Rancho Las Virgenes
Let's face it. Processing
wastewater is hardly the most glamorous work in the
world. It is, though, very necessary and important
to our community. The team at Rancho Las Virgenes know
this and performs their duties with a focus on serving
district customers, a commitment to working together,
and an immense amount of pride in their work.
Efficiently and reliably recycling biosolids into a product that meets industry "Class A" standards and receives an EPA rating of "EQ" (for "exceptional quality") can be challenging. The process is more delicate than may be readily apparent and takes a lot of tracking, tweaking, and monitoring. There are a lot of variables to address every day. The work is dirty and often involves an unpleasant environment, but teamwork makes it work.
Rancho´s processes continue
24–hours a day, 365 days a year. Automation makes it
possible for the team to work regular work days and
weeks. Day–to–day work involves "batch processes",
checking the digesters or centrifuge, receiving and
adding amendment, working in the agitating bays, moving
product into cure piles, loading trucks, and whatever
more needs to be done to ensure smooth transition of
biosolids into quality compost. Safety is always a
priority as they use large equipment, operate complex
machines with intricate moving parts, and work near
loud noises.
Evidence of the team´s commitment
abounds, including their decision to voluntarily modify
summer work hours to save on energy costs. During Edison´s "Summer
Rates", when electric charges escalate for peak
periods, the team begins work at 3 a.m. each day, so
high–energy processes can be completed before high–use
hours when rates escalate.
Classified as Water Reclamation
Operators, team members are required to have wastewater
treatment certification from the State Water Resources
Control Board - based on a combination of job experience
and education. Their individual years of service with
the district range from 10 to 20 years, all starting
at the Tapia Water Reclamation Facility. A good background
in biology and chemistry is extremely helpful to their
work, as is a solid knowledge of wastewater treatment.
The work of the Rancho team
is nearly invisible to the community. Generally we
don't like to think about what happens to our waste
products at all . . . we simply send them away. And
yet the work done at Rancho Las Virgenes is an example
of how LVMWD strives to care for the local environment
in a responsible way, while serving the needs of customers.
For the detailed behind the scenes of Rancho Las Virgenes
workings, read "The
Story Behind the Flush". . as it cooks |
