When I finished my university studies at Penn State in 1974, the first order of business was to find a job, and jobs were not plentiful at that time. After working part-time for several months, I was offered a position as a Chemical Technician/Operator at the City of Philadelphia Water Dept. Belmont Filtration Plant. And I remember my Chief Operator, Johnny Laspina, telling me that my principal role was to ensure that the water that our plant produced was safe to drink, that I was a key element in maintaining the health and safety of nearly 1 million people. That was the moment that I became a water person.
Since that time, I have had many positions from Analytical Chemist to Water Quality Superintendent to Applications Chemist to Water Process Engineer and Field Engineer. I earned a Masters degree from Villanova University and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. I traveled throughout the US and had the opportunity to live in Australia, Chile and Canada. I have been involved in the American Water Works Association as a chair of two committees and a member of several more.
For most of my 40-year career, I worked exclusively with drinking water. As an analytical chemist, my team began the early gas chromatography work with purge and trap for measuring trihalomethane concentration. I have seen the turbidity standard go from 1 NTU to the current 0.3 NTU. I have seen similar improvements in many other contaminants. And I was always happy to be a part of the process of maintaining and improving the health of the public through the water supply.
Now I am back working with municipalities in California and Arizona, mostly on seawater desalination and advanced water treatment for recycle of waste water. I am a contributor to the Water Equation at AWWA, and I recommend that everyone take a look at the program and see if they can find a way to give so others can drink safe water.