Montana Fall Water School

Fee:

$350.00

Call us at (406) 994-6550 to see if you qualify for a discount on this course.

Bozeman MT - MSU Strand Union Building

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Chris Allen

Chris Allen obtained his Ph.D. in environmental engineering from Montana State University (MSU) in 2016, investigating nitrogen transformations and removal in treatment wetlands. Since 2009, he has been researching and working on wetland treatment systems that provide both primary and secondary treatment for wastewater, and natural systems designed for nitrate abatement. He is currently a researcher and instructor at MSU, the faculty advisor for the MSU chapter of Engineers Without Borders, and a senior scientist with the WGM Group.

John Alston

John Alston is the Water and Sewer Operations Superintendent for the City of Bozeman, where he supervises 24 operators. John has over 30 years of experience with the Water Department and has led the utility through a period of rapid growth. John is the national director of the Montana Section of AWWA and was a past national AWWA vice president. He is also a member of the AWWA Water Utility Council.

Collette Anderson

Collette Anderson is a project manager and Helena Municipal Business Unit Manager at Great West Engineering in Helena. She has 15 years of engineering experience with an emphasis on municipal water and wastewater projects. Her background includes design, analysis, preparation of technical reports, grant writing, project management, construction management, and permitting. She also has significant experience with state and federally funded projects. Collette graduated from Montana Tech with a degree in civil engineering and is licensed in Montana and Idaho. She resides in Helena with her husband and four children.

Darryl Barton

Darryl Barton is a sixth generation Montana native, and the Section Supervisor for DEQ Compliance, Training and Technical Assistance. He has worked for the state of Montana for 6 years with experience in the Source Water Protection Program, Permit Writing for Groundwater Systems, and the Water Pollution Control Advisory Council. Before that he owned an environmental consulting business for 9 years in Deer Lodge that focused on water quality and superfund cleanup. He was also an Environmental Health Supervisor in Hood River County, Oregon. He enjoys spending time with his family especially in outdoor activities like skiing, kayaking, biking, hunting, and fishing.

Crystal Bennett

Crystal Bennett is a registered professional engineer in the states of Montana and Wyoming. She has over eighteen years of experience with an emphasis on municipal water and wastewater. Crystal's experience includes various engineering design and analysis, construction management, technical report writing, water distribution system modeling, community planning, and grant writing and management.

Pete Boettcher

Pete has worked the last 6 years as a Technical Assistance Specialist in Wastewater. He has taught Operator Certification Review. Worked with lagoon treatment systems to optimize treatment in those systems and also worked with Mechanical systems to Optimize those systems with minimal expenditures. Pete has worked for 10 years as a Compliance Inspector. As a compliance inspector he has inspected sites that hold individual MPDES permits including wastewater treatment plants, water treatment plants, and industrial and private site, groundwater discharge site, and General Permit authorizations for general sewage treatment lagoons, stormwater construction sites, CAFOs, Fish Farms, and stormwater Industrial sites. Pete has 40 years experience in municipal wastewater. He has worked in 6 different plants wastewater treatment plants. He has been an assistant superintendent, operator, laboratory technician, industrial pretreatment supervisor, laboratory supervisor, and he left Michigan as a plant superintendent. He has taught the California State University, Sacramento Wastewater Treatment Class for volumes 1, 2, and 3, and taken the Pretreatment Facility Inspection class.

Todd Brewer

Todd Brewer is the senior manager for grants, education, and utility programs in Denver, Colorado with the American Water Works Association. Before his current position, he served as the senior manager for partnership programs at AWWA. He oversaw the continuous improvement and optimization programs for drinking water treatment, distribution systems, and wastewater treatment facilities. He continues to manage the partnership programs as part of his new role at AWWA. Todd also served for 8+ years as the manager for water quality and optimization for city utilities for Springfield, Missouri. Before his tenure at Springfield city utilities, he served as the water quality lab manager and treatment supervisor for the City of Oklahoma City for several years. Overall, he has more than 22 years of experience in the drinking water utility field and has held licenses as a water operator in Oklahoma and Missouri. Todd is a licensed Professional Engineer in Oklahoma and holds a Ph.D. in environmental engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno. He has taught college-level chemistry and engineering courses for the last 22+ years and has served as an instructor for several operator certification classes and AWWA workshops.

