A wastewater inspection appeared to expose a failed treatment program—until Trace checked where the sample had been collected. For Industrial Water Week 2026: Wastewater Thursday, Trace Blackmore, CWT, connects correct sampling, water reuse, and careful troubleshooting with the decisions water treaters make every day.
Check the sample location before drawing conclusions
In an early-career account, a plant operator faced a threatened shutdown after an inspector’s sample produced out-of-spec results. Trace reviewed logs, spoke with the engineer, and tested two locations. The inspector had sampled before treatment rather than at the correct downstream location.
Trace then showed the customer both results and asked the inspector where he had sampled. That curious, factual approach corrected the misunderstanding without blame. The customer also recognized the need to escort unfamiliar inspectors so they could collect samples from the right place.
Recover water, nutrients, and energy
Returning guest Dr. Veronika Zhiteneva of Waterloop Solutions describes wastewater plants as future resource recovery plants, reclaiming water, nutrients, and energy. Kalpna Solanki, president and CEO of GAMECHANGERS Inc., shares reuse examples from British Columbia: treated effluent for snowmaking, biosolids composted with sawdust, and reclaimed water for toilet flushing and rooftop irrigation at the Vancouver Convention Center West.
Together, their greetings shift attention toward what treatment can recover and where reclaimed water can serve another purpose.
Investigate the disappearing hardness
In the fictional Detective H2O story, The Case of the Disappearing Act, an operator measures 2–3 ppm total hardness leaving a softener, yet the feedwater tests soft. After checking condensate return, repeating the analyses, and walking the process, the detective finds that the feedwater sample point sits downstream of EDTA injection.
The case explains how chelant can complex calcium and magnesium before the hardness test, leaving a blue indication even when hardness has passed the softener. The resolution is to investigate the softener’s leakage and turn the operator’s observations into training and procedures.
Share the work behind Wastewater Thursday
Trace invites listeners to photograph their favorite wastewater equipment safely, wear appropriate PPE, and share the photo with #IWW26. He also recommends Episode 444 for last year’s Wastewater Thursday Detective H2O story and invites mystery-voice guesses on LinkedIn before Careers Friday’s reveal.
Check the sample location, verify the data, and understand the process before drawing conclusions. Those habits support clearer decisions and more useful conversations with customers and colleagues.
Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge!
Timestamps
02:20 — Trace explains how wastewater treatment gives used water another life through treatment and reuse.
03:50 — A threatened plant shutdown introduces a sampling story that shows why an out-of-spec result needs investigation.
06:10 — Trace discovers that the inspector sampled before treatment, changing the interpretation of the reported results.
08:50 — Trace explains how curiosity and questions helped resolve the dispute and build trust with the inspector.
09:50 — Veronika Zhiteneva describes recovering water, nutrients, and energy rather than using new resources for the same purposes.
10:30 — Kalpna Solanki reframes wastewater as a resource and shares examples of treated-effluent and biosolids reuse.
11:40 — Kalpna describes reclaimed water at the Vancouver Convention Center West and discusses the future of water reclamation.
13:00 — Trace introduces the fictional Detective H2O case, The Case of the Disappearing Act, involving a water softener.
23:50 — Trace invites mystery-voice guesses on LinkedIn and recommends Episode 444 for another Wastewater Thursday story.
24:40 — Trace asks listeners to share a wastewater-equipment photo with #IWW26 while wearing PPE and working safely.
27:40 — Trace previews Careers Friday celebrations and mentions a water cake recipe for teams interested in trying it.
Connect with Dr. Veronika Zhiteneva
Email: [email protected]
Website: Home – Waterloop Solutions
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vzhiteneva/
Connect with Kalpna Solanki
Email: [email protected]
Website: GAMECHANGERS Inc. | Strategy Development And Implementation
LinkedIn: Kalpna Solanki MBA | LinkedIn
GAMECHANGERS Inc.: Overview | LinkedIn
Links Mentioned
AWT (Association of Water Technologies)
Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses
Industrial Water Week Scaling UP H2O Resource Page
459 — From Wastewater to Resource: Water Reuse with Dr. Veronika Zhiteneva
355 — Backflow Prevention: Safeguarding Water Quality
481 — From Waterfalls to SOPs: Building Better Utilities with Kalpna Solanki
389 — Industrial Water Week 2024: Careers Friday
445 — Industrial Water Week 2025: Careers Friday
This episode made possible through our valued partners at
Connor Hannahran