Page 18 - News On 7 July 2021

ETHAN GRIFFITH HAS BEEN
FEATURED IN INFLUENTS MAGAZINE!
Working as an operator for the Municipality of Marmora and Lake means
having the opportunity to interact with all facets of water and wastewater
on a daily basis. "We all have our hands in a bit of everything, every day,"
says Ethan Griffith one of four operators - including the manager - Low Water (Drought) Response Purpose And Objectives
responsible for two wastewater and two water systems. The systems Crowe Valley Conservation Authority
include a package plant with extended aeration, a tertiary filter and UV
disinfection. About 30 houses are on a septic tank system.
Griffith's day usually starts at the water plant where he conducts a SCADA This program recognizes that water management needs to be
review after completing his rounds of the systems. ln the afternoon, he approached in a coordinated manner at both the provincial and
gets together with one of the operators to do "whatever needs to be done," local level. The provincial role is to provide overall direction
through policies and guidelines, central information storage and
whether that involves pulling pumps for wastewater, performing analysis and emergency support. At the local level, the Crowe
maintenance, or working on water leak detection, among other tasks. "It Valley Conservation Authority (CVCA) is responsible for
just depends on the day," says Griffith. monitoring levels, information collection and program delivery
That variety is one of the things he enjoys the most about his work. "You to support the Crowe Valley Watershed Water Response Team
are always learning," he explains. "You can delve deeper into what kind of (WRT), which comprised of a number of representatives from
bugs are in your aeration, what makes a pump tick, and what kind of various sectors in the Crowe Valley watershed.
troubleshooting you need to do. It's really fun to understand what is The purpose of the Water Response Team (WRT) is to
happening at the plants. And you get to work outside, which is always a coordinate the activities of water management agencies
with respect to dissemination of information, analysis
bonus." One of his favourite parts of the work is unclogging a pump, and response to water events, especially in the event of a
something he describes as "wildly satisfying." severe drought.
With the wide variety of work involved with his position, it is not surprising To read more go to www.crowevalley.com
that Griffith has been continuously building his skills and earning
certifications in both water and wastewater since starting as an operator-
in-training in 2015. He currently has a Level 3 in Wastewater Treatment, a
Level 2 in Water Treatment, a Level 2 in Wastewater Collection and a Level
1 in Distribution.
Griffith's first exposure to the water and wastewater industry was in high
school when he completed a one-week work placement at the City of
Kawartha Lakes.
"It was always in the back of my mind that it would be a pretty good job,"
he recalls. However, after graduation, he went to work in factory near his
home town of Coboconk. Then at a weekend wedding, after spending time
with friends who were working in the utilities sector, Griffith decided to
enroll in the Durham College Water Quality Technician Program. Diploma
in hand, he was hired to cover a maternity leave at the Town of Severn,
then one at the Municipality of Marmora and Lake, where he soon
transitioned to the full-time permanent position he has held for the past
five years.
Last year, he was assigned to lead the water meter replacement project for
the town. Altogether, his team replaced meters in more than 670 houses in
town with new radio-frequency-equipped units. "Now you just have to
drive around town to read the metres," says Griffith. "What used to take
three to four days now takes 20 to 30 minutes." In the water and
wastewater industry, technology is always changing, which is one of the
reasons Griffith has been attending the annual Eastern Ontario Water
Conference. It can be challenging to keep up with new technology just as it
can be to keep up with new problems in the systems as they emerge.
"No situations are ever the same," he says. "They may have the same effect
but the root cause is always different. You have to be adaptable and not
assume that the same problem is the same issue."
Griffith is eager to continue learning and hopes that one day he will have the
opportunity to become a manager. Until then, he is happy to continue
working and living in his new home town.