WtrWrx Services

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🚨 ERTC JOB BOARD: LEAD OPERATOR — STREATOR, ILLINOIS

Veolia is hiring a Lead Operator for a wastewater treatment facility in Streator, Illinois, with a posted pay rate of $37.92 per hour. The position is focused on leading operators and O&M technicians in the operation and maintenance of the wastewater treatment plant.

This is an experienced-operator position with responsibilities that include:

🔹 Operating and monitoring the main control system
🔹 Wastewater process control
🔹 Preventive and corrective maintenance
🔹 Coordinating with maintenance staff
🔹 Cleaning and maintaining process equipment, clarifiers, headworks and centrifuges
🔹 Working with sanitary sewer collection systems and lift stations when required
🔹 Operating equipment such as heavy trucks, forklifts and front-end loaders
🔹 Following plant safety requirements
🔹 Training or assisting with the training of OITs and other assigned personnel

QUALIFICATIONS

Veolia lists the following requirements:

• 8+ years of wastewater treatment plant operation and maintenance experience
• Grade IV or higher Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Certificate
• Valid driver's license
• Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
• Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent work experience
• Ability to serve as responsible charge of the facility and respond to unplanned events

The posting also lists a benefits package that includes paid time off, health, dental, vision and life insurance, retirement plans, savings accounts, tuition reimbursement and paid volunteer opportunities.

📍 Location: Streator, Illinois
💰 Pay: $37.92/hour
🏭 Position: Lead Operator — Wastewater Treatment
🏢 Employer: Veolia
🆔 Job ID: REF63845T

Interested in applying? The position is posted directly on Veolia's careers site here: https://tinyurl.com/s9h2urvy

View the official Veolia job posting

Know an experienced wastewater operator who might be a good fit? Share this post with them.

This is going to be a wonderful water treatment facility and will provide decades of reliable service to the community!

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💧 WATER IN THE NEWS
Vandalia, Illinois Builds for the Future with a New Water Treatment Plant

VANDALIA, ILLINOIS — A major water infrastructure project is taking shape in central Illinois as the City of Vandalia constructs a new municipal water treatment plant.

The project has been years in the making. Vandalia's existing water treatment plant dates back to 1951 and has the capacity to produce approximately 2 million gallons of potable water per day, with 2.5 million gallons of storage. The city has been working toward replacing the aging facility for more than a decade.

The new facility is being constructed near Fletcher Street and Sunset Drive and represents an investment of more than $23 million in the community's water infrastructure. Illinois' Rebuild Illinois program is providing $2 million specifically toward the purchase of three water-treatment clarifiers that will be installed as part of the project. The overall construction also includes funding from USDA Rural Development and other sources.

🚰 A New Source-to-Plant Connection

One of the important components of the project is the infrastructure connecting the city's water source to the new facility.

Vandalia's primary water source is Vandalia Lake, and construction has included new raw-water infrastructure to bring water from the lake to the new treatment plant. During an April 2026 construction tour, project engineers reported that crews were working on the lines needed to bring raw water from Vandalia Lake into the new facility.

The project also includes a new intake structure and transmission main. Illinois EPA's Public Water Supply Loan Program identified the project as a New Water Treatment Plant, Transmission Main & Intake Structure and awarded more than $5.36 million, including more than $3.3 million in principal forgiveness.

🏗️ From Planning to Construction

This project didn't happen overnight.

Vandalia officials have been working on the new plant for more than a decade, with planning, funding and design eventually leading to construction beginning in 2025.

By April 2026, project officials reported that construction appeared to be ahead of the original schedule, with the possibility of the plant coming online later that year. By August, city officials continued to report that the project remained on schedule.

The city's current Water & Sewer Department information gives a more conservative anticipated completion timeframe of late 2026 or early 2027.

👷 The Other Side of Infrastructure

A new water treatment plant isn't just about concrete, piping, pumps and treatment equipment.

It also needs trained people to operate it.

As communities replace aging treatment facilities with new infrastructure, water professionals must understand increasingly sophisticated equipment, instrumentation, chemical systems, monitoring requirements and regulatory responsibilities.

That's one reason projects like Vandalia's are important beyond the construction itself.

New infrastructure creates a need for a workforce capable of operating and maintaining it.

For communities across Illinois, replacing aging water infrastructure and developing the people who operate that infrastructure are closely connected challenges.

At ERTC, that's exactly where technical training, hands-on experience and operator education come into the picture.

💧 Building Water Infrastructure. Building the Workforce.

Vandalia's new plant represents a significant investment in the community's ability to provide safe and reliable drinking water for years to come.

But ultimately, every treatment plant depends on people.

The equipment can be new.
The technology can be new.
The building can be new.

Someone still has to know how to run it.

A metro east surface water treatment plant is going to increase their flow rate from 265 GPM up to 280 GPM. In order to establish new chemical feed set points, we ran some math to calculate the milliliters per minute feed rates for two chemical feed pumps and establish a new milligrams per liter dosage for their carbon.

It's always a good idea to run these calculations and show your work.

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💧 WATER WEDNESDAY: Why Does My Water Sometimes Smell Like Rotten Eggs?

Have you ever turned on the faucet and noticed a rotten-egg or sulfur smell coming from your water? There’s some interesting water chemistry behind that unmistakable odor.

The smell is often associated with hydrogen sulfide gas (H₂S). Hydrogen sulfide can occur naturally in groundwater, but sulfur odors can also originate within household plumbing or a water heater. Certain bacteria can contribute to the problem as well.

