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WEF's Water Heroes

Meet WEF's Newest Water Hero

ShirleyBurger.jpgName: Shirley Burger
Title: Water Reclamation Facility Supervisor
Location: Village of Bloomingdale, Illinois
Years in water quality: 32 years
WEF Member Association: Illinois Water Environment Association

Why are you a water quality professional? I personally saw the pollution that had occurred growing up in the Western PA region and knew that those conditions had to stop. The factory outfalls, mining and local run off to name a few were damaging most of the small rivers and streams and causing an unsightly backdrop to our environment. I knew somehow I would be involved in creating a solution.

What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? Informing the public and teaching our children that they can make a difference, I always remember that the water we use today is the water our children use tomorrow. I am making sure that every drop of water that leaves our facility is the best quality it can be.

What is a Water Hero?

Water Heroes are the everyday professionals who protect public health and the environment by cleaning the world’s water day after day.  WEF's acknowledgment of Water Heroes is our way of saying thank you to those who work to improve water quality - we appreciate all that you do!

Below are all of the Water Heroes who have been featured on WEF's homepage.  If you would like to nominate a Water Hero, please email with the nominee's name and email address.

SterlingLee.jpgName: Sterling Lee
Title: Operations Assistant Superintendent
Location: San Antonio River Authority, San Antonio Texas
Years in water quality: 23 years

Why are you a water quality professional? As water quality professionals, we provide a valuable public service to the communities that we serve. While the job is not the most glamorous lots of times, it’s the most rewarding for me. Knowing that I am responsible for the proper treatment of water that will be safe for down stream users, and to provide quality water to enhance our aquatic life for generations to come is something we all could be proud of.

What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? During my 23 years, we’ve been fortunate to have won several plant of the year awards and an EPA excellence award, but those pale in comparison to the strides made as water quality professionals. One of the most pleasurable moments is going out to speak to people about the importance of water quality standards. Every Friday I am afforded the privilege to speak to operators at a training session and impress on them their responsibly to carry on the achievements that have been made in this business into the future. I feel it is our responsibility to pass our knowledge on to the up and coming water quality professionals of the future.

Lyndallresize.JPGName: Danny Lyndall
Title: Operations Manager, Daphne Utilities
Location: Daphne, Alabama
Years in water quality: 5+ years

Why are you a water quality professional? Growing up on the Gulf Coast of Alabama, I have spent my entire life around the water where I have cultivated a passion for conservation, environmental issues and ecology. For most of my career I have worked as a site contractor, always keenly aware of and cognizant of the dangers of stormwater runoff. Five years ago, I began working at Daphne Utilities. Here, I have found a company which allows me the opportunity to put my strengths and passion to work every day ensuring clean, quality water to all citizens of this community and treating wastewater to the highest standards in protection of our beautiful Mobile Bay.

What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? Like many people along the coast and across the country, I was horrified and saddened by the damage caused by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. However, I was honored to serve on Alabama Governor Riley’s Coastal Recovery Commission to help rebuild our coast. As a member of the CRC Infrastructure Sub-Committee, I helped develop the guidelines to identify infrastructure projects which meet the CRC’s criteria for Coastal Recovery, Resiliency, Transformation, Regionalism and Economic Diversification. I am proud to be a resident of the Alabama Gulf Coast and even more proud to be a part of the recovery and rebuilding of our area.

Cordell SamuelsName: Cordell Samuels
Title: Plant Superintendent
Location: Duffin Creek WPCP, Pickering, Ontario, Canada
Years in water quality: 28 years

Why are you a water quality professional? In this field we get to provide safe clean water today and if we do our jobs right protect the waters for the future. It is exciting to be a part of that.