Scott Buecker

Scott Buecker is a water and wastewater treatment facility design engineer and project manager with AE2S here in Bozeman. He has been designing and managing water and wastewater treatment plant projects since graduating from the University of Wisconsin with a master's degree in civil and environmental engineering. Before that, he was a lab tech in Madison's Nine Springs Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Karl Carlson

Karl Carlson is a graduate of Northern MT University with a Bachelors of Science in Water Quality Environmental Health. Karl is licensed as a water, wastewater and distribution operator for the state of Montana and besides operating systems, has worked for the Department since 2007. Karl also holds a professional registration as a Montana Sanitarian with experience in on-site wastewater systems, pools, public accommodations, food, etc. Karl currently inspects public water supplies in Eastern Montana and provides expertise as the Cross Connection Rule Specialist for the State and is looking forward to serving on the Board of Plumbers per appointment.

Goldie Chapman

Goldie Chapman has worked for the Bozeman Water Reclamation Facility for more than three decades and has been the maintenance foreman for more than 14 years.

Ron Edwards

Ron Edwards has been the general manager for the Big Sky County Water and Sewer District 363 for the past 25 years and operates several small water and sewer systems in Gallatin County. He has a bachelor's degree in geology from the University of Montana and a master's degree in water resources management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to this position, he served as the Green Lake Sanitary District manager, a summer lake resort community located in Green Lake, Wisconsin, from 1988 to 1995. Before that, he worked as a petroleum geologist in the Williston Basin in North Dakota.

Jerry Ellis

Jerry Ellis, Superintendent of the City of Missoula Water Utility, will give the presentation. He has 30 years of experience working through all aspects of water system operations, including the distribution, service and production departments prior to overseeing all of water operations for the City.

Craig Erickson

Craig Erickson has over 22 years of grant-writing and grant administration experience. In 2016, the American Grant Writers Association awarded Craig its Certified Grant Writer® credential. The Certified Grant Writer® (CGW) credential is the industry standard for grant writing professionals. The CGW credential documents that Craig has demonstrated proficiency in grant researching, proposal writing, budgeting and professional ethics. Craig is one of five people in Montana who has earned the CGW certification. Craig also has extensive experience with state and federal community facility funding programs including the Montana Department of Commerce Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Treasure State Endowment Programs (TSEP).

Josh French

Josh French is a MSU graduate with bachelor's degrees in both biochemistry and microbiology. Josh has been the operation foreman for over 3.5 years.

Susan Hayes

Susan Hayes is a registered professional engineer in Montana, Nevada, California, and Idaho with seventeen years of experience in municipal engineering and construction. She works primarily on water treatment and distribution projects in communities throughout Montana. Susan's responsibilities include the analysis, planning, preliminary engineering reports, design, and occasionally construction management.

Todd Helgeson

Todd Helgeson is the principal economist with StreamlineAM, LLC. His experience includes assignment as a utility asset economist for AWWU for five years. His prior utility experience includes duties as plant accountant in AWWU's Finance Division. As an asset economist, Todd has been responsible for performing economic evaluations on capital projects and asset infrastructure, performing risk assessments, and writing asset management plans for asset groups, asset management tactical plans and asset management strategic plans. In addition, Todd's private sector experience includes serving as program coordinator for Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, the largest Alaskan-owned company with approximately 10,000 employees worldwide. Job tasks included client and vendor interface, monthly, quarterly, and annual statistical report preparation, regulatory compliance monitoring, regulatory statistical report submittal, and daily program management.

Lisa Kaufman

Lisa Kaufman is the Field Section Supervisor and has served as the Surface Water Treatment Rule Manager in the Public Water Supply Bureau at the Montana Department of Environmental Quality for 11 years. Lisa relocated to Montana from Indiana, where she worked in the public health sector for 20 years in water quality. She has a bachelor's degree in biology and Spanish.

