Sometimes enough is enough

   Thirty years ago, Richard Check was vacationing with his new bride. On a drive from Boston to Quebec he asked if she'd like to see what he did for a living. When she said yes, he pulled up to a wastewater plant and gave her a grand tour. She's never entered such a facility since. After all, enough is enough.
I can relate to a degree. Even though I enjoy visiting my husband at work, the thought of touring telecommunication labs all over the country doesn't excite me a whole lot.
   But in the nearly three decades Check has been working in Gwinnett County, he hasn't been lacking for people who travel from all over the world to see what he does for a living. Recently ten Russian scientists and historians visited Gwinnett to learn about our F. Wayne Hill Water Resources Center. Check, senior project manager at FWH WRC, has delivered hundreds of lectures to professionals, school children and interested citizens (info: 770-614-2085) but this was the first lecture for which he needed an interpreter.
   For the historians, he started with the history of wastewater treatment, which began in the mid-1800's. He described how dogs and cats at various stages of decomposition were floating down the river and someone finally said enough is enough. He listed significant legislative acts, then explained the scientific aspects of his profession. His presentation included a grand tour of this state-of-the-art facility, which has won top honors nationally and is the most reliable system in the United States.
   We donned hard hats and rode vans over the 700-acre spread that sits on Financial Center Way by the Mall of Georgia. We started at the sludge pool and marveled along the way at all the tanks, pipes and tubes that process daily 20 million gallons of water, enough to fill a five story building the size of a football field. Check said they expect to triple that amount by 2005.
   For the grand finale, we stood on a giant grid and looked down at a pool of processed water that was as clear as a bottle of Stolichnaya. Through nine feet of water, we could see at the bottom a county seal and several coins as clearly as if we were holding them in our hands.
   We did lunch at the Varsity where my son Leif, a senior at Georgia Tech, joined us. He interpreted Varsity lingo for the interpreters and helped clear up real cloudy issues like the identity and career record of the football player on the Varsity logo. After lunch the guide invited me to stay for a lecture at Georgia Tech by Dr. Lou Circeo: "Pyrolysis of Municipal Solid Waste as a Source of Renewable Energy using Plasma Arc Technology".
   "Thanks, but I think I'll pass," I said.
   "Aren't you having fun?" 
   "Yeah, I'm having a blast. But enough is enough."

102203

Archive