What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? I have been involved in several innovative changes at the plants that I have worked in, which has improved the way we treat water. In the City of Toronto where I worked for 22 years before joining the Region of Durham, I introduced the idea of using Sludge Retention Time (SRT) control to manage the Aeration System at one of the largest plants in the Province. This was pilot tested and installed over the entire plant eventually. Plant performance improved, and costs were reduced. Another area of satisfaction to me has been working with new employees young people and students, in the area of training them in the operation of a complex treatment plant. It has been especially gratifying to see how they have taken on the responsibilities, and in most cases improved upon what they were taught. I believe that the industry is in good hands from what I am seeing.

Wylie Henderson.JPGName: Wylie C. Henderson WWTP IV/ PMT IV
Title: Hangtown Creek WRF Plant Superintendent
Location: Placerville, Ca.
Years in water quality: 14+ years

Why are you a water quality professional? The satisfaction of knowing that I have helped to improve the environment for the existing life forms and also helped set a standard towards the overall objective of a continued cleaning of the waterways for the future generations.

What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? The experience gathered to which I have been a team member during three different plant expansions, most noticeable the Hangtown Creek Water Reclamation Facility project due to the highly sucessful end product.

Bob Griffin.pngName: Robert L. Griffin, P.E.
Title: Senior Project Engineer Shield Engineering, Inc.
Charlotte, NC
Years in water quality: 35 years

Why are you a water quality professional? I have always had an interest in the environment, growing up in what used to be a rural area of North Carolina and after reading Silent Spring and the Environmental Law Handbook in college I was convinced that I could help save the planet.  My goals have been tempered somewhat by age and reality but I love the people in our industry and the concept that in some small way I may have helped or taught someone who might help in the future thrills me.

What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? After twenty years as a utility employee and 15 years as a consultant, my biggest achievement has to be that I have, through WEF and North Carolina AWWA-WEA, been given the opportunity to train literally thousands of operators, managers, and pretreatment coordinators. Through this training I hope that I have demonstrated a passion for the Water Sector in general but especially for Operator Certification, Pretreatment and Security as well as all we do for public health and the environment. In some small way I hope this has given others permission to demonstrate their passion for what we do. Anyone can train on the nuts and bolts of what we do but there are many exceptional individuals in our business that are committed and passionate about wastewater treatment and the utility business. I am truly honored to have had the opportunity to meet and train so many of the great people in our industry.

Mike Hogan.JPGName: Mike T. Hogan
Title: General Manager (Retired)
Location: San Diego, CA
Years in water quality: 40 years

Why are you a water quality professional? I was born and raised in San Diego where historically 90% of the water supply is imported from outside of the county and a majority of the treated wastewater is discharged into the Pacific Ocean. Living in an arid region you learn to appreciate the challenges of managing water supplies and wastewater treatment systems. With this background along with a passion for serving the public, I committed my career to doing my part to ensure that the operation, maintenance and construction of wastewater infrastructure met the public and environmental needs of the community as well as ensure sustainability for future generations.

What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? Reflecting over my 40 year career I would say my biggest achievement is that I progressed from an 18 year old sewer construction and maintenance worker to general manager of the largest wastewater agency in San Diego County. During that time I had the pleasure of working with a wide range of professionals that shared a common commitment and passion for the water environment industry. This commitment and passion has continued in my retirement and I am currently serving on the board of directors of my community’s water district and on the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors. Additionally, I have to mention that I had the honor and privilege of serving as President of the California Water Environment Association and a member of the Executive Committee of the Water Environment Association.