Nilaksh Kothari

Nilaksh Kothari is the CEO of Preferred Consulting, LLC, which provides leadership, management, and technical services to utilities. Nilaksh has served as CEO & general manager of Manitowoc Public Utilities (MPU) and managing director of Great Lakes Utilities (GLU) since August 2000 and has more than 35 years of leadership experience in the electric and water sector. MPU is the largest municipally owned electric utility and the sixth-largest water utility in Wisconsin. Nilaksh reported to a seven-member board of directors (commission members). GLU is the second-largest municipal electric company in Wisconsin, focusing on providing reliable and low-cost power to its 12 member communities. Nilaksh is the past president of the American Water Works Association (2007 to 2008). He holds a master's degree in sanitary engineering from South Dakota State University in Brooking. He has served on boards for the American Public Power Association and the Water Research Foundation, and currently serves on AWWA's International Council. Nilaksh is a registered professional engineer and a certified operator in Wisconsin.

Jac Miller

Jac Miller is the assistant superintendent of the Bozeman Water Treatment Plant and is responsible for managing the lab and compliance reporting. Her educational background is in biochemistry, studying metalloenzymes. She earned a bachelor's degree from Indiana University and completed her master's at Montana State University.

Diane Monahan

Diane Monahan has been in the utility industry for over 30 years. She managed the City of Gillette, Wyoming's regional water system, supervising 15 employees to produce and distribute potable water for a population of 30,000 citizens. Her experience includes investigation skills resulting from conducting on-site inspections of water and wastewater treatment facilities throughout the region and state of Wyoming, which required the evaluation of technical, managerial, and financial compliance. Diane serves as adjunct faculty at Casper College. She formed and directed a non-profit business to provide training and technical assistance to the seven Native reservations in Montana and Wyoming.

Kenneth Morgan

Kenneth Morgan has been in the water industry since 1985. He had a 15-year career at Denver Water and served in numerous capacities ranging from the civil design engineer responsible for the design and construction of water distribution system assets to district supervisor charged with managing the day-to-day activities of field workers engaged in fire hydrant and valve operation and maintenance, main and service line repairs, water main installations, storage facility inspections, etc. Ken progressed in the industry to other management positions with several water utilities around the country, where he was responsible for the development, management, and training of subordinate personnel. Ken has also authored the following water industry-related books: "Managing Water Main Breaks Field Guide," AWWA, 2012; "Wastewater Operator Certification Exam Prep," coauthored with David L. Russell, PE, AWWA, 2020, and "Developing Effective Standard Operating Procedures for Water Utilities," Outskirts Press, 2021. He is currently working on "Determining the Effectiveness of Field Crews and Work Teams," to be published later in 2021.

Nick Pericich

Nick Pericich graduated from Montana State University with a degree in chemical engineering. Shortly after graduation, he joined the Bozeman Water and Sewer Division as an operator and now serves as assistant superintendent responsible for operating and maintaining the water distribution and wastewater collection systems. He has 20 years of operations experience in his various positions with the City of Bozeman Water and Sewer Division. Most of his expertise lies in the area between the two treatment plants on everything from making taps to helping plan our daily routine using asset management.

Nick Pizzi

Nick Pizzi has been working in the drinking water field for 48 years and is currently a trainer with AWWA. He started his career as a chemist with the Ohio American Water Company in 1973 and became a plant superintendent at Lake County Utilities in 1984. After working his way up to Director of Water Supply, he left for the Cleveland Division of Water to take charge of the 4 WTPs that had a combined capacity of 540 mgd and served 1.4 million people.

Nick has spent time as Chair of the Partnership for Safe Water PEAC and has served AWWA at the national level as a member of the Technical and Educational Council, the Standards Council, and the Distribution and Plant Operator's Division. He has published and/or edited 7 books for AWWA all aimed at helping WTP operators with their duties. Nick also spent time as vice-president of EE&T, a national engineering firm where he received training from the USEPA Core optimization team. Recently, Nick was hired to train the operators in Flint, MI after their lead disaster. He is a Fuller Awardee, an Operator Meritorious Awardee, and has been given the OPFLOW Best Paper Award. He has a bachelor's degree in Chemistry and holds an Ohio EPA Class IV Water Supply license.

James Sletten

James Sletten is an I&C technician with a decade's worth of control system experience in water and wastewater. He specializes in integrating valves, pumps, and sensors with PLCs and SCADA systems used to control various water and wastewater processes.

Mike Ute

Mike Ute is the current Northwest area manager for Mueller's Water Management Solutions group. He has spent the last seven years working in municipal water as a technical resource for utilities and engineers. His expertise includes asset management, control valves, and non-revenue water. He has a bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering from Montana Tech and a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Montana State University.

