Central Environmental Laboratory Lab Technician Matt Richardson

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Central Environmental LaboratoryLab
TechnicianMatt Richardson
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Why HRSD?

• Externship during Winter Break Junior Year
• Lab Manager called me last spring about temporary
  job over the summer
• Prior experience with water testing techniques
  during biogeochemistry

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Waste Water Treatment Process

• Large items get screened out
• Solids are skimmed off the top and pulled off the
  bottom then incinerated
• Naturally occurring bacteria continues to break
  down remaining solids
• At final step, waste water is centrifuged and
  cakes are either land applied or incinerated
  and the water is pumped into local rivers

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Water Quality Lab

• Receives wastewater samples from 12 waste water
  treatment plants in the Tidewater area
• Samples are taken from each step in the
  wastewater treatment process
• Samples are extensively tested in the lab to
  ensure treatment process is operating effectively
• After waste water is treated, the water is pumped
  into local rivers

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My Lab Technician Mentor
Tom Gay
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Job DescriptionTesting For

• Total Solids

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Getting Started

• Ovens set
• Check Fridge temp
• Calibrate Equipment
• Log Everything

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Samples, Samples, Samples

• Weigh crucibles for the day
• Pour about 40 samples
• Enter initial weights into spreadsheet

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Heating Time

• Constant Temp oven at 104C
• Weigh for Total Solids
• Muffler Oven at 550C
• Desiccators to cool and prevent
• moisture absorption

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Finished Sample

• Weigh crucible final time
• Enter Fixed Solids weight
• into spreadsheet

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Spreadsheet
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Importance of Total Solid Values

• Cakes have to be dried before leaving treatment
  plant
• Land Application
• Multimillion dollar decisions based off of some
  results
• VCU needed TS values for an Oyster Restoration
  Project

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Job DescriptionTesting For

• Alkalinity
• Volatile Acids

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Filtering and Distilling

• Filter select samples to prepare for alkalinity
  test
• Use distilling racks to prepare for acidity
  test
• Titrate

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Job Description

• Total Suspended Solids Assistant

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Assistant Duties

• Check oven and fridge temps
• Calibrate Equipment
• Weigh Filters
• Enter Data

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Long Day
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Valuable Experience

• New respect for waste water treatment
• Good pay
• Dont Assume
• The lab is not the place for me

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Special Thanks!

• Patty Lee Lab Manager
• Co-workers at HRSD
• Dr. Schaus