Who keeps the waste out of water when it goes back into streams and creeks? Many do like Tracy Morgan

Chances are slim that once you flush your toilet, wash up dishes after supper or launder clothes, you don’t ponder the fate of what goes down the drain.

Tracy Marlow knows exactly where it goes – and the journey is more complicated than you might think.

A 16-year veteran at the City of Cedartown Wastewater Treatment Facility, Marlow works in a small building off Branch Street and carries out a hugely important job. She’s part of a team that takes your dirty water and makes it clean again.

In simple terms, once wastewater goes down the drain, it travels through your pipes, zooming along to the treatment plant thanks mainly to gravity. There are many areas in the City that are low-lying where gravity bottoms out and just isn’t enough. Several sewer lift stations around town come to the rescue, and the sewage gets a motorized boost and then it’s back on the way to the treatment plant. Once there, the sewage comes in to what is known as the headworks. Trash is removed and then it’s on to a large basin, where the wastewater gets cleaned up by a cocktail of digestive bacteria and oxygen, all while monitoring the proper pH balance. Then it heads to the clarifiers, where the wastewater is chlorinated, then dechlorinated and tested before being released into Cedar Creek.

A lot of precision goes in to properly treating wastewater, that’s why Marlow continues to expand her education. She just received her Wastewater Operator II Certification, a difficult task that requires great dedication, knowledge and skill. Two years of experience in a wastewater treatment plant is required before attempting to attain a Level II classification. In addition, Marlow was required to participate in two special classes – lab and advanced treatment – before clearing the final hurdle: the state exam. “It’s a pretty tough exam and I put in a lot of study time on it,” Marlow said. “Since I have my class II now, I want to go for class I certification. I will probably give myself about six months of preparation for that,” she said.

Wastewater Operator I is the highest level of education you can attain in the State of Georgia, Marlow explained. It requires additional years of experience and a final exam that covers advanced treatment topics, lab work and analysis, troubleshooting and management.

In addition to her wastewater certifications, Marlow is also certified to work in the water lab facility at Big Spring Park – that’s where the City’s drinking water comes from.

Marlow wants to branch out and learn additional tasks at the water plant as well. “Previously, we’ve not had much chance to cross-train across wastewater and water, and now, that’s being encouraged. It gives us different opportunities and challenges and I really like that,” she said. “After I get my Wastewater I Classification, I plan on going after Water Operator Classifications III, II and I.”

To City Manager Bill Fann, that sounds like a perfect plan. “We are encouraging our employees to cross-train across similar departments. It makes for a stronger and more knowledgeable staff. Tracy is very focused on increasing her education and earning different classifications and that’s something we as a City are very proud of. She’s a great example of an employee that shows determination and drive.”

Though she keeps quite busy at both the wastewater and the water plant, Marlow does find time