BobReimers.jpgName: Robert S. (Bob) Reimers, Ph.D., Q.E.P.
Title: Professor of Sustainable Resources Management and Consultant
Location: New Orleans, LA
Years in water quality: Since conducting research in marine geochemistry at University of Texas Marine Science Institute at Port Aransas, Texas, this occurred in January 1968, which was over 40 years ago. Having been a swimmer since age seven, the studying water was an area of interest and has continued throughout my life. As a result, I entered the Environmental Health Engineering doctoral program in September of 1968 and finished my doctorate at Vanderbilt University under Dr. Peter A. Krenkel in 1973. It was Dr. Krenkel, who got me involved in the Water Environmental Federation Program Committee. In 1973, I was a research scientist at Battelle Columbus Laboratories in Columbus, Ohio from 1973 to 1975 where I was in the process technology section working on environmental process development and environmental assessment and was an adjunct assistant professor at Ohio State University where I taught course in environmental management and environmental sciences. I have been a professor at Tulane’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine since 1975 in the Sustainable Resource Management Program, which is a part of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences. This would mean that I have been the field for over 40 years.

Why are you a water quality professional? As a professor, I have been able to train professionals to assist in water quality and sustainable resource management. My doctoral students have become professors, regulators, consultants and researchers. One of my doctoral graduates was Dr. Mbela Kiyombo, who is vice chancellor of School of Public Health in the Democratic of Congo. He has trained over 5,000 professional in water quality management since 1992. In addition, my research is in sustainable resource management (more specifically in water and wastewater reuse, coastal wetland protection and restoration, innovative process development and residuals management in disinfection, stabilization, and value-product development).  Over the last 40 years, I have published 50 refereed articles, 35 book chapters and published reports, 45 refereed conference proceedings, over 90 proceedings and non-refereed articles, over 100 technical reports and over 200 professional presentations. In this period, I have directed as a principal investigator over 100 grants and contracts, which has resulted in over 15 patents.  I have been a consultant to over 60 agencies and companies. In addition, I have been active in the WEF conducting over 20 workshops while chairing the Disinfection Committee and being a delegate to the House of Delegates. By teaching and conducting this kind of research, I feel my life has made a difference.

What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? In the years after Hurricane Katrina, my most recent research with Dr. A. J. Englande has been involved through the development of the ferrate to treat secondary effluents discharged into Bayou Bienville. These studies are continuing on the wetland restoration through their grant coupled with a demonstration study through the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana Coastal Restoration and Protection Program. In this demonstration project, further work will look at the blending of disinfected/stabilized biosolids with dredged sediment to further enhance these wetlands. This work is leading the Gulf Coast in saving our wetlands by utilizing sustainable resource management while not impacting the environment and public health. In the last year due my wife’s encouragement because of her time spent in Haiti, my group is putting together programs in information gathering, technology development and training programs for the Haitians in water, wastewater  and waste residuals management to control vector borne diseases and sustainable resource management.

HaleyFalconer2009Name: Haley Falconer
Title: Water/Wastewater Project Engineer, HDR Engineering
Location: Boise, ID
Years in water quality: 3
Why are you a water quality professional? My interest in water quality started as a chance to improve the world around me. I have also come to enjoy the opportunity to bridge my technical knowledge with community outreach and public education.  It is inspirational to be involved in small community projects as they evolve from ideas and design to evidence that we, as water quality professionals, are making an impact.

What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? Definitely working with the Students and Young Professionals Committee to start the Service Project program.  In 2008, we completed “Gettin’ Out of the Gutter,” a rain garden at a city park in Chicago.  The annual maintenance at the park is now completed by the IWEA SYP group which serves as a fantastic outreach project for them. Last year, WEF volunteers planted over 1000 wetland plants in our project titled “Wading for Wetlands.” The project this year, “Bioswales in the Bayou” was our biggest event to-date. We constructed a bioswale at a community site in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans. Alongside our construction, we hosted a Water Carnival. The Carnival was geared toward K-8 students and provided hands-on, interactive booths where students and their families learned about water, the environment, and building sustainable communities both locally and throughout the country. It was incredible to see how much the service project has grown and we are already looking forward to Los Angeles!

JoniEmrick.JPGName: Joni Emrick
Title: Water Resource Manager
Location: Kalispell, Montana
Years in water quality: 25
Why are you a water quality professional? Twenty-five years ago I was looking for a job where I could use my experience as a bench microbiologist.

