April Go with the Flow
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April 2020 Volume 23, Number 1 The purpose of GO WITH THE FLOW is to keep you, the operator, informed of some of the training opportunities that are available for your certification needs (new I feel one of the greatest benefits and renewal). Events may be scheduled by: NCWOA, Public Water Supply Section, NCWOA offers its’ members is State Laboratory of Public Health, and other the ability to network with fellow sources. This newsletter may also contain operators. NCWOA has always information on new regulations, news from the Certification Board, and important encouraged operators to share need-to-know To Our Members their experiences and operation- resource contacts. Ken Loflin, NCWOA President al challenges with each other. This sharing of knowledge and I hope April’s edition of Go With experience is now more impor- The Flow finds you, your family tant than ever. Remember that Check out members, and loved ones safe you don’t have to go through and well! this alone. Your fellow NCWOA our website! members are there for you. This is truly an historical event, Please don’t hesitate to reach one of which many of us have www.ncwoa.com out to these fellow water treat- never experienced in our life- ment professionals for assistance time. or just to chat. The COVID-19 Pandemic has If you would like to nominate an The North Carolina Waterworks presented operators across operator for a spotlight article Operators Association has pro- North Carolina with many chal- please contact Heather Cagle at vided many years of dedicated lenges. Even during an unprec- service to the waterworks com- [email protected]. edented event like the current munity. NCWOA staff continue pandemic, it still our responsibil- to work hard for you. They are ity to provide our customers the Inside This Issue … currently working to provide a high quality drinking water to To Our Members 1 virtual training opportunity for NC which they are accustomed. Operators that should be made Operator’s Spotlight-Angela Hillis 2-3 As you all are already aware, available in the near future. City of Lenoir WTP 4-5 in complying with CDC and In Memory - Mike Bell 6 I wish to express my sincere ap- state requirements for social preciation to the many dedicat- Long Leaf Pine Award - Tom Muse 7 distancing and travel restrictions, ed water professionals that con- NCWOA Workshops & Training Events 8-9 NCWOA had to postpone the tinue to perform their job duties NCWOA Sectional Training 10-11 Spring Operator’s School in Hick- through these challenging times. Additional NCWOA Sponsored Events 12 ory and reschedule it for June Please continue to keep yourself 8th through June 12th. All cur- Sponsors 13 safe and healthy. I look forward rent training events and section Membership Application 14 to seeing everyone again once meetings have been affected as Board & Committee Members 15 life returns to normal! well. Important Phone Numbers 16 Operator’s Spotlight to fill mobile transport tankers, provision of shower point units, A Conversation with food preparation and other mis- Angela Hillis sion essential needs for soldiers in the theater of operations. A water treatment operator Angela is very proud of her mili- in the US Army is called a 77 tary service and especially her Whiskey. This military occupa- deployment in the mid 1990’s to tional skill (MOS) is assigned after Haiti in support of Operation Up- formal schooling following his/ hold Democracy. This operation her basic training and becomes was a combat intervention to re- their primary duty. However, all move a military regime installed soldiers are trained prior to MOS by a 1991 coup d’état to over school to be proficient in com- throw (then) President Jean Ber- bat arms and other military skills. trand Aristide. The United States Angela Hillis, who today works sent several military units includ- as a Senior Water Treatment Angela at Basic Training ing the 82nd Airborne Division operator for the Fayetteville PWC Quarter Master Detachment there to reinstate the President was a 77 Whiskey in the US Army, at Fort Bragg. In that unit she and to restore a democratic serving almost 6 years as a Water trained and deployed (as need- government. Treatment Specialist. She just did ed) to purify surface and well Angela spoke of how hard the not know that her military skills water sources using 3K ROWPU’s mission was for her unit and team would end up being her lifelong (Reverse Osmosis Water Purifica- in Haiti. By the time she arrived work after leaving the Army. tion Units). the mission had changed to a She joined the Army in 1992 at