Andrew M. Weist Operation & Maintenance Award Program

Congratulations to the Albany County Sewer District South Wastewater Treatment Facility and the Village of Waterville Wastewater Treatment Facility in Oneida County for winning this year's New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Andrew M. Weist Operation and Maintenance Excellence Awards. The NYSDEC Division of Water selection committee selected the Albany County South Wastewater Treatment Facility as the winner of the Large Advanced Treatment Category and the Village of Waterville Wastewater Treatment Facility as the winner in the Small Advanced Treatment Category.

The NYSDEC Andrew M. Weist O&M Excellence Award recognizes these wastewater treatment facilities for their quality operation and exemplary record of compliance. The award acknowledges the efforts of staff and municipal leaders for their dedication and professionalism.

The award was founded in 1996. In 1999 the award was renamed in memory of Andrew M. Weist. Andy worked at DEC for over 32 years and spent over 15 years as the section chief of the Facility Operations Assistance Section before retiring in 1995. Andy's commitment to excellence in operation of wastewater treatment facilities and operator training was not only recognized at the state level, but also at the national level. This award has now become very special to us at NYSDEC, in particular to the Division of Water.

Winners are selected in categories based upon their size and degree of wastewater treatment they provide. The categories are detailed in the chart below.

Categories for the Andrew M. Weist Operation & Maintenance Award
Category	1.0 mgd or Less	1.1 to 10.0 mgd	10.1 mgd or More
Secondary Treatment	Small (S-S)	Medium (M-S)	Large (L-S)
Advanced Treatment	Small (S-A)	Medium (M-A)	Large (L-A)

A plant should be included in the secondary treatment plant category if the plant's effluent is designed, and permitted 30 day average, to release up to 30 milligram per liter (mg/L) of both 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) and total suspended solids (TSS) to the surface waters, and as a minimum, remove 85% of the BOD5 and TSS from the influent. This definition, however, may not apply in some States (and plants are still eligible) that allow higher TSS limits when lagoons or trickling filters are used to provide secondary treatment, in a few states where EPA and States have agreed to a more stringent definition of secondary treatment, or where a plant has been granted a 301(h) waiver. A plant is not considered a secondary treatment plant when the effluent requirements include any of the conditions that meet the definition of advanced treatment as listed in the following paragraph.

A plant should be included in the advanced treatment plant category if the plant's effluent is designed and permitted (30 day average) to meet any one of the following conditions: a) release less than 30 milligram per liter (mg/L) of both 5 day-biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) and total suspended solids (TSS) to the surface waters, and as a minimum remove 85% of the BOD5 and TSS from the influent, (b) remove ammonia, nitrogen, or phosphorus, or (c) provide additional treatment after a secondary process using coagulation and filtration. A plant should be considered advanced even if advanced treatment applies only on a seasonal or periodic basis.

A selection committee of NYSDEC Division of Water staff determine winning facilities based on their outstanding wastewater treatment performance, innovation and management efforts that resulted in high levels of regulatory compliance. The New York State award winners will then be considered for the National EPA Awards. Any publicly owned wastewater treatment plant in New York State is eligible to be considered for the O&M Excellence Awards Program.

The selection committee will consider: demonstrated evidence of and achievements resulting from innovative and outstanding O&M programs and management, continuing high levels of effluent compliance, and the apparent difficulty to operating and maintaining the plant.(See "Selection Criteria" for more detail).

To properly evaluate all applications and verify data, it is important that a complete application, in duplicate, be submitted no later than March 21 of each year. Applications are available in early January of each year.

Thanks to all the facilities that participated in the award program this year. For further information regarding the awards, contact your NYSDEC Regional inspector or contact Gregg Gendron, NYSDEC Central Office, at (518) 402-8096.

More about Andrew M. Weist Operation & Maintenance Award Program:

Past Winners of the Andrew M. Weist Operation & Maintenance Award - Andt Weist Operation and Maintenance Awards.
Selection Criteria for Andrew M. Weist Operation & Maintenance Award - Selection Criteria for Andrew M. Weist Operation & Maintenance Award