District Employees Finish Strong in National Competition

Bowling Green, Ohio

The Northwestern Water and Sewer District (The District) announces that “Dirty Deeds”, our competitive operations team of five licensed water and wastewater operators placed thirteenth in the National Operations Challenge held in Chicago at the Water Environment Federation’s Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC).

“We are proud of the “Dirty Deeds” team and all of our water professionals at The District who care about making clean water for Northwest Ohio,” said District Superintendent Dan Wickard.

The team, made up of Claud Barringer, Brian Martikan, Tom McGrain, Jared Myers, and Todd Saums competed against 46 teams from around the nation and the world.

Teams were tested in five events that mimic water professionals’ real-world job responsibilities. The events include:

  • performing maintenance on simulated collection systems and other equipment,
  • demonstrating familiarity with laboratory procedures,
  • bringing an impaired pump station back to working condition,
  • answering process control questions and successfully troubleshooting problems in a water resource recovery facility simulation, and
  • rescuing a victim from the bottom of a manhole.

The team’s trip to Chicago was fully funded by the Ohio Water Environment Association, a non-profit, wastewater-related organization with over 2,000 members dedicated to the education, preservation, and enhancement of our most precious natural resource … WATER.