical and physical treatment at water source
p. Tour water treatment plants
q. Water Quality Issues
4. Water Treatment Plant Operations II
a. Characteristics of Water
b. Understanding Water Chemistry
c. Terminology and symbols
d. Chemical valance
e. Chemistry related math skills
f. Aeration theory
g. Types of aerators
h. O & M requirements
i. Coagulation & flocculation theory
j. Chemical preparation equipment
k. Design Alternatives for tanks and mixing
l. Calculating chemical dosages
m. Sedimentation theory
n. Components and purpose of settling tanks
o. Monitoring performance of settlers
p. Residuals handling and disposal
q. Dewatering techniques
r. Fluoridation purpose
s. Equipment to inject fluoride
t. Appropriate labs for all processes covered
5. Water Treatment Plant Operations III
a. Lime/Soda Ash Softening theory
b. Terminology of softening
c. Understand chemistry of L/SA
d. Relate chemistry to water quality
e. Calculate chemical dosages based on water characteristics
f. Ion Exchange Softening theory
g. Steps of regeneration process
h. Operating problems possible
i. Stabilization techniques and practices
j. Gravity Filtration (GF) theory and components
k. Types of media
l. Backwashing steps for GF
m. O & M of GF
n. Biological filtration advantages/disadvantages
o. Pressure filters (PF) theory
p. Backwashing and monitoring of PF
q. Best application of PF
r. Membrane Filtration (MF) alternatives
s. MF theory and applications
t. MF O & M procedures
u. Adsorption theory
v. Application of powdered activated carbon
w. Use of activated carbon yesterday and into future
x. Bed life potential
y. Record keeping related to treatment technologies
z. Chemical and physical safety requirement
6. Wastewater Treatment Plant operations I
a. Characteristics of wastewater
b. Sources of wastewater
c. Types of solids based on definition
d. Septic systems theory
e. Septic system design
f. Septic system O & M
g. Soil treatment system alternatives
h. Stabilization Ponds theory
i. Stabilization pond design criteria
j. Rules and regulations for ponds
k. Maintenance of ponds
l. Sampling of ponds
m. Test required by operator
n. Proper discharge procedures
o. Windows to perform discharge
p. Zero discharge alternatives
q. Aerated ponds
r. Anaerobic ponds
s. Calculations for ponds: HLR, OLR, PE, discharge
7. Wastewater Treatment Plant Operations II
a. Preliminary treatment techniques
b. Preliminary treatment O & M
c. Primary treatment theory & purpose
d. Forms of primary treatment
e. Primary treatment calculations
f. Primary treatment lab requirements
g. Rotating Biological Contactor (RBC) theory of operation
h. RBC design criteria
i. RBC O & M
j. RBC calculations
k. RBC lab monitoring requirements
l. Trickling Filter (TF) theory of operation
m. TF design alternatives
n. TF O & M
o. TF operating problems
p. TF calculations
q. TF lab monitoring requirements
8. Wastewater Treatment Plant Operations III
a. Activated Sludge (AS) theory of operation
b. AS modes of operation available
c. AS O & M
d. Troubleshooting techniques
e. Bacteria Growth curves
f. Microscopic evaluation
g. Importance of indicator organisms
h. System control alternatives
i. Nitrification and denitrification concepts
j. Biological nutrient removal
k. Chemical nutrient removal
l. Numerous AS calculations: F/M, SA, SRT, RAS, WAS, MCRT….
m. AS lab procedures: TSS, MLSS, BOD, pH, DO NH3, …..
n. Application of lab results and associated calculations
9. Maintenance Operator for Automated Equipment
a. Theory of electricity
b. Electrical Troubleshooting
c. Trouble shoot lift station control panel
d. SCADA operations
e. Components of SCADA system
f. Application of data
g. Level Sensors applications
h. Temperature sensors
i. Vibration analysis
j. VFD”s
k. Control Systems, SCADA
l. Inline equipment maintenance
m. Safety
n. Proper use and application of equipment