Kurt Vause

Kurt Vause is co-founder of StreamlineAM, LLC, an Alaskan and Montana-based consulting service dedicated to utility management, asset management and engineering for the water sector. From 1998 - 2017, he was engineering division director of Anchorage Water Wastewater Utility (AWWU), then special projects director for strategic utility initiatives. During his tenure at AWWU, he was responsible for AWWU's capital construction program, its Grants and Loans section, and the Strategic Asset Services and Planning sections of the utility. Kurt chaired the American Water Works Association (AWWA) Asset Management Committee from Fall 2016 to July 2020 and served as chair of AWWA's Water Utility Council from 2016 to 2019. He also served on the 2012 International Water Association (IWA) - Water Supply Association of Australia (WSAA) Asset Management Best Practices Benchmarking Project Steering Committee. He holds a bachelor's degree in civil and environmental engineering and a master's degree in civil engineering.

Josh Viall

Josh Viall has worked in the wastewater industry for 7 years. Josh started out as an operator at the Havre Wastewater Plant before transferring to DEQ to perform wastewater training and technical assistance throughout the state. Josh is always happy to talk wastewater so feel free to reach out to him with any questions or comments!

Grant Weaver

Grant Weaver is a licensed wastewater operator and professional engineer. For the last 22 years, Grant has taught wastewater nutrient optimization classes for the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and applied his expertise to treatment facilities across the state.

Craig Woolard

Craig Woolard is a professor and head of the Department of Civil Engineering at Montana State University and the Montana Water and Wastewater Operators Initiative director. Before returning to MSU, Craig served as the director of public works for the City of Bozeman. Craig has served as the treatment operations director and then general manager of the Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility in Anchorage, Alaska. Craig has been active in professional associations throughout his career and served as the national president for the American Water Works Association in 2008. Craig grew up in Kalispell, Montana, and earned a bachelor's in civil engineering from Montana State University and a Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Notre Dame. He is a registered professional engineer in Alaska and Montana.

Kirk Yoder

Kirk Yoder chairs the Montana Water and Wastewater Agency Response Network (MTWARN) mutual aid organization and is the emergency response plan coordinator for Montana DEQ's Public Water Supply Bureau. He also works as a public water system inspector. To help water systems through emergencies, Kirk is focused on coordination and helping to provide tools and resources for systems to build resilience across the state.

Date	Day	Time	Location
10/26/2021	Tuesday	8 AM to 5 PM	Bozeman MT - MSU Strand Union Building
10/27/2021	Wednesday	8 AM to 5 PM	Bozeman MT - MSU Strand Union Building
10/28/2021	Thursday	8 AM to 3 PM	Bozeman MT - MSU Strand Union Building

A limited number of rooms are being held at the hotels below with a discounted rate. The rooms and rates at the following hotels expired on Friday, September 24, 2021. You may still call and directly to see if room/rate might still be available. Please reference Montana Water School.

Best Western GranTree
1325 N 7th Ave
406-587-5261
$124/night

Hilton Garden Inn
2023 Commerce Way
406-582-9900
$169/night

Residence Inn
6195 E Valley Center Rd
406-522-1535
$124/night

Lewis & Clark Motel
824 West Main St
855-516-1090
$124/night

Parking

Parking fees are included in the registration fee and are good for all three days of the conference.

Parking will be allowed in the East Stadium Lot (#25 on map). To see a map of MSU, click here.

Participants needing a parking permit can pick one up the first day of the conference and hang it in your vehicle at lunch or for the next day.

For information about refunds, cancellations, minimum enrollments and more, see the Course Administration and Procedures page.

Tuesday, October 26 Sessions

Registration

8:30 a.m to 9:30 a.m.

Welcome and Announcements

9:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Water Regulatory Update

Presenter: Lisa Kaufman

10 a.m. to 11 a.m., in-person only

0.1 Drinking Water CEC

Water Regulatory Update will cover a wide range of topics, including a brief rule review, a review of waiver requirements, a discussion on emerging contaminants and, finally, a regulatory update.

