Some may think treating sewage at a wastewater facility would be a yucky job. But Pam Ouellette, a wastewater operator at the San Luis Obispo Water Reclamation Facility for the past four years, doesn t see it that way.
"I m a water healer," she said.
"I take up to 5 million gallons of polluted water a day and return it to its pristine condition."
The reclaimed water, she added, either irrigates city parks, golf courses and other public areas or is released into the San Luis Obispo Creek, which relies on the treated wastewater to run year-round.
"Our cleaned-up water has created an ecosystem in the creek, so fish like steelhead trout and salmon have a place to live," Ouellette said.
What you see: Part of Ouellette s job is to monitor what she calls "the good bugs" that help consume bacteria in the water. The "good" micro-organisms are part of the bio-filtering process that the sewage plant uses, along with its screens, aerators, skimmers, rotators, collectors, separators and chemicals, in order to clarify the water.
Every day, Ouellette dips a little metal bucket into the plant s oxidation tanks for water samples, which she calls "mixed liquor.
" Then, she examines her findings under a microscope in the facility s laboratory.
What she sees: "I look for the variety, health and amount of micro-organisms that are ingesting the bacteria in the wastewater," she said. "They re pretty active today, which is good.
The little guys with tails are stalk ciliates; their little hairs cause a vortex, which draws the particulates to them so they can ingest them. If I see a lot of the good bugs, then I know we ve got healthy water. One of my favorites is the tardigrade, also known as the water bear; he s actually kind of cuddly.
"
What she likes best: "Most of all, I like seeing the change in the gray, dirty color of the water when it first comes into the plant to when it looks like clear drinking water and is safe to discharge into the creek," she said.
What she would change: "I d like the public to be more vigilant in not putting anything toxic down the drain," she said. "That includes oil, grease, heavy metals, medicine, plastics and harsh cleansers.
Those things kill our micro-organisms, and if they die we can t clean the water.
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