One clue can be when you notice the odor. If the smell occurs only when using hot water, the water heater may be involved. If you notice it in both hot and cold water, the source could be elsewhere in the plumbing or water supply.

Does a sulfur smell automatically mean the water is unsafe to drink? Not necessarily. Odor by itself doesn't determine whether water is safe. If an unusual odor persists or you're concerned about your water quality, contact your local water utility so the source can be properly investigated.

🚰 Water Wednesday Takeaway:
That rotten-egg smell isn't just unpleasant—it can also provide a clue about what's happening with your water. Identifying where and when the odor occurs is an important first step toward finding its source.

At ERTC, we train the water professionals who work every day to understand water chemistry, operate treatment processes, and help provide safe drinking water to their communities.

Learn more about ERTC: siue.edu/ertc

WtrWrx Services assisting metro east water treatment plant personnel with fall cleaning of their sedimentation basin.

This picture does not do this project justice. You can only imagine the smell of settled carbon heavy sludge from a surface water treatment plant.

At its deepest, the sludge was about 3 - 4 feet deep. The basin cleaned up very nicely and the plant will be back in service this afternoon.

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Last chance to get registered before it’s too late. Please send an email to the address listed on the registration form below and we will put you down!

See you at Rend Lake!

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💧 WEEKEND WATER WORKS: FILTER HEADLOSS vs. FILTER LOADING

Your filter is telling you something. Are you listening?

A filter may look like it's simply doing its job—water goes in, water comes out—but operators know there's much more happening inside that filter bed.

Two important concepts operators need to understand are filter headloss and filter loading. They're related, but they are not the same thing.

🔵 What is filter headloss?

Headloss is the loss of hydraulic head as water passes through the filter media.

As particles accumulate within the filter bed, resistance to flow can increase. Operators can monitor headloss by looking at differences in water level or pressure across the filter.

As a filter run continues, increasing headloss can be one indication that the filter may need to be backwashed.

Simply put:

HEADLOSS = RESISTANCE TO FLOW THROUGH THE FILTER

🔴 What is filter loading?

Filter loading describes how much water is being applied to a given filter area over time.

It is commonly expressed as:

gpm/ft²

Loading rate depends on the filter's flow rate and surface area. Increasing the flow through a filter increases the loading rate.

But remember:

FILTER LOADING ≠ HEADLOSS

They are connected, but they describe two different things.

🧮 ERTC OPERATOR CHALLENGE

Here's this week's operator math:

A filter measures 20 ft × 20 ft and is receiving 4,000 gallons per minute.

What is the filter loading rate?

20 × 20 = 400 ft²

4,000 ÷ 400 = 10 gpm/ft²

✅ Answer: 10 gpm/ft²

Did you get it right?

Drop your answer in the comments! 👇

💡 OPERATOR TIP

Don't wait until a filter is completely plugged before paying attention to what's happening.

Tracking headloss throughout the filter run can help operators recognize changes in filter performance and determine when backwashing may be necessary.

Know your filter.
Know your numbers.
Know when it's time to backwash.

That's the technical side of water treatment—and that's what Weekend Water Works is all about.

💧 Real topics. Practical knowledge. Stronger operators.

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💧 ERTC JOB BOARD: SYSTEMS OPERATOR — $37.33/HOUR

Looking for an opportunity to build a career in the water industry?

Illinois American Water is hiring a Systems Operator in Peoria, Illinois, with a posted pay rate of $37.33 per hour. The position was posted September 23, 2026.

This position is involved in the day-to-day operation of Interurban Production facilities, including chemical feed systems, process control testing and analysis, day tanks, pumping operations, and filtration systems. The operator also helps manage outlying stations by monitoring pumpage, tank levels, and pressure requirements. Routine maintenance and housekeeping are also part of the position.

🔧 What they're looking for

The posting calls for:

0–2 years of water-industry experience
High school diploma or GED
Valid driver's license
Ability to safely perform the physical requirements of the position, including lifting up to 50 pounds unassisted
Ability to work days, afternoons, and overnight shifts

The schedule rotates between 3 days on/2 days off and 2 days on/3 days off, with 12-hour day shifts running 6 a.m.–6 p.m. and night shifts running 6 p.m.–6 a.m. The schedule also includes weekends and holidays.

💰 $37.33 PER HOUR

American Water's posting lists a starting posted rate of $37.33/hour, along with benefits that include medical, dental, vision, prescription coverage, 401(k), a defined contribution plan, paid time off, life insurance, and other benefits. The posting also notes opportunities for continued salary growth and professional development.

For someone looking to get started—or continue building a career—in water treatment operations, this is exactly the type of hands-on opportunity that puts operators around pumps, chemical feed, filtration, process control, and production systems.

📲 Interested? Scan the QR code on our ERTC Job Board graphic to view the full posting and apply.

You can also view the official posting through American Water's careers page: https://tinyurl.com/3awn56ds

ERTC Job Board — connecting people with careers in the water and wastewater industry. 💧

The City of Greenfield is seeking an individual for custodial maintenance every other week at City Hall. Please leave a résumé/letter of interest at City Hall (510 Walnut St.) or email it to [email protected]. Please include rate per cleaning and whether you provide any equipment/supplies.

Deadline for applications is October 8, 2026, by close of business day. Physical bids dropped off at City Hall should be in a sealed envelope labeled “City Hall Custodial Position”.

Thank you!

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