What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? My biggest achievement is optimizing a biological nutrient removal wastewater treatment plant in the cold weather climate of Montana to attain limit of technology performance for phosphorus removal without using chemicals.  We have maintained this outstanding performance consistently and reliably for twelve consecutive years, and still counting.  This record of achievement has earned the Kalispell plant two national EPA first place Operations and Maintenance Awards (2003 and 2007).  I have personally received the WEF William D. Hatfield award and the Montana Rural Water Systems Operator of the Year award.

Janson86.jpgName: Carl E. Janson
Title: President
Location: Riordan Materials Corp.
Years in water quality: 37
Why are you a water quality professional? I became interested in Environmental Science through a Science Fair in High School and entered a Regional Science Fair with a project and placed 3rd.  When I went to college – I changed from Pre-Med to Environmental Science.  After working with the EPA in a summer job, I joined a firm as an Applications Engineering and was then recruited into a Sales Position for a firm manufacturing and selling tertiary clarification products, separation screens and solids dewatering equipment.  After leaving that firm, I had the opportunity to join a firm that was manufacturing physical chemical tertiary factory built water and wastewater treatment systems for use on the Alaska Pipeline and to the National Park Service.  I was able to provide products that assured a high level of treatment and improve the environment.   When I had the opportunity to join a manufacturer’s rep firm and obtain an ownership position – I joined that firm and was able to again grow the firm while providing high quality products that improved the environment.  It is a very enjoyable and challenging position, but many of my customers are also good friends.

What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? I believe my biggest achievement has been through my volunteer work for the PWEA (PA Water Environment Assoc) and WEF as a member of the House of Delegates and Board of Trustees.  Additionally my involvement with leachate treatment systems for sanitary landfills and also for treatment systems for the Metal Finishing and IT Industries when “heavy metals” first were regulated for discharge to POTW’s.

Ray Porter.jpgName: Raymond C. Porter
Title: Sr. Air Quality Meterologist
Location: Boston, MA
Years in water quality: 25
Why are you a water quality professional? Wastewater treatment can impact the quality of the ambient air in a number of ways, during conveyance and treatment of the wastewater, treatment of residual solids, thermal treatment of residual solids or digester gas, and power generation systems. I enjoy providing the specialized knowledge that ensures the wastewater industry is in compliance with air quality rules and regulations.

What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? I am Chair of the Air Quality and Odor Control Committee and lead author for the Odor Control and Air Emissions chapter in MOP-8, Design of Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants

greg woodward adjusted.jpgName:
Greg J. Woodward
Title: Principal
Location: Denver, CO
Years in water quality: 22
Why are you a water quality professional? This industry is one that can provide a tremendous amount of satisfaction knowing that you have provided a better environment for the communities in which you work. Whether the work encompasses improvements to the water we drink or the water we return to the streams. It also is one which you meet some great people who have similar goals and aspirations - many of whom you become friends with for life.
What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? Being able to help so many individuals enjoy a healthy and high quality way of life.

LeoCasson.jpgName: Leonard W. Casson, Ph.D., P.E., DEE
Title: Associate Professor - Environmental Engineer
Location: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Pittsburgh
Years in water quality: 27
Why are you a water quality professional? My father is a Civil Engineer and I was introduced to the water quality profession at an early age. As a professor, I enjoy introducing engineering students and practicing professionals to the many concepts involved in environmental engineering. I also enjoy teaching young engineers and others to use fundamental principles to solve practical engineering problems. Hopefully, I can impart a fraction the passion for the engineering profession to these people that he gave me at an early age.
What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? I believe my greatest academic achievement has been to help educate engineering students and others to become water quality professionals. My biggest research achievements, to date,  have been the development of a wastewater contaminant prioritization system for USEPA and the drinking water security research projects completed with the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority.

