Essential Workers Strut their Skills

As part of the competition, teams responded to a leaking pipe and repaired it while it remained in service.

The Operations Challenge is the wastewater industry’s premier skills competition for wastewater resource recovery facility personnel, kind of an “Operators Olympics.” Plant operators participate in an intense (but always friendly) competition to showcase the expertise required to operate and maintain New York City’s 14 Wastewater Resource Recovery Facilities. We have a proud history of participating since 1987, but this year, due to the ongoing COVID pandemic, the annual competition was reshaped as a virtual event with teams competing remotely. This presented unique obstacles to organizing and competing in the way to which we are accustomed.

Due to the ongoing COVID pandemic, the annual competition was reshaped as a virtual event with teams competing remotely.

Through a lot of hard work, planning, and creativity on the part of the Water Environment Federation and NY Water Environment Association staff and volunteers, we were able to navigate a multitude of technical issues and modification of the events to make it work. We hosted the competition for our teams at our Rockaway Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility, in Queens.

As part of the event, teams performed tests on water samples to determine if it met discharge standards.

The 27 teams competing on the (virtual) national stage battled it out in three categories:

• Process Event: Teams answered two computer-based components; the simulator with both steady-state and dynamic process questions, as well as the newly developed multiple-choice portion for this event
• Laboratory Event: Teams perform tests on water samples to determine if it meets discharge standards
• Collections Event: Teams respond to a leaking pipe and repair it while it remains in service

Left: The Rockway Sludge Hustlers place fourth nationwide; Right: The Bowery Bay Coyotes placed tenth nationwide.

Once the dust settled, our Rockaway Plant Team, the Sludge Hustlers, comprised of Bobby Ferland, Ray Antenucci, Yu-Tung Chan, and Bobby Ortiz, finished fourth nationwide! The Bowery Bay Plant Team, the Coyotes, made up of Christopher Reyes, Anthony Quadrino,Yue Yue Guo, and Michael Prats, placed tenth!

A sincere congrats to those who participated in this year’s unique competition, much appreciation to everyone who tuned in online to watch, and a heartfelt thanks to those who made it happen, including Kevin McCormick, Howard Robinson, William Grandner, and Larry Brincat.