GUC’s Smooth Operators made us look good once again at the Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition & Conference (WEFTC), which is the largest international water and wastewater conference of its kind held in North America.  

During the first week in October, our Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) Smooth Operators represented GUC and NC One Water (our state member association) at the WEFTEC Operations Challenge. To showcase how wastewater treatment operators and technicians overcome challenges and emergencies, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) developed what is considered the industry’s most rigorous professional development program through the Challenge. This year, a total of 56 teams from around the world competed in the 37th WEFTEC Operations Challenge in New Orleans, LA. 

GUC’s Smooth Operators includes Chris Hill, Bryon Orr, Kyle Meeks, Steve Hedgepeth and Adam Garris. They competed against others in five different events: Collections Systems, Laboratory, Process Control, Pump Maintenance, and Safety. Each event is designed to test the diverse skills required for the operations/maintenance of wastewater treatment facilities, collection systems, and laboratories.   

Congrats to our team for coming in 1st place for the top Division 1 Collections Systems event. This year, they competed against 11 teams to earn the number one spot! This is the second year they have placed 1st in Collections for Division 1. 

“We have a unique group of guys on our team, and I’m really proud of them,” said Team Captain Bryon Orr. “Three years ago, when they announced us as the winners of Division III, they said we were the team to watch out for. The next year, we were announced as the team that has climbed the fastest to Division I. It’s been quite the experience.”