Getting Married?

… Wastewater Plant taking Reservations

Yes, this is right!

Brightwater Treatment Plant – King County, Washington, near Seattle is taking reservations. According to the Educational Director, Susan Tallarico, she has a couple of reservations for the fall of this year. The Brightwater Wastewater Treatment Plant is an unique facility capable of treating 36 MGD and a peak during rainy season of 130 MGD. The facility is located on 114 acres in Woodinville, Washington, which includes the treatment plant, wetlands, open space, and an Environmental Education and Community Center. Susan says that they are about to "test the waters" of conducting marriages at the facility, as a local news reporter came out and did a special TV series of the new treatment plant that opened in 2012. The word got out about their community center and its beautiful location. Don't worry, the wastewater plant is enclosed, so odors are not a problem; however, I asked if anyone had made request for their wedding vows to be read in front of the bar screen. Susan assured me that some "die-hearted wastewater operators" had asked about different areas, with the testimonials forthcoming this fall.

What a great location to tie the knot for a couple of wastewater love birds … for information about the wedding packages, go to the King County's (Washington state) Brightwater Center webpage.

During my interview with Susan related to the Associated Press News Release, she stated that she’s heard from people all over the world inquiring about their wedding packages at the wastewater plant. The other interesting point was how everything has come together over the past twenty years…. Educators from the local school working with the community to involve and inform them about wastewater treatment and where the water goes. In fact, due to the local school teachers' involvement within the community, King County has a very strong water reuse program underway with hopes to totally reuse their plant effluents. The local school teachers are involved with Susan in a pilot program for high school students to undertake a Job Shadowing program starting in the Fall of 2014. Job Shadowing is a process allowing students to watch operators perform their job around a treatment plant and become aware of the various tasks and "Hats" that an operator wears on a daily basis. Ms. Tallarico feels the pilot program will expand into an apprenticeship program, whereby the students will work in the facilities and get paid. This teacher initiative has grown to include curriculum in the public school system to outreach with community leaders and has established a positive outlook on the wastewater treatment program and effluent outfall in the Seattle area. Last year, over 14,000 individuals toured the state-of-the-art facility, and projections for increased attendance are expected this year.

Pam Restovic, plant operator at the Brightwater facility has been involved with King County for over 28 years, operating wastewater treatment plants. She is very proud of her new facility and the SCADA system for automated controls. As Pam explains, when students and visitor come and see our Control Center and see how effectively our computerized facility operates; they are amazed at the effluent quality that we produce and its discharge into the pristine waterways of Puget Sound. Brightwater is one of four wastewater treatment plants servicing the Seattle area and has plans to expand this facility in the future.

Brightwater Treatment Plant – King County, Washington, near Seattle

"Nuts, Bolts & Gaskets" is a two-part series on fasteners used in the water - wastewater  treatment industry. Rich Varella is the Vice President for TRIPAC Industries. He was involved as purchasing manager for an oil refinery for 17 years before coming to the water and wastewater field in 2000, gaining a great knowledge in heavy duty and commercial usage of fasteners and gaskets. Rich is incredibly knowledgeable about fasteners, their materials of construction and applications, along with being tapped as an expert witness in the industry. He frequently makes presentations at conferences and seminars. CEU Plan is pleased to make "Nuts, Bolts & Gaskets" available to water and wastewater operators for license renewal CEUs.

This course illustrates the NSF-61 requirements for gaskets effective January 2014.  Some of the latest ASTM specifications for nut and bolts, along with compatibility to various materials of construction and applications will be discussed.  Corrosion and its importance in fasteners around the treatment plant and piping systems are included. This course is One-of-Kind discussing thread lengths and connections, diameter of bolts, and many fundamental aspects of bolts and nuts.

This course is great for any entry level, as well as, a refresher for anyone involved in mechanics, maintenance, or pipe line support staff.  We recommend this course for ALL purchasing departments of water and wastewater treatment divisions, as to appreciate and better understand the need for quality fasteners in the shop and around-the-treatment plant.

by Gary Stockslager

This course is designed to give the student a reasonably understanding of what Mechanical Seals are, what makes them function along with some of the issues/problems/concerns associated with them. It explains the features and benefits of using a Mechanical Seal vs. Packing. The course explains the lapping process and why it is necessary to maintain face flatness. It shows and explains how and why a Mechanical Seal functions and why the Seal Interface is important to the life of a seal and why it is important to keep the seals cool, clean and lubricated. The course gives a brief discussion about the Balance Ratios and how they are calculated for a Balanced and Un-Balanced Seal. The course will explain in detail the various components of a Mechanical Seal and the function of each component. It touches briefly on the various Classifications and Arrangement possibilities of a seal and how they differ. It explains some of the auxiliary equipment used with Mechanical Seals such as "Seal Support Systems" or piping plans. And it touches on a few of the more common failure analysis. Overall, the course is designed to give the student a better understanding concerning Mechanical Seals so they can obtain longer service life and less problems from their Mechanical Seals and thus keep our environment clean and safe from contaminants. This is a two part course: Introduction, followed by Mechanical Seal Failures.

By the end of this training course, you will have the ability to: describe the differences between packing and mechanical seal applications identify and discuss the primary and mating rings of a mechanical seal investigate worn components of your drive units identify the general causes on abrasive surface of a mechanical seal