Comments on CertificationAuthor(s): Ernest HamiltonSource: Sewage and Industrial Wastes, Vol. 31, No. 5 (May, 1959), p. 610Published by: Water Environment FederationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25033890 .

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610- SEWAGE AND INDUSTRIAL WASTES May 1959

Out of the 105 operators questioned, 54 said "yes" and the same 41 who said "no" in answer to Question 1 said "no" to this question.

10. Should certification be on a

state-wide or national basis ?

In 117 out of 120 cases the answer was "state-wide." However, it seems

that these same 117 felt that minimum

requirements in the various states should be uniform so there would be less difficulty with reciprocity.

III. COMMENTS ON CERTIFICATION

By Ernest Hamilton

Superintendent, Sewers and Sewage Treatment, Boulder, Colo.

It would seem today, with the cost of treatment facilities so high, there

would be no hesitation to hire qualified operators. But many times this is not the case. Political considerations, lack of qualified individuals, and low sal

aries, singly or in combination, come

into play and work against efficient

sewage treatment. Fortunately, state

wide operator certification can prevent unreliable and uneconomical treatment.

Certification, though, cannot be in voked overnight, it takes time and

work.

Some states have started out with

compulsory programs and others have made the transition from a voluntary plan. Still others find that a voluntary program alone is extremely beneficial. No matter what the final result, all successful plans have had a great deal of support before their first certifica tion scheme went into effect. Out-dis

tancing one's support can lead to trouble.

In Colorado, a quick trip to the legis lature with a mandatory plan resulted in a disappointing set-back. Conse

quently, Colorado today does not yet have a plan in force. It is hoped that before too long voluntary certification will be in effect, but even the proposed voluntary plan still lacks the full sup

port of the League of Municipalities. Most work on certification must be

done at the state level. However, this

does not mean that assistance cannot be

rendered at the national level. More

over, there is a strong need for such

assistance and the first step in getting this help is to support the work of

the Federation's Operator's Qualifica tions Committee by keeping it informed

of certification progress and develop ments.

TIPS AND QUIPS For the Man Who Doesn't

Have Everything

When you travel with children few

sights are as pleasant as a clean-look

ing filling station. Now we have good news for parade-watching, agonized par

ents who are equipped with shoulder

sitting offspring?a mobile comfort

station.

The unit is of all-aluminum con

struction and is made from corrugated truck skin and standard body sections.

The station is 36 ft long, 8 ft wide, and stands 8 ft 9 in. high. Over-all

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