Palm Coast, FL – Palm Coast Utility Department’s national-champion “Water Buoys” team won its 11th Top Ops State Championship on April 25, winning the title after a hard-fought contest against four other water treatment teams from around Florida.
Team members Fred Greiner (captain), Tom Martens, Peter Roussell and Jim Hogan (coach) correctly answered more questions than any other team competing at the annual Florida Water Resource Conference (FWRC) in West Palm Beach. FWRC is a joint conference of the American Water Works Association, The Florida Water Environment Association (FWEA), and the Florida Water and Pollution Control Operators Association (FWPCOA).
Questions in this competition covered a broad range of operational topics including basic science, chemistry, hydrology, water distribution, public health and sanitation, plant maintenance, safety and process control. The annual contest recognizes and promotes excellence in all aspects of water operations, giving operators the opportunity to showcase their knowledge and talents. The Palm Coast team has won the state championship for 11 of the past 13 years.
“The Top Ops team is excited to win another state title, and now we’re preparing for nationals, where we hope to defend our national title,” said Hogan, Palm Coast Utility Systems Manager of Water Operation. “The competition is fast-paced and covers all technical aspects of water treatment. The team is dedicated and driven, and this gives us the opportunity to stay on the cutting edge of advancements in our industry. That benefits the citizens of Palm Coast by having a better, more motivated and highly trained operating staff for the City’s water treatment plants.”
The Top Ops Team, which won both the Florida and the national competitions last year, will compete for the top national honors at the American Water Works Association Annual Conference and Exposition (ACE) to be held in Philadelphia in June. Since 2005, the Water Buoys have won the national competition six times – including in 2016.
The Florida Section of the AWWA awards expense-paid trips to the winners of the state competition, so no City funds will be used toward the national competition. Team members pay for the competition out of their own pockets and then receive financial reimbursement from the Florida Section.
The opportunity to attend the conference, and even practice for the competition, has a major pay-off for the Palm Coast community, Hogan said.
“The educational aspects of Top Ops cannot be understated,” Hogan said. “The Water Buoys study relevant technical manuals and practice for the competition all year long. The team members then impart their knowledge to the operational staff in regularly scheduled, in-house training sessions.”
For more information, please contact Jim Hogan, City of Palm Coast Utility Systems Manager of Water Operations, at 386-986-2374.
Photo courtesy Kunst Bilder and Shutterstock.com.
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