Today we’re doing a new feature for our blog and showcasing one of our Bachelors of Applied Science in Sustainable Practices (BASSP) alumni, Jeffrey Miller. Jeff graduated in the spring of 2018, and is now working as a Water Quality Technician for the Alderwood Water & Wastewater District. He had been working with Alderwood previously, and interned with different departments with connections to his bachelor’s program, including the water quality division.
“Basically, the water quality division is insuring that the water distribution system is providing safe reliable drinking water to its customers,” says Jeff. “Some of my more important job duties include water samples collection that I grab from out in the field each week, maintain valves and water mains, and customer interaction. The samples I take go to a lab and analyze them to make sure they’re within safe drinking levels.”
On a day to day basis, he finds himself doing a wide variety of little things, and that’s part of what he enjoys at the job. His work is a good blend for field and office/lab work. Often he works with a GIS system for water distribution pressure zones, and coordinates where flushes or water main maintenance work needs to be done. Some days he spends a good amount of time speaking with customers, and about their internal water quality concerns, which is one of his favorite activities, to help them be aware of potential issues. “Interpersonal relationships are super important, and I really enjoyed that part of my capstone project where I was able to talk to people, bring them together,” he recalled. His other main activity he enjoys is working on the chlorine production system. It’s a secondary disinfection system, to make sure that the a chlorine residual is maintained throughout the district.
Jeff joined the BASSP program in in 2016 and worked full time while at Cascadia. He says that one of the ways he got his internships and found his enjoyment for water quality testing was to just “push yourself out there proactively and go for it.” He felt that in the end, it was worth the challenge of balancing school and work to try new things which now lead to his career – “the [BASSP] program was a valuable experience, being put into a place where I had to find an internship and try something new. Working with the cohort was a really valuable experience too, now I have lifelong friends.”
The Alderwood district has over 100 million gallons of drinking water in storage for a 3 day supply. Each day, they pump about 40 million gallons. “People don’t realize that there’s about 140 employees helping ensure that we have safe drinkable water at your tap.”
Jeff got his start with water quality testing with Cascadia’s water quality testing project – funded by a King County WTD Waterworks Grant. The project, “Student Lead Solutions to Stormwater Problems” taught students about water quality sample collection and testing, as well as data tracking and lab work. The project completed in 2019, but Cascadia has applied for a new grant for continued water quality testing and installation of remediation structures for stormwater in the 58-acre restored wetland. Professor and intrepid guru John VanLeer still leads internships with Assistant Director Stephan Classen for lab work and water quality testing on the campus. We’re working on building connections and opportunities for our students interested in water quality testing in the wetlands – from workshops to meeting water quality staff from government agencies.
Thank you all for reading today! If you’d like to learn more about the BASSP program, please feel free to email us at bas@cascadia.edu, and find more information on our website!
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