President Message

Greetings, Fellow Members and Operators

by Mike Norris

Is it just me, or are the days coming and going at what seems an accelerated rate? It seems like only a short time ago; we were making plans to kick off the live in-person events with the Amarillo Regional event. Before you know it, Annual School will be taking place in Corpus Christi. Hope to see you in Corpus Christi!

I want to encourage you as members to become involved in the workings of the association. Being active in the association meetings, particularly the Mid-Year and Last and First Board meetings. Two of the three meetings are held in conjunction with Annual School. In these meetings, the budget is voted on, policies are amended and approved, and typically there are minimum attendees at these important business functions.

“You bring about what you think about.” Will Rogers once said – “If you want to be successful, it is as simple as, Know what you are doing. Love what you are doing. Believe in what you are doing.”

Operators MUST KNOW what it takes to protect public health. Source water protection, Disinfection, Residual, Bio-film, Disinfection by-products, Pressure, Backflow, Sampling, Licensing, Rules, Recordkeeping, Right-toknow laws, Pretreatment, Sanitary Sewer Overflows, Biological processes, Permit compliance, Point source contamination, Sludge disposal, Construction, and Repairs, and you can help me add to this list. Still, the point is that we as operators impact public health and safety daily.

Operators MUST LOVE the challenges and responsibilities associated with the water and wastewater industry. Lord knows it’s not the lure of big paychecks and prestigious office jobs. No two days start or end the same, and problem-solving becomes second nature.

Operators MUST BELIEVE that they are making a difference and impacting the quality of life for their service area and even neighboring entities. Operators utilize science on a daily basis. Chemistry if treating water, and Biology when treating wastewater, but rooted deep for the operator is the understanding that public health is the most critical aspect of the job. When you attend training, are you one that asks questions, or are you reluctant to become involved? Every instructor that I am familiar with confirms that there is no such thing as a dumb question and if you are struggling with understanding something, ask. Chances are one of your neighbors is also struggling but too scared or embarrassed to ask. Remember, you get out of a class what you put into a class.

I recall a discussion where a supervisor was saying something to the effect, “that instructor must not know what he is talking about because my employee recently took a class under him but could not pass the state exam after four attempts.” After listening to comments like the training provider “should have better vetted the instructor.” The instructor “should stay more up-to-date on emerging trends and technologies.”

The question was posed, wasn’t that employee transferred from an unrelated department, which might indicate that they lack the hands-on experience needed? The reply was, “well, yea, they did not start as a ditch hand, but they have an Environmental Science degree.”

The conversation continued, and someone asked, do you think your staff person should be given a state license because they have a college degree? His answer was, “no, they should not automatically be awarded a license, but the exam or the instruction must be reflective of actual exam questions.” So, they work in treatment? No. So, they work in collections? No. What is their job title? “They are the administrative assistant to the department head.” Why do they need a state license? “Because it will help them with incentive raises.”

It was later discovered that this staffer was on their phone and outside the classroom as much as they were in their chair. To the point, the instructor had to tell this person that if they missed any more class, they would not receive the 20 hours needed.

So, the question is, based on the stated events, was the instructor the reason this person did not pass the state exam? Did they Know, Love, and Believe in what they were doing?

Knowledge and Experience are beautiful things.

I pray that 2022 brings good health, prosperity, and purpose.

TWUA President Mike Norris