humanitarian ef- the age of 27 and was sent to fort but being in Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri a foreign coun- for basic training. She landed try was still quite there not knowing she would be challenging. training with the 2nd all female The source of company ever to train at Fort water they had Leonard Wood. After basic train- to treat at Port- ing she attended Jump School au-Prince was (Paratrooper Training) at Fort highly contami- Benning, Georgia. She complet- nated and very ed school and earned her Jump Wings but on her fifth and final jump she broke her back and fractured her hip causing some serious rehab time. Eventually Portable ROWPU she was reassigned to Ft. Lee in During her nearly 6 year Virginia to attend a four-month career in the Army, Angela school to become a Water Treat- obtained the rank of Ser- ment Specialist. geant and became a Squad/ After school at Fort Lee she Team Leader in her water received PCS orders to the 82nd treatment unit. As a Senior Airborne Division at Fort Bragg in Water Treatment Specialist North Carolina. Upon arriving, the she was responsible for the Division requested that she sign set up and operation of the Angela and Sergeant Major McKinney a waiver concerning her health ROWPU’s which included recon in order to continue as a para- (acquisition) of water sources, hard to process through their 3K trooper. She decided against performing quality testing, and ROWPU’s, making for a stress- signing the health release and the installation of pumping and ful situation. She and her team was reassigned to COSCOM (Lo- portable storage units. These completed the mission success- gistics Unit) and the 186th/204th treated water sources were used fully and was awarded the Army Page 2 NCWOA ~ Go With The Flow ~ April 2020 ~ Volume 23, Number 1 Commendation Medal for her mented that leadership. she enjoyed Her team was also the “go to” attending squad when treatment demon- NCWOA strations were needed by her events and unit. They were selected to dem- section onstrate the use and operation meetings of ROWPU’s to the Sergeant Ma- and that jor of the Army, Gene McKinney NCWOA in the mid 1990’s. He was quite is “a great pleased and satisfied with the organization demonstration and appreciative for operators of Angela’s team efforts. to learn and grow in the After leaving the Army in 1997 industry.” Angela was not sure what she Angela with co-workers Cody In her free time Angela likes to wanted to do, but through en- Rosser and Stacy Bryant travel with her family “seeing couragement from her husband she applied and got a job with new places and experiencing the culture.” She also likes indulg- to say though, she has served the Fayetteville PWC in 1998, faithfully and honorably in both working at the P.O. Hoffer Water ing in the local foods and spirits. She and her family have traveled regards and has truly gained Plant. That same year she joined lifelong experiences along the NCWOA and over time received throughout Europe, but their fa- vorite trips have been to Alaska way. Thank you Angela for your her B-Surface license. She is cur- service to both our nation and to rently working towards an A-Sur- where they enjoyed salmon fishing, camping, and mountain- your community there in Cum- face license and plans to obtain berland County. We wish you that soon. ous hikes. During a recent visit to Alaska, they enjoyed seeing continued and great success. In 2019, after serving 20 years the Knik River Glacier taking a with PWC, she was promoted to 45-minute airboat ride to get the Senior Water Treatment Op- there which she called “an awe- erator there at the Hoffer Plant. some experience.” She is responsible for daily over- site of the plant, providing help As previously stated, it is quite and training to the operators and unusual that Angela ended up in seeing that the water is prop- doing the same work skill in both erly treated and delivered to the her military and civilian life. She customers. She stated “PWC is certainly has seen the best con- a great company to work for” ditions to treat water and maybe and likes her work. She also com- some of the worst. It is certain Angela with family in Alaska NCWOANCWOA ~ ~ Go Go With With The The Flow Flow ~ ~ April Dec 20182020 ~ Volume 21,23, Number 41 Page 3 City of Lenoir Water early 1950’s was in need Treatment of a lot of im- provements “From Vulnerability to not only to Reliability” handle the impacts and Looking back on the last two de- new quality cades in water treatment it has requirements, been a lot like the movie, “Fast but also to and Furious” for us water treat- insure sus- ment plant operators.