“Document everything.” Spring startup season exposes more than operational stress. It also reveals what happened months earlier when systems were laid up poorly, maintenance steps were skipped, or warning signs …
469 ABMA: The Oldest Association Meets Today’s Challenges
Boiler performance rarely depends on a single decision. It depends on design, controls, maintenance, workforce capability, and, as this conversation makes clear, the quality of water treatment. Scott Lynch and …
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468 Born into Water Treatment: Tom Brandvold on AWT’s Origin Story and a Life in the Industry
Tom Brandvold, CWT, has lived industrial water treatment from the inside out. In this conversation, he traces that path from sweeping floors and running sample bottles as a kid to …
467 From PhD to Pump Rooms: Jake Elliott on Wastewater, Efficiency, and Saying “Yes” Wisely
What happens when a water chemist leaves the lab and heads to the pump room? Dr. Jake Elliott knows firsthand. A former PhD researcher who studied resource recovery from trade‑waste customers, Jake …
466 Stories, Math, and “Never Again” Moments: Inside AWT Technical Training with Dan Merritt (Part 2)
AWT’s in‑person technical training is a keystone for developing competent water treaters. Yet classroom knowledge only matters when it survives the drive home and emerges later in the field. In this second …
464 Corrosion Coupons, Brand Building, and Having Fun at Trade Shows with Will Ritter
“Don’t be afraid to say I don’t know. – Will Ritter” Corrosion is expensive, relentless, and easy to underestimate—until a “lasagna battery” turns aluminum foil green and reminds you what …
463 Mapping the Future of Water Innovation with Paul O’Callaghan
“If you say something over and over often and enough, it becomes true because perception is reality.” Paul O’Callaghan has built a career at the intersection of water science, wastewater …
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462 From Lab Chemist to Field Mentor: Water, Culture, and Representation
Industrial water work rewards people who can move between precision and practicality. Katie Holliday brings both. She started as a lab chemist, then transitioned into field service with Apex Water and Process, where …
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461 Corrosion, Lead, and Algae: New Tools for Old Water Problems
Corrosion rarely announces itself as a “big water problem.” It shows up as leaching at the tap, residual loss in the field, premature equipment replacement, and the slow, expensive erosion of decision-quality. …
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460 Building Boiler Talent: Fundamentals, Online Training, and Better Partnerships with Eric Johnson
Boilers can feel intimidating the first time you step into a boiler room—the heat, the noise, the pressure gauge, and the weight of knowing that mistakes can be costly. Trace …