Out of Sight, But No Longer Out of Mind
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The document discusses the need for investment in water infrastructure in the United States and the shortage of qualified water and wastewater operators and technicians. It notes that over a trillion dollars will need to be spent over the next 25 years to maintain aging water systems. Additionally, 33,000 operator jobs will need to be replaced in the coming years due to retirements. Bristol Community College received a grant to develop new training programs through its Blue Center for Water Technologies to address this need in the New England region and help create a pool of qualified drinking water and wastewater operators.
Out of Sight, But No Longer Out of Mind
- 1. Robert S. Rak Professor and Environmental Science and Technology Coordinator Principal Investigator, NSF/ATE NEWTT Grant Bristol Community College Fall River, MA
- 2. “Water infrastructure is the lifeblood of our economy”… “We must have reliable and resilient water infrastructure systems to attract and retain industry, business, and qualified workers”. Water Environment Federation President Cordell Samuels National Water infrastructure Summit: Reinvest, Rebuild, and Revive April 16, 2013 Our water treatment and delivery systems provide public health protection, fire protection, economic prosperity and the high quality of life we enjoy. Buried No Longer: Confronting America’s Water Infrastructure Challenge 2012
- 3. Statistics we usually hear about: 1.2 million miles of water supply pipes 155,693 public water systems in the US 700,000 to 800,000 miles of public sewer pipelines 14,780 public wastewater treatment facilities Some of these pipelines are over 100 years old and every mile of water pipeline suffers a break every 6 years and 1 out of 7 gallons of drinking water is lost to leaks We will have to spend over a trillion dollars in the next 25 years to maintain these systems
- 4. Some statistics you don’t generally hear about: There are currently 117,000 water and wastewater operators and technicians Bureau of Labor Statistics There is an expected 6% or 7000 job growth in the next 10 years Bureau of Labor Statistics There will be a need to replace 33,000 workers in the coming years due to retirements Work for Water 25 to 50% of the 52,500 wastewater workers will retire in the next 5 years 2013 NSF funded report “Defining Water Management”
- 5. The Northeast region’s water workforce will be hit harder than other regions because the water quality workforce is older than the national average. Also the average experience of those retiring is 24 years, so there will be a great loss of knowledge and experience. Water Research Foundation and the American Water Works Association 2010 report There is a “critical need to expand and update water and wastewater environmental programs at the community college level to meet the demands for water quality and conservation in the coming years”. 2013 NSF funded report “Defining Water Management”
- 6. In 2014 the Advanced Technology Environmental and Energy Center(ATEEC) received funding from the National Science Foundation to conduct a series of “Water Conversations” in each region of the country to discuss the current status of the water industry Bristol Community College hosted the New England Water Conversation together with the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission in May 2014.
- 7. Results of the New England Water Conversation: Industry leaders confirmed the critical need for a pipeline of operators. This need is likely to increase in the next 5-10 years The demand for clean water will continue to grow in the coming years New training programs are needed and program curricula need to be aligned with business and industry performance based functions Infrastructure needs, surface and aquifer contamination, and aquifer drawdown are major concerns Local, State and Federal funding is needed to promptly address these critical issues
- 8. Bristol Community College has been providing water and wastewater training for 20 years. In 2014 Bristol Community College established the concept of the Blue Center for Water Technologies under a Presidential Fellowship. The mission of the Blue Center is to preserve our water resources through education and community collaboration. During the fellowship a National Science Foundation Advanced Technology Education grant proposal was developed to respond to the Water Industry needs. The project was titled “New England Water Treatment Training (NEWTT)
- 9. The proposal was submitted to NSF in October 2015. In the Spring of 2016 Bristol Community College was awarded $602,000 for the The major goals of the grant are:
- 10. Creation of Advisory Board made up of representatives from Industry, Academia, and Regulatory Agencies
- 11. Conduct an Industry based Modified DACUM (Developing A Curriculum) to begin course development
- 12. Develop Hybrid (online and face-to- face) courses for the Drinking Water and Wastewater Programs Create Certificate Programs for Drinking Water and Wastewater which meet Career Center and Veteran funding requirements. The Certificate courses feed into the Engineering Technology/ Environmental Option Associate of Science degree
- 13. Create a mechanism to provide college credit for state certifications and selected non-credit training conducted by qualified training organizations
- 14. Enhance the Laboratory capabilities and enhance our Lending Lab equipment borrowing program for Community Colleges who want to develop Drinking Water and Wastewater Programs
- 15. Training Facility Capabilities - A functioning model convention- al water treatment plant - A functioning wastewater treat ment plant providing clean water for our aquaculture system - A pond and groundwater monitoring well on campus - Surface water and groundwater sampling - Solids testing - BOD testing - pH, conductivity, and ion testing - Turbidity testing - Groundwater simulators - Pump operation and maintenance training - Process control training - Wastewater treatment plant opera- tion simulation software - Valve training - Spectrophotometers - Safety training - General Water Science - Pipe and metal box location - Renewable energy training - top loading and analytical balances - Jar testing - Chlorine residual analysis - Microscopic analysis
- 18. Develop internship experiences with industry partners
- 19. Implement NEWTT programs in Community Colleges throughout New England
- 20. Conduct outreach to High Schools and employment agencies, and incorporate recruitment strategies, to encourage minorities, women, Veterans, and other non-traditional students to enter the Water Industry
- 21. Create of Pool of Qualified Drinking Water and Wastewater Operators to meet the growing needs of the New England Region.