New grant program intended to help alleviate shortage of water, wastewater operators

As communities across southern Minnesota experience a shortage of water and wastewater treatment operators, help is on the way in the form of a new training program at Riverland Community College, funded by a grant approved by the Minnesota Legislature.

Championed by the Southeastern Minnesota League of Cities, a three-year, $350,000 appropriation approved as part of this year’s Jobs and Economic Development Omnibus bill will enable the creation of such a training program at Riverland’s main campus in Austin.

Currently, the nearest training program for wastewater and water treatment operators is located all the way up in Alexandria, posing a difficult challenge for Southern Minnesotans who wish to take the course and local cities expected to foot the bill for sending their staff there.

While the SMLC represents only communities in the Southeast Minnesota region, including Rice and Steele counties but not points further west. Executive Director Brenda Johnson said that towns all across Southern Minnesota are excited to see the training added in Austin.

“Riverland is really a perfect location for this,” Johnson said. “We have cities interested in this and wanting it to happen all the way over to Luverne.”

Currently, Johnson said that many cities that post an opening for a wastewater or water treatment operator are lucky to get even one qualified candidate. With many operators nearing retirement age, city leaders are worried that the shortages will only increase.

The appropriation will also be used to help promote the two new programs at workforce centers throughout the region. Johnson said there is a clear need to increase awareness of the stable and quality career available to wastewater and water treatment plant operators.

“We’re working with all of the workforce centers throughout southern Minnesota, so that when they have someone come in and say ‘I need to change careers, I want to try to find something different,’ they can say ‘here’s something you may not have considered.’”

The new water and wastewater treatment programs will follow the guidelines set by their respective governing agencies — the Minnesota Department of Health for water treatment, and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for wastewater treatment facilities.

As a member of both the State and Local Government and Veterans Affairs Committee and the Capital Investment Committee, local Sen. John Jasinski, R-Faribault, authored the Senate version of the bill at SMLC’s request.

When he was mayor of Faribault, Jasinski said that the city benefited from the outstanding work of several longtime water and wastewater treatment officials, including wastewater superintendent Henry Morgan who has racked up nearly 50 years of experience.

However, Jasinski said that as he traveled the state on bonding tours, it became clear that many communities, especially those in southern Minnesota, were having a particularly difficult time finding quality staff to run water and wastewater treatment facilities.

While both Jasinski and the House author of the bill, Rep. Patricia Mueller of Austin, are both Republicans, they were able to build up bipartisan support. Both the House and Senate bills ultimately picked up one DFL co-sponsor, Rep. Jeff Brand, of St. Peter, and Sen. Heather Gustafson, of Vadnais Heights, along with several GOP co-authors.

Jasinski said that addressing the shortage of wastewater and water treatment facility workers was a priority for legislators in both parties, though some legislators needed to be reassured that the program as structured would not lead to higher than necessary administrative costs.

Brand, who serves as Vice Chair of the House’s Workforce Development Committee, said that even though the bill may have been Republican-led, it was an easy decision to support it given the shortage of qualified candidates for water and wastewater treatment operator openings throughout the region.

Though the grant represented a fiscal commitment in a year when the legislature had little money to spend, Brand said that recent flooding throughout the region has highlighted the absolute necessity of having excellent wastewater and water treatment operators on the job.

“These folks are working extra hours right now, and I really thank them for the work they’re doing,” Brand said. “You have to provide clean water, so these are necessary jobs to fill.”