Danielson.jpgName: Todd Danielson
Title: Manager of Community Systems - Loudon Water
Location: Ashburn, Virginia
Years in water quality: 13+
Why are you a water quality professional?  Because I believe I can make a difference.
What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional?  Helping others understand the importance of having a small impact--a small impact in how much water, energy, and materials they use--both for us on the production/treatment side and for our customers on the consumption/generation side. In working to achieve this, I have been influenced by John Muir, "When one tugs at a single thing in nature he finds it attached to the rest of the world," and by Gandhi, "We must be the change we wish to see in the world." I will feel I have achieved a lot, if others view me as that change agent.

Joan_Hawley.jpgName:  Joan B. Hawley, P.E.
Title:  President Superior Engineering, LLC
Location:  Milwaukee Wisconsin and Ontonagon, Michigan
Years in Water Quality:  28
Why are you a water quality Proffesional?  I grew up on the Great Lakes, Michigan and Superior, and was always interested in protecting and enhancing water quality.   Being a wastewater professional allows me to be part of the solution. Also, for the friendships that I have with other colleagues in this profession.
What is my biggest achievement?  Mentoring students, young professionals and others has been my biggest achievement and greatest reward.  I am extremely proud of their accomplishments and have been pleased to see how they have embraced and enhanced this profession.

PatBradleyName: Patrick Bradley
Title: Senior Scientist; LimnoTech
Location: Washington, DC
Years in water quality: 24
Why are you a water quality professional?  There were a number of small events and influences that all kind of converged over time.  I grew up by the ocean and spent a lot of vacations in the Adirondack Mountains fishing and swimming in many of the lakes and rivers.  Went to college at SUNY Plattsburgh, which is very close to Lake Champlain and a lot of the coursework is directed toward the lake.  During graduate school a lot of my work was geared toward water issues.  I received a grant and fellowship from Texas Utilities to study impacts of surface mining.  Part of my research looked at the use of ponds on the reclamation area.  The Vice President for Environmental Services at Texas Utilities at the time was Dick White and he had a background in water quality and helped me quite bit and developed my interest in the field.  Also, my graduate professor, Dr. Edmund Brodie, studied amphibians primarily, so there was water all over the place in our lab.   It is also a field that has a lot of inherent diversity.  There are so many different areas within the field that you could spend 30 years working and studying and never come close to covering all of it.  It never seems to get routine or boring.

What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? Really impossible to pick one.  I have been doing this work for over 20 years and have been lucky to work on a lot of different projects, so picking one is fairly tough.  So I have picked two that have merged a little over time. I am very proud of the courses I have worked with WEF and others to develop and my work on Watershed-based NPDES Permitting.  Over the last 10 - 15 years I have been involved in developing 3 different courses – Pretreatment; Control of Fats, Oils & Grease; and NPDES Program Training for Permittees.  The courses have been well received and I have also learned a fair amount while teaching them which is a nice bonus.  Recently, I have been able to include the work I have done on Watershed Approaches in the course on NPDES Permitting.

PhilKaneArchive.jpgName: Dr. Phil Kane
Title: Water Facilities Biologist
Location: Florida Department of Environmental Protection Central District
Years in water quality: plus or minus 25 years
Why are you a water quality professional?  I was born and raised on Mt. Desert Island, Maine and have loved the water as long as I can remember.  For generations my family has lived in harmony with the water.
What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? My biggest achievement, and one that  I cherish is the cumulative sum of all my education efforts to enlighten and inform people about water, water quality and how to appreciate and protect our water.  I’ve helped many people including the regulated community, other agencies, news media, students of all ages and citizens to better understand water and the importance of water in our lives.

Name: Tim Page-Bottorff
Title: Principal Consultant, Total Safety Compliance
Location: Mesa, Arizona
Years in water quality: 11 years
Why are you a water quality professional?
  I truly believe in providing the safest and most affordable water.  In order to accomplish this, employees must work safe so they, too can go home and enjoy the water