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Women in Water:
Celebrating Diversity & Removing Barriers
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Women's History month runs through March as an opportunity to celebrate and reflect upon the contributions of women to U.S. growth and prosperity. While previously the water sector has been predominantly served by talented male professionals, the contributions of women to water both historically and in modern day cannot be overlooked.
In 1883 professional chemist Ellen H. Swallow Richards began the nation's first sanitary chemistry laboratory analyzing over 40,000 samples in her sewage treatment research. Today she is known for pioneering the field of sanitary engineering. Her survey on the water quality of Massachusetts inland water bodies in 1890 would ultimately lead to the first state water quality standards in the nation.
In 1949 Jean Richardson became the first female to graduate from the Civil Engineering Program at Oregon State University. She worked for free out of college to prove her worth at a local engineering firm. Within one month she was hired. Jean moved on to become the first woman to head maintenance engineering for the City of Portland. She later designed the Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The number of female role models and innovative leaders in the water industry continues to grow. Starting in 2014 Susan Story became the CEO and president for American Water, the largest publicly traded water and wastewater utility company in the nation. At just 12 years-old, young Mari Copeny earned the name Little Miss Flint for her activist working bringing attention to the children of Flint, Michigan during the Lead Crisis. Licensed Civil Engineer Marlee Franzen has worked as Manager of Water Distribution at DC Water the last three years. Prior to her work with DC Water, Marlee served Goleta Water District, Colorado Springs Utilities, and Arlington County, VA.
Whether employed as a treatment plant operator, engineer, manager, or other critical profession, women in the water workforce contribute to the diversity that fosters innovation, collaboration, and the sustainability of reliable water and wastewater services. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 94.4% of water and wastewater treatment plant operators are male. Recruiting and fostering a work environment that promotes the inclusivity of women in the water workforce can address the growing demand for skilled workers in the industry while bringing in a fresh perspective to ongoing challenges.
To facilitate this recruitment and retention of female talent, the World Bank recently published Women in Water Utilities: Breaking Boundaries. Having gathered data from 64 utilities in 28 low and middle-income economies in addition to staffing discussions, interviews, and the use of secondary data from a global benchmarking database (IBNET), the report identifies how utilities can eliminate key barriers faced by women in the sector.
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Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Grant - Disaster Relief Act 2019 Grant Funds
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 Through the Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Grant Program, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the availability of $7.5 million in grants to assist rural communities in the recovery from natural disasters such as hurricanes, fires, tornadoes, and floods. Eligible communities include rural areas of 20,000 or less where the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced a Major Disaster Declaration and assigned a disaster recovery (DR) number.
Public bodies and private nonprofit corporations such as states, federally recognized tribes, counties, cities, authorities, districts, etc. can receive funding for technical assistance or training that facilitates the identification, planning, funding, or preparation of community facility needs. Electronic applications must be submitted to grants.gov under opportunity number USDA-RD-CFTAT-2020-DISASTER by April 30, 2020.
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 How to Get More Mix in Your Mixed Liquors - The Strength of Diversity in Wastewater
Wisconsin Wastewater Operator's Association
The presentation defines the importance of workforce diversity in the water sector using Flint, Michigan as a case study. Utilities will learn how they can increase diversity through policy and programs.
Water Operators: Delivering Safe Water Every Day
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
This activity book teaches children in grades 3-8 about the importance of the services provided by water utility operators. The book can be used by utilities during field trip visits or school visits.
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Have a different question?
You can find thousands of helpful resources in our database.
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 Free Compliance Resources for RTCR
Thursday, March 30, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. CDT
Hosted by WaterOperator.org
WaterOperator.org acts as a free portal to help water and wastewater systems find the best resources to maintain compliant and sustainable services all in one location. In this webinar, you will discover the most helpful resources pertaining to the Revised Total Coliform Rule. Participants will learn how to find these resources on their own.
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Want to find additional training opportunities for operators,
including events in your area?
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Posts from WaterOperator.org
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Featured Video: Disinfection Byproducts in Tap Water: 5 Things To Know
Operators will familiarize themselves with the formation, management, and health risks associated with disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in drinking water.
Controlling Legionella in Drinking Water Systems
As of 2019 Legionella remains the number one reported cause of waterborne disease in the U.S. Given this prevalence, operators should become familiar with the behaviors of Legionella and how to mitigate its propagation in drinking water.
A Look at Protozoa in Wastewater Treatment Systems
To enhance monitoring efforts and inform process control, operators will learn about the various niches protozoa fill during wastewater treatment.
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 Words On Water #131: Sarah Mason-Renton on Effective Community Engagement on Biosolids
Water Environment Federation (WEF)
In this episode of the Words on Water podcast, Sara Mason-Renton with Lystek discusses the impact and necessity of community involvement in biosolids programs. As the public engages in local projects, Sara notes how program implementation becomes a social issue that must consider the values and needs of the community. Listening, transparency, and empathy are required for effective communication. Sara goes on to note how the public perceives the benefit and concerns of biosolids programs.
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Featured Video: Diagnosing Small Problems Before They Become Big Ones
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Operating engineer Jasmine Varela works for the Portland Water Bureau's Reliability Maintenance Program. In this week's video she explains how she monitors and maintains the pumps and motors of her system through various tricks of the trade. Data collected over time indicates where preventative maintenance is required to ultimately save on time and resources.
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Operating Engineer Jasmine Varela explains how she maintains the pumps and motors in her water system.
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 Consecutive community water systems violate the Stage 2 Disinfection Byproducts Rule at a rate 3.5 times greater than non-consecutive systems.
Source.
'Share This' offers useful or interesting information that can be shared with the public and other stakeholders.
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Rowland Told Sewer System in the Dumps
A community economic services report reveals that the town of Rowland must face some tough decisions to upgrade and repair their outdated wastewater system.
Pentagon is Paying to Extend North Pole's Water System Due to PFAS Contamination in Wells
The North Pole's water system will extend its services to residents of Moose Creek where PFAS contamination from Eielson Air Force Base has spread to private wells.
Presidential Candidates Talk Water Infrastructure at Las Vegas Forum
Last February Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar and Tom Steyer discussed water infrastructure at the Moving America Forward forum.
Water Experts Recommend New Methods to Measure Rate Affordability, Financial Capabilities
The Water Environment Federation, American Water Works Association, and National Association for Clean Water Agencies partner together to suggest a new method for evaluating water rate affordability.
EPA Releases List of Disinfectants to Use Against COVID-19
The U.S. EPA released a list of EPA-registered disinfectant products that qualify for use against the virus responsible for COVID-19.
Mapping an Asset Management Program
The Ohio Rural Water Association worked with Esri's ArcGIS to assist public water systems meet the asset management program requirements under Senate Bill 2.
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Groundwater & Well Care for Public Water Systems is a free online course from WaterOperator.org. Certificates are provided and the course is currently pre-approved for 2 hours continuing education credit in a number of states.
Click here to learn more.
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 WaterOperator.org is a free service, grant-funded to support small community water and wastewater operators with comprehensive resources and information in one easy-to-use place. We also serve the 800+ training, primacy, and technical service organizations, by helping operators get to their information. We aren't buying, selling, or advertising anything. You can call us at 1-866-522-2681 if you need assistance. |
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