Wastewater Regulatory Update

Presenters: Darryl Barton

11 a.m. to 12 p.m., in-person only

0.1 Wastewater CEC

Wastewater Regulatory Update will provide an overview of compliance and technical assistance activities in Montana including new initiatives, O&M, and optimization. In addition, we will explore historical events that provided the basis for wastewater regulations.

LUNCH - on your own 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Funding Water and Wastewater Projects in Montana

Presenters: Collette Anderson and Craig Erickson

1 p.m. to 2 p.m., in-person only

0.1 Wastewater and Drinking Water Dual Credit CEC

Funding Water and Wastewater Projects in Montana will discuss project development and Montana's five primary infrastructure funding programs. The presentation will inform the audience of the basic requirements of Montana's infrastructure funding programs, including Treasure State Endowment Program, Community Development Block Grant Program, DNRC Renewable Resource Program, State Revolving Fund, and USDA Rural Development. We will also discuss the steps needed to successfully develop and implement infrastructure projects in Montana, from properly procuring an engineer, preparing preliminary engineering reports, and preparing for funding success.

Implementation of Automated Metering Infrastructure (AMI) in Missoula, MT

Presenter: Jerry Ellis

1 p.m. to 2 p.m., in-person only

0.1 Drinking Water CEC

The City of Missoula Water Utility is in the process of implementing an Automated Metering Infrastructure system. To date, the City has installed 5 gateway data collectors, implemented the software for collecting reads and interfacing with our billing system, and replaced approximately 6,400 meters out of a total of 21,000 meters. Progress continues on meter installation and initiation of the process of selecting a vendor to create a customer portal. The presentation will discuss the selection process used to select a vendor, present the initial and final propagation studies used to site data collectors, discuss some lessons learned in configuring meters to maximize the number that can read and integrating with our billing system, and discuss current performance in percentage of meters being read by AMI and show the vendor's website where our meter data is hosted in the cloud.

The Big Timber Water Treatment Plant - Case Study

Presenters: Susan Hayes and Crystal Bennett

2 p.m. to 3 p.m., in-person only

0.1 Drinking Water CEC

The Big Timber Water Treatment Plant - Case Study will cover the planning, design, construction, and startup of the Big Timber ultrafiltration membrane water treatment plant, which is used to treat Ground Water Under the Direct Influence of Surface Water (GWUDISW). The plant utilizes high recovery membrane filtration to minimize wastewater flows and has shown to have a recovery of over 99%.

Water Metering: State of the Art

Presenter: Ron Edwards

2 p.m. to 3 p.m., in-person only

0.1 Drinking Water CEC

Water Metering: State of the Art will cover the policy and technical issues involved in selecting and deploying a fixed-base metering system, customer portals and leak detection.

I&C/SCADA from an Operations Perspective

Presenter: James Sletten

3 p.m. to 4 p.m., in-person only

0.1 Wastewater and Drinking Water Dual Credit CEC

I&C/SCADA from an Operations Perspective will provide an overview of the various tools, systems, and terms that form the foundation of modern SCADA systems. The presentation will focus on using historical information to analyze past events for troubleshooting and improve plant performance. Learn about the components of a SCADA system, including the various sensors, PLCs, and network devices needed to digitalize information and relay it to operators. Finally, learn how to interpret control panel drawings, emphasizing what to look for when troubleshooting.

Digital Twin Developments

Presenter: Scott Buecker

4 p.m. to 5 p.m., in-person only

0.1 Wastewater and Drinking Water Dual Credit CEC

Digital Twin Developments will provide an overview of two digital efforts in the wastewater treatment field. First, learn about integrating process models from plant design with SCADA to give operators a routinely calibrated treatment process model that they can use to understand plant operation and performance better. Second, learn to test operational changes on the SCADA computer before making the changes in the plant.

Water Conservation Panel Discussion

3 p.m. to 5 p.m., in-person only

0.2 Drinking Water CEC

Water Conservation Panel Discussion will include leaders from around the state sharing their experiences with developing and implementing water conservation measures during this year of unprecedented drought.

Water Distribution Operations and Maintenance

Presenter: Kenneth Morgan

1 p.m. to 5 p.m., in-person and live streamed. This session will be repeated on Thursday, October 28, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., in-person only

0.4 Drinking Water CEC

Water Distribution Operations and Maintenance will include training on main flushing, water age, valve and hydrant maintenance, corrosion control, chlorine residual, coliform sampling, and storage tank inspections. Topics also include new main installation and repair procedures.

