Students in Niagara College’s Environmental Technician – Field and Laboratory (Co-op) program took part in a hands-on Operation of Conventional Treatment Processes (OCTP) training session at the Walkerton Clean Water Centre. The three-day course gave students the chance to operate, monitor and troubleshoot a pilot conventional drinking water treatment plant. Students monitored basic water quality parameters
and worked with on-line, bench-top, and handheld analyzers.
Environmental Technician co-op program student, Lindsay Taylor, talked about her experience with the course offered by the Walkerton Clean Water Centre. Taylor explained that it was “an exceptional compliment” to an entry-level course in her NC program.
“OCTP course brought to life the concepts we learnt about disinfection and maintaining water quality. For example, we explored the concept of breakpoint chlorination and other critical chlorine disinfection information through in-class training and a group-based lab activity. This combination allowed students the time and
space to engage thoughtfully with the material and safely make mistakes,”
Taylor felt the course was great preparation for her career . “I look forward to using the technical
skills I gained out of the OCTP course as a future drinking water operator and Environmental Technician/Scientist,” she said in a release.
