Protecting Water Sources: How Regulations, Education, and Operators Safeguard Public Health

I wanted to share a fascinating and eye-opening article I recently came across, detailing pollution concerns affecting the City of Sanford’s water source. The article, “Probe points to culprits behind chemical in Florida county’s drinking water“, not only explains where the contamination came from but also highlights the ongoing efforts to mitigate the issue and prevent further environmental damage. What really stood out to me was how this situation connects directly to the work we do every day at UF TREEO Center.

On a personal note, this story hit particularly close to home. I grew up in a town that had not one, but two Superfund sites — areas so contaminated with hazardous waste that they required long-term cleanup efforts overseen by the EPA. These sites polluted our town’s river and its drinking water wells, exposing the entire community to unsafe conditions. Many of my classmates developed rare cancers, suffered birth defects, or passed away far too young — all because profit was prioritized over people’s health. It’s a tragic reminder of what happens when companies operate unchecked and when environmental and public health protections are ignored and disregarded.

This personal experience is a big part of why I’m so proud of the work we do at UF TREEO. For nearly 50 years, we’ve trained and educated operators of water and wastewater treatment plants — the very people who work every day to ensure the safety of our drinking water and the protection of our environment. These operators are the frontline defenders of public health, and their expertise helps ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself in communities like mine. With the addition of 2 full-time instructors, TREEO Center has a ‘trifecta’ of sorts: training water treatment facility operators, water distribution system operators and backflow prevention/cross-connection control professionals.

Without strong regulations from agencies like the EPA, OSHA, FDEP, and the Department of Health — and without a well-trained workforce to uphold and implement those standards — corporations would continue to put profits first and public health second.

Thank you all for supporting TREEO’s mission. Together, we’re making sure communities have the knowledge, tools, and people needed to protect public health for generations to come.

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Meet the author

Ron entered the water and wastewater treatment field soon after graduating high school in 1983, and during the past 38+ years he has worked his way up the career ladder from Plant Mechanic/Operator Assistant to become a Treatment Plant Chief Operator, a Project Manager Intern for a worldwide operations firm, as an Education Specialist in the US Virgin Islands and as a Process Control Specialist at Hillsborough County Public Utilities Division. Ron has been employed at UF TREEO Center for more than 14 years, teaching most all the drinking water and wastewater treatment courses. Ron has also developed many online courses that are approved by the Florida DEP and many other states as plant operator exam prerequisites. Ron is an accomplished author of many laboratory and troubleshooting related articles for Treatment Plant Operator (TPO) magazine.

Ron has been a Certified Environmental Trainer (CET) and Certified Instructional Technologist (CIT) through the National Environmental, Safety and Health Training Association (NESHTA) since 1998, as well as obtaining Master Environmental, Safety and Health Trainer status in 2021.

Ron currently holds Florida Class A Wastewater Operator and Class B Drinking Water Operator licenses, and voluntary certification through the Southeast Desalting Association (SEDA) as a Membrane Treatment Plant Operator. Ron has also been a member of the Florida DEP Operator Certification Program’s Water and Wastewater Exam Review Committee since 1997.