Poo Plant Diary: Week 4

I knew today would be an interesting day at the poo plant when I heard on NPR that global warming protesters would be out in a snowstorm in D.C. Irony you might say.

This was a basic Monday. Most people were in a bad mood, and I just starting finding things to do. At some point one of my coworkers told the secretary that she had the air conditioning too cold and people were getting sick because of it. Oh boy, that started a day long fuss about who is changing the settings and who should be. The conversation was brought up on our two way radios for all to hear. This led to an impromptu "safety" meeting about how people can get sick at work.

I am not in the building long enough to care. If it's hot, I leave. If it's cold, I have a jacket. This stupid issue was carried throughout the day. When the secretary left, she was said something about how difficult it was to work here.

I am starting to settle in at the new job. I actually have been sent to do various tasks around the plant on my own. I am not aloud to make any changes to the plant or process without direct supervision. I work in teams and on my own.

Today, my boss said there was a "grease log" at the influent headworks (where the poop comes in the plant). In a sewage system there is grease, oils, and other things that are sticky and float. This crap can build up in pipes leading up to the plant and then form a large plug, partially blocking the flow of the pipe, much like a clogged artery. Anyways, it turned out to be no big deal. We broke it up with high pressure water hoses and went about normal business.

It's easy to be humble when a mixture of hose water and sewage splashes you in the face. You quickly learn to keep your mouth shut while doing these things.