Reception 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Wednesday, October 27 Sessions

Advancing Asset Management Using System Data

Presenters: Kurt Vause and Todd Helgeson

8 a.m. to 12 p.m., in-person only

0.4 Wastewater and Drinking Water Dual Credit CEC

Advancing Asset Management Using System Data will cover the basics of maintenance management systems so operators can better understand asset data, including what it is and how it's used. The workshop will help operators understand how asset data supports existing and upcoming regulatory requirements. Much of the workshop will be devoted to reviewing small system case studies (from Montana and Alaska) and helping operators develop an individualized self-assessment of asset data.

Nitrogen and Phosphorus Removal in Montana's Activated Sludge Wastewater Treatment Plants

Presenter: Grant Weaver

8 a.m. to 5 p.m., in-person only

0.8 Wastewater CEC

Nitrogen and Phosphorus Removal in Montana's Activated Sludge Wastewater Treatment Plants will present data illustrating how Montanans are leading the nation in optimizing nutrient removal. The day-long session begins with a "what wastewater operators should know" discussion about nitrogen and phosphorus removal, including a practical explanation of the science and technologies employed by design engineers to achieve biological nutrient removal. The presenter will then share stories of how Montana wastewater operators have used their knowledge to maximize nitrogen and phosphorus removal in their treatment facilities, often without new equipment.

Water Treatment Unit Operations Control

Presenter: Nick Pizzi

8 a.m. to 5 p.m., in-person and live-streamed

0.8 Drinking Water CEC

Water Treatment Unit Operations Control will include training on jar testing using AWWA M37, along with the plant processes of mixing, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection. Example math problems, basic and advanced for all unit processes, will be shown. Please bring a calculator.

LUNCH - on your own 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Wastewater Operation and System Optimization

Presenter: Diane Monahan

1 p.m. to 5 p.m., in-person only. This session to be repeated on Thursday, October 28, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., in-person and live streamed

0.4 Wastewater CEC

Wastewater Plant Operations and Maintenance will include training on collection systems, screening, aerobic digestion, activated sludge, trickling filters, anaerobic processes, and lab procedures. There will also be a short discussion about the Partnership for Clean Water.

Utility Leadership Through Innovation and Influence

Presenter: Nilaksh Kothari

1 p.m. to 5 p.m., in-person only

0.4 Wastewater and Drinking Water Dual Credit CEC

Utility Leadership Through Innovation and Influence will discuss multiple aspects of leadership and management of a water and wastewater utility. The key topics to be covered include defining leadership, differences between leaders and managers, fostering a culture of teamwork and excellence, effective communication with your board and city councils, developing a strategic plan, conflict resolution, innovation to stay relevant, long term financial planning and related topics.

Hands-on Pressure Regulating Valve Training

Presenter: Mike Ute

1 p.m. to 5 p.m., in-person only. This session to be repeated on Thursday, October 28, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., in-person only. All sessions will be held in a mobile lab located near the SUB

0.4 Drinking Water CEC

Hands-on Pressure Regulating Valve Training will provide operators with hands-on training from product experts on how to set and adjust pressure reducing, pressure sustaining, and altitude valves and gain valuable troubleshooting knowledge. The course will be conducted with a mobile lab using 100 psi of real water pressure in a safe and controlled environment. The mobile training lab allows operators to visualize how control valves help solve common system issues of over and under pressurization, excessive water leakage, inadequate storage tank turn over, cavitation, water hammer, and surge.

Thursday, October 28 Sessions

Wastewater Operation and System Optimization

Presenter: Diane Monahan

8 a.m. to 12 p.m., in-person and live streamed

0.4 Wastewater CEC

Wastewater Plant Operations and Maintenance will include training on collection systems, screening, aerobic digestion, activated sludge, trickling filters, anaerobic processes, and lab procedures. There will also be a short discussion about the Partnership for Clean Water.

