1. Water and Wastewater Technician
WWWT 1191
Work Experience 2015
Timothy Neufeld
tim.moth.thee@gmail.com

2. Water and Wastewater Treatment
Distribution / Collection
Solid Waste

3. PRACTICUM
Student shadows an experienced operator
of the water plant and wastewater plant.
Gradually the student takes over more and
more of an operator’s routine duties until by
the end of the summer the student is fully
operating the plants under normal conditions,
though still under supervision of the training
operator

4. Unusual situation of a water treatment plant
and a wastewater treatment plant both on the
same site. Operators operate both plants
simultaneously
Wastewater plant is a Level IV plant
Water plant is a Level III plant, soon to be
reassessed as a Level IV plant

5. There are approximately 20
operators operating the two plants, 4
of which have Level 4 in both Water
and Wastewater Treatment
Aquatera produces around 30 MLD of potable
water and treats around 25 MLD of wastewater

6. WTP
process
Water is drawn from the Wapiti River into
storage ponds. From wells in the low lift
pumphouse water is brought up to the plant
where Polyaluminium Chloride (PACl) is
injected as coagulant and Polymer is added as
flocculent aid

7. WTP
process
Water moves through 3
flocculation tanks and
continues on to
sedimentation and tube
settling tanks

8. PACl is added again pre filtering as
a filter aid.
WTP
process
Filters are dual media, 1.6 m
anthracite above .5 m quartz sand

9. WTP
process
Chlorine, Cl2 from
tonners, is injected
prior to the filters as
well as the clearwell.
Chlorine is further
added at various
booster stations in
and around Grande
Prairie using
calcium hypochlorite
Disinfection

10. WTP
process
Water Plant DAF

11. WWTP
process
Activated Sludge
Biological Nutrient Removal
(ASBNR)
Activated Sludge is the biological treatment
of wastewater using a population of
microorganisms suspended in water
BNR is a sub process of the above,
essentially the biological removal of
Nitrogen and Phosphorus from wastewater

12. WWTP
process
Raw wastewater is lifted with screw
pumps up to the headworks, where it
passes through a vortex (grit goes to
landfill), through step screen (rags
etc. to landfill), flowing into…

13. WWTP
process
primary clarifiers
where sludge settles (pumped
to the WW Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) tank), and
the supernatant flows into the…

14. ASBNR bioreactors
WWTP
process
where it mixes with high concentrations of bacteria.
This mixed liquor then passes through the various
anaerobic, anoxic, and aerobic zones that make up the
bioreactors. It is in the ASBNR bioreactors where the
bacteria do the majority of their work. Mixed liquor
then goes onto the…

15. WWTP
process
where
the bacteria rich activated sludge
settles out and the supernatent
becomes the finished plant
effluent, returning to the Wapiti
River
Secondary clarifiers

16. WWTP
process
Most of activated sludge (bacteria) is returned
(RAS) to the head of the ASBNRs, with any excess
wasted (WAS) to the WW DAF (Dissolved Air
Flotation)

17. WWTP
process
WW DAF receives primary clarifier sludge as well
as WAS from secondary clarifier
Subnatent of DAF is sent to head of ASBNRs.
Scum is pumped to Autothermal Thermophilic
Aerobic Digestion (ATAD) tanks

18. ATADs
(aerobic digesters)
WWTP
process
Everything that cannot be
digested is sent to centrifuges,
with the solids going to landfill
and the centrate sent to head of
the ASBNR bioreactors

19. Operators run both
plants at the same time
24 hours a day, on 12
hour shifts. Operators
also work weeks of 8
hour days consisting
mostly of preventative
maintenance duties.
Work orders include the
plants as well as booster
stations, pumphouses,
and reservoirs in and
around Grande Prairie
OPERATING

20. SCADA screens are used to observe and adjust process, check
for problems, and respond to alarms OPERATING

21. Operators do several walk
throughs every shift checking
equipment and process, and
making adjustments as necessary
OPERATING

22. During walk throughs
operators record data, take
measurements, clean and
calibrate various metering
equipment, collect samples
for lab work…
OPERATING

23. Lab Testing
Water
6x daily: chlorine,
turbidity of potable,
filter influent, and
raw
2x daily: pH, UVT,
flouride
Daily: total chlorine,
alkalinity (raw and
potable)
Weekly: Bac-T
samples for external
lab testing
Also occasional jar
testing to determine
polymer and PACl
dosages
OPERATING

24. OPERATING
Lab
Testing
Wastewate
r
Daily: BOD,
CBOD, pH,
Phosphorus,
Ammonia
Nitrogen,
Nitrate,
Nitrite, Total
Kjeldahl
Nitrogen
(TKN), TSS
Weekly:
MLSS,

25. A large
amount of
data is
collected
during the
day from the
plant and the
lab which
must daily
be entered
into
spreadsheets
OPERATING

26. Population 70,000
Grande Prairie Regional College
Montrose Cultural Centre – Library, Art Gallery
Sport Multiplex - pool, water park, ice rink, gym, restaurants
Muskoseepi Park and Bear Creek Ravine – parkland, bicycle trails

27. Thank you
Timothy Neufeld
tim.moth.thee@gmail.com