A Spin On A Classic – Introduction to Dayton Water Supply & Treatment
Before I elaborate further: no, there is no sausage involved or included in any capacity within the work done at the Dayton Water Supply & Treatment (DWST) facility. The only applicable usage is in the break room, where staff eat it as a part of their packed/ordered meals during lunch. I hope this alleviates some of your concerns regarding the work done here. Perhaps as well, it settles the disappointment you may have knowing that your public water isn’t chock full of the loving nutrients found in a package of Oscar Mayer’s. The reason I’ve chosen that phrase in the title is because of the doubts surrounding water treatment. A skepticism that carries over to the reasoning why I took this co-op.
That being, my capstone project. I intend on holding a water survey of the Glen, where I, with the help of volunteers, will collect macroinvertebrates in the waterway and use their population’s density/specifics as an indicator for the stream’s health and quality. This is to address a recent offshoot, located between Grinnell and East Hyde road, made by the Yellow Springs Wastewater Treatment Plant (YSWTP). Since there’s been, to my understanding, no statements made about it, I wanted to have a better grasp of the responsibilities surrounding water management, in addition to expanding my understanding of water science as a whole. Therefore, with the help of my co-op advisor, I was able to schedule a conversation with the DWST’s acting technical supervisor, Brandon Turner (he/him), and obtain a position as a lab assistant.
New Recipe, Same Great Taste – The First Days at Dayton Water Supply & Treatment
As I always try to, I wake up early at 5:00 A.M. with everything prepared beforehand: my outfit, my lunch, and my various amenities (laptop, office supplies, etc.) for the day. It felt odd adjusting to this schedule again after a two year break, preparing not for a series of classes but a job. But it felt right; however, despite this, the weather disagreed with that sentiment and I had to start two days later due to my car being submerged in snow. Now a Wednesday, having shoved and pushed my car in my complex’s parking lot, I was able to begin where my two primary supervisors, Brandon Turner and Tim Truman (both he/him), started me with training on worker safety and navigating the lab I’ll be working in.
From there, the cold weather struck again and my responsibilities were hindered. After being given a tour of the separate labs (water chemistry, metals, organics) available in the Miami facility, and later the lab space used at the nearby Ottawa facility, my roles transitioned to helping with various miscellaneous tasks and shadowing the senior staff. My time was more reactive to the day; but even then, with the tasks I did know (such as alkalinity and hardness titrations, suspended and total solid calculations, and work in the limestone lab), I found myself confused about their application due to the language used to them and the relationship I had with them. PFAS, TISAB, and many other acronyms were the norm and, thus, carrying a small notebook listing their definitions became mandatory. I’m most certainly learning about what this job entails, but I find myself uncertain as to how I can apply it to my own research.
Come Hungry, Leave Happy – Dayton Water Supply & Treatment, Moving Forward
It sounds like I’m stagnant and in a rut because of it. There is some truth in that and from now, I don’t think this job is what I wanted it to be for my own purposes. I do think there is something to take away from this experience, however. While the answers to my questions are difficult to interpret and use with my level of understanding, I’ve found more the one thing that remains consistent throughout these co-ops: community and transparency. While DWST doesn’t have such a direct relationship with the public (in terms of accessibility to their place of work) like Whiterock Conservancy’s open campgrounds or Tecumseh Land Trust’s various grassroots organizations, all of the staff so far seek to remain objective with the public body.
From collaborations with local organizations to test their water, allowing civilians to call for their water to be tested, and even scheduling tours of their facility, everyone wants to put their best foot forward in making sure the city’s water is properly maintained and communicated as such. While I may not fully understand how the sausage is made (to use the analogy), I do know that it’s all in trusted hands.
For more information, please visit the official website: www.daytonohio.gov/377/Water-Supply-Treatment
