The Environmental Resources Training Center at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville graduated 24 students Thursday, July 31, from its one-year Water Quality Control Operations Program.
Included among the graduates were five women, the highest number of females ever enrolled in the program. “It is good to see more females entering the field of water treatment, which is typically a male dominated profession,” said ERTC Director Paul Shetley. “It is an excellent career for anyone who wants to enter the workforce with good pay and benefits.”
The women graduates are Misty Grady of Mt. Vernon, Miranda Rawlings of Bethalto, Jessica Russell of Fairview Heights, Danielle Schaake of Edwardsville and Devin White of Collinsville.
The training center was conceived and constructed specifically to provide training in water treatment technology to produce certified drinking water and wastewater operators. The ERTC students learn from instructors who have many years of experience in the field and hold professional certifications and licenses.
The training center is one of the most unique facilities in the nation, and may be the only one of its kind. “We are extremely proud to have this training center at SIUE,” Shetley said. “The center contains classrooms, laboratories, a library/computer center, and a one-of-a-kind 30,000 gallon per day training-scale drinking water and wastewater treatment plant.”
The educational philosophy at ERTC is based upon an adage attributed to Benjamin Franklin: “Tell me, I forget. Teach me, I remember. Involve me, I learn.”
ERTC was built with the intention of involving the students in the operation of the training-scale treatment plants. The instructors utilize the treatment plants daily in their teaching, as a way to make the students ready for the job market. The instructors consider the plants to be one of the greatest training tools ever built.
“In the Midwest, we have an abundance of water, and we have a tendency to take for granted that it will always be there,” Shetley explained. “However without the water treatment operator, the quality of our water would be unacceptable.
“Our community’s drinking water professionals provide safe and reliable drinking water. Meanwhile the wastewater treatment plant operator provides sanitation and removal of pollutants to ensure that our natural waters are not fouled.”
Shetley said wastewater treatment plant operators also play an important role in the reduction of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus (plant food), from entering the nation’s waterways. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which is in charge of protecting our nation’s waters, is placing lower limits on the release of nutrients from treatment plants, making the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus more important.
ERTC also teaches the concept of nutrient removal and other methods of advanced water treatment. Students from ERTC have the knowledge and skills to operate the modern treatment plants and reduce the level of nutrients entering rivers and streams.
The students in the graduating class of 2014 are predominantly from the metro-east area, with some students coming from Springfield, LaSalle, Chicago and Mt. Vernon. The students’ ages range from 19 to 50 years old.
“The younger students are looking for their first job, while the older students, who are usually displaced workers, are seeking new careers,” Shetley said. “The job market for the graduates appears to be gaining strength as the economy improves.”
ERTC is currently enrolling students for the program that begins again on Tuesday, August 19. In collaboration with Lewis and Clark Community College, students can also earn an Associate in Applied Science in Environmental Treatment Technology – Water Treatment. The AAS can be earned by completing one year at ERTC and one year at LCCC.
Photo: The Environmental Resources Training Center 2014 graduating class in the training center on the SIUE campus.