W ednesday, Feb 8, 2012
newsed@clackamas.edu
The Clackamas
Letter to the Editor
The stinging irony is that about such harmful content.
Salazar’s article “Former
poli-sci instructor sued, by Sincerely,
counselor” (2/1/12) aboura
defamation lawsuit does lit Alice Nelson Lewis,
tle more than perpetuate the Department Chair of,
damaging language hurled C om m unication Studies,
in the original incidents, Journalism, and Theatre Arts
inflicting fresh pain for all Communication Instructor
involved. W ith great power
(and freedom or the press),
comes great responsibility I
would nope to see a higher
This letter has been edited
level of ethics and discre
tion applied when reporting fo r brevity a n d clarity.
W ashington S tate U niversity
^ V ancouver
Josh Rader 27, tests water samples fo r dissolved oxygen. Oxygen levels indicate the presence o f micro
bial activity in the sample a n d influence how i t is treated.
Dirty water makes for
great paying career
Come to
Preview Day
5:30 p.m. Thursday, February 16
Learn about—
Academic programs
Application process
Campus life
Paying for college
Agenda, RSVP, directions
vancouver.wsu.edu/preview
A new possibility
changes everything.
W A R N E R P A C IF IC .E D U
Î PORTLAND, OR
1
By Joshua Dillen
Associate News Editor
Veolia Water. Veolia, founded in 1853, provides
water and wastewater services for municipal and
Driving through southwest Milwaukie on state
highway 99E has a memorable effect on the senses.
The sense of smell, to be exact, will be .stimulated.
The Kellogg Waste Water Treatment Plant, as
offensive as it may seem to some, is a necessary
part of the infrastructure in Clackamas County,
The plant serves a huge part o f the county and
can process up to 10 million gallons o f wastewater
per day, serving 77,800 people from Gladstone
to Milwaukie and Happy Valley. Somebody has
to make sure these residents w ont have; to worry
about what happens tp dirty water after it spirals
down the drain, or if it flows into wetlands and
watersheds after becoming contaminated at a
manufacturing plant.
The US Department o f Labors Bureau of
Labor Statistics reports the median yearly income
for Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant System
Operators is $40,770. They also report the num
ber o f jobs in this field is projected to increase by
20 percent from 113,400 in 2008 to 135,900 in
2018 nationally.
Publicly and privately run plants in Molalla,
Wilsonville, Oregon City and other municipali
ties in Clackamas County are partly staffed by
students who have completed the Water and
Envoirnmental Technology (WET) program at
the college. There is a one year certificate available
and a two year degree offeredat the college in this
overlooked field. The program doesn’t require you
to be nationally certified and licensed to receive
your’degree or certificate, but once you are “you
are employable in 39 states and worldwide. There,
are opportunities in the Middle East and develop
ing countries,” said Matthew LaForce.
LaForce is the Department Chair o f the
Engineering and Sciences Division at the college,
which “houses” the W ET Program. He is respon
sible for the students who m ay end up dealing
with waste infused water processed by such plants.
“We’re the only institution [in the Northwest]
providing this current training for students,” said
LaForce,
Wastewater treatment may not seem that glam
orous, but the bang for your buck when spending
money on education is something that LaForce
feels strongly about. He described how the col
lege prepares students by linking internships with
local municipalities and worldwide companies like
industrial clients. The company employs more
than 96,000 people worldwide. According to their
website, they are a division o f Veolia Environment,
the largest environmental company in the world.
“O ur department is tightly linked to industry,”
LaForce said. “The more .skill sets I can give you
to get that job that’s critical.”
Tony Morales, is a student in the W ET pro
gram. He has mainly worked as a welder in the
ast, but has always had a love for water. W hen
e was laid off as a welder, he decided to go back
to school. The W ET program was the best way
for him to enter a field that he can make a decent
living while enjoying what he,does.. I
“It’s always been a passion o f mine, the water,”
Morales said. “How are we batding the bacteria in
our. water or how to clean up wastewater?”
Morales said he enjoyed,the program, especially
the support and networking that is availabfe going
through the program as he pursues the WET
Associate of Applied Sciende (AAS) degree.
Josh Rader, is also pursuing his AAS in the pro
gram. A career change as well as and love of water
brought him to the program. He feels strongly
about ensuring we have quality places to fish and
healthy watersheds.
“It feels good to know you are doing something
for the environment,” Rader said. “Arid to know
that microbes, living things, help to clean the
water, it’s interesting to say the least.”
Rader liked that the degree allows you many
options in the field. He mentioned how Veolia
had national and worldwide employment oppor
tunities doing lab work inside, field work outdoors
in natural settings, of plant operations. He added
that the industry had job opportunities that would
suit almost any type of personality.
“I wanted to find out more about how we keep
our rivers and streams clean,” said Tracy Colgan. i
want to improve the quality of the earth.”
Colgan used to work in grounds maintenance
and seasonally in the industry of water treatment.
Her seasonal work in the field led to enrolling at
CCC in the W ET program to learn more about
water treatment and expand her career possibili
ties.
LaForce chuckled about seeing some of his
students a few years after they’ve graduated driving
Acuras and “I’m still driving along in a Hyundai.
It’s great to see.”