Hands-on Pressure Regulating Valve Training

Presenter: Mike Ute

8 a.m. to 12 p.m., in-person only. All sessions will be held in a mobile lab located near the SUB

0.4 Drinking Water CEC

Hands-on Pressure Regulating Valve Training will provide operators with hands-on training from product experts on how to set and adjust pressure reducing, pressure sustaining, and altitude valves and gain valuable troubleshooting knowledge. The course will be conducted with a mobile lab using 100 psi of real water pressure in a safe and controlled environment. The mobile training lab allows operators to visualize how control valves help solve common system issues of over and under pressurization, excessive water leakage, inadequate storage tank turn over, cavitation, water hammer, and surge.

Water Distribution Operations and Maintenance

Presenter: Kenneth Morgan

8 a.m. to 12 p.m., in-person only

0.4 Drinking Water CEC

Water Distribution Operations and Maintenance will include training on main flushing, water age, valve and hydrant maintenance, corrosion control, chlorine residual, coliform sampling, and storage tank inspections. Topics also include new main installation and repair procedures.

Lead and Copper Fundamentals, Regulations and Solutions

Presenters: Craig Woolard and Todd Brewer

8 a.m. to 10 a.m., in-person only

0.2 Drinking Water CEC

Lead and Copper Fundamentals, Regulations and Solutions will cover lead and copper corrosion basics in distribution systems and review current and pending lead and copper regulations. Case studies from around the country will illustrate how utilities are addressing this issue.

Public Water & Wastewater Systems Emergencies and Security

Presenter: Kirk Yoder

10 a.m. to 11 a.m., in-person only

0.1 Wastewater and Drinking Water Dual Credit CEC

Public Water & Wastewater Systems Emergencies and Security will provide information about Montana WARN, a mutual aid organization with a suite of resources to help water and wastewater systems in Montana build resilience and prepare for hazard incidents that may occur. This presentation will discuss roles and responsibilities in emergencies, planning resources, how Montana WARN works, and other resilience resource agency partners in Montana.

Treatment Wetlands for Primary Treatment to Polishing

Presenter: Chris Allen

11 a.m. to 12 p.m., in-person only

0.1 Wastewater CEC

Treatment Wetlands for Primary Treatment to Polishing will provide an overview of the process flow, treatment mechanisms, and potential applications for two wetland-based pilot systems under construction at the Bozeman Water Reclamation Facility. The systems are designed to test three primary wetland applications: 1) cold season nitrification, 2) primary wastewater treatment, and 3) tertiary treatment.

LUNCH - on your own 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Leak Detection Workshop

Presenters: John Alston and Nick Pericich

1 p.m. to 3 p.m., in-person only

0.2 Drinking Water CEC

Leak Detection Workshop will be held in a location to be determined in the Bozeman water system and will provide operators with an opportunity for hands-on training with leak detection systems. Operators will also review how to integrate leak detection into the day-to-day operation of water distribution systems.

Bozeman Water Treatment Facility Tour

Presenter: Jac Miller

1 p.m. to 3 p.m., in-person only

0.2 Drinking Water CEC

Bozeman Water Treatment Facility Tour will provide operators with an overview of membrane microfiltration systems, and an operator lead, in-depth tour of the Bozeman facility focused on day-to-day operation and maintenance strategies and techniques.

Bozeman Wastewater Reclamation Facility Tour

Presenters: Josh French and Goldie Chapman

1 p.m. to 3 p.m., in-person only

0.2 Wastewater CEC

Bozeman Wastewater Reclamation Facility Tour will provide operators with an overview of the Bardenpho biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal system during an operator-led, in-depth tour of the Bozeman facility. The field trip will focus on day-to-day operation and maintenance strategies and techniques. Operation foreman Josh French and the maintenance foreman Goldie Chapman will lead the tour.

Certification Review

Water Certification Review Session

Tuesday, October 26, 8 a.m. to Wednesday, October 27, 5 p.m., in-person only

Water Certification Review Session will prepare operators to take the certification exam (offered at the conference on Thursday, October 28 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.). Karl Carlson will provide operators with training to prepare for successful completion of the certification exam.

Wastewater Certification Review Session

Tuesday, October 26, 8 a.m. to Wednesday, October 27, 5 p.m., in-person only

Wastewater Certification Review Session will prepare operators to take the certification exam (offered at the conference on Thursday, October 28 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.). Pete Boettcher and Josh Viall lead DEQ's wastewater technical assistance program and are responsible for field operations support. They will provide operators with training to prepare for successful completion of the certification exam.

