Don’t Pick on Ed

To the editor:

I enjoyed reading the column, “Are You Certified?” (“From the Editor,” MSW, November 2009). What was being urged (certification of sewer workers) is an essential element of professional development in this day and age.

However, I must object to the use of the name “Ed Norton” to imply that such people are anything other than hard workers, essential, and well trained for the work they are asked to do.

Quite to the contrary, without the “Ed Nortons” of the world, past and present, in today’s or yesterday’s sewer maintenance field, we would indeed be in a world of trouble. Their presence continues to be vital to the operation and maintenance of our sewer systems, and thus, to the health and well-being of our citizens, customers and the environment.

Yes, further education and training will always be important and should definitely be encouraged. At the same time, however, don't knock the individuals whose efforts, in the almost always uninviting or dangerous atmospheres of our sewer systems, continue to be fundamental to the effective, efficient and environmentally sound operation of those systems — all without certifications listed on their resumes.

Jon C. Schladweiler, P.E.

Retired



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