Operator Math

with Midwest Assistance Program

Monday, October 25, 2021

12:45 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Bozeman Shop Complex
814 N. Bozeman Ave.
Bozeman, MT

AGENDA

12:45 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Introductions

1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Conversions and Geometry

2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Flow Rate

3:00 to 3:15 p.m.
Break

3:15 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Hydraulics

4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Dosage and Disinfection

Contact hours = MT DEQ .4 (pending)

For More Information Contact
Josh Jabalera
Email:jjabalera@map-inc.org
Phone: 406-694-9871

To Register
click here.

MAP is an equal opportunity provider and employer and does discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities. This workshop is supported under contract with RCAP and EPA.

Drinking Water Review (Room 235)

Tuesday, October 26

8:00 to 9:00 a.m.
Registration and Refreshments

9:00 to 10:00 a.m.
Opening General Session

10:00 to 10:30 a.m.
ABC Testing Basics and Introduction
Karl Carlson and Jen VandenBos, DEQ

10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Source Water Characteristics
Karl Carlson, DEQ

12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
Lunch on your own

1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Laboratory Analysis
Tammy Jacobson, DEQ

3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Practice Exams
Karl Carlson, DEQ

Wednesday, October 27

8:00 to 10:00 a.m.
Distribution System
Karl Carlson, DEQ

10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Treatment Process
Lisa Kaufman, DEQ

12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
Lunch on your own

1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Equipment Operation and Maintenance
Karl Carlson, DEQ

3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Exam Prep for Operators Presentation, Review Roundup, & Water Math
Karl Carlson, Lisa Kaufman, and Tammy Jacobson, DEQ

Thursday, October 28

8:30 to 9:00 a.m.
Exam Registration

9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Exams

Wastewater Review (Room 233)

Tuesday, October 26

8:00 to 9:00 a.m.
Registration and Refreshments

9:00 to 10:00 a.m.
Opening General Session

10:00 to 10:30 a.m.
Preliminary Treatment
Pete Boettcher and Josh Viall, DEQ

10:30 a.m to 12:00 p.m.
Preliminary Treatment
Pete Boettcher and Josh Viall, DEQ

12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
Lunch on your own

1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Fixed Film
Pete Boettcher and Josh Viall, DEQ

3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Activated Sludge
Pete Boettcher and Josh Viall, DEQ

Wednesday, October 27

8:00 to 10:00 a.m.
Nutrient Removal
Pete Boettcher and Josh Viall, DEQ

10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Nutrient Removal
Disinfection
Pete Boettcher and Josh Viall, DEQ

12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
Lunch on your own

1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Disinfection
Pete Boettcher and Josh Viall, DEQ

3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Lagoons
Pete Boettcher and Josh Viall, DEQ

Thursday, October 28

8:30 to 9:00 a.m.
Exam Registration

9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Exams

Note: CECs will not be given for the review sessions.

Water Distribution Operations and Maintenance

Presenter: Kenneth Morgan

0.4 Drinking Water CEC

Water Distribution Operations and Maintenance will include training on main flushing, water age, valve and hydrant maintenance, corrosion control, chlorine residual, coliform sampling, and storage tank inspections. Topics also include new main installation and repair procedures.

VIEW THE RECORDING HERE..... https://montana.webex.com/montana/ldr.php?RCID=43084a98c9c5bf63674ce38a4beaf3ec

Water Treatment Unit Operations Control

Presenter: Nick Pizzi

0.8 Drinking Water CEC

Water Treatment Unit Operations Control will include training on jar testing using AWWA M37, along with the plant processes of mixing, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection. Example math problems, basic and advanced for all unit processes, will be shown. Please bring a calculator.

VIEW THE RECORDING HERE..... https://montana.webex.com/montana/ldr.php?RCID=2717ebe966e49a03dfccd22397ab669b

Wastewater Operation and System Optimization

Presenter: Diane Monahan

0.4 Wastewater CEC

Wastewater Plant Operations and Maintenance will include training on collection systems, screening, aerobic digestion, activated sludge, trickling filters, anaerobic processes, and lab procedures. There will also be a short discussion about the Partnership for Clean Water.

VIEW THE RECORDING HERE..... https://montana.webex.com/montana/ldr.php?RCID=fdaaadea5167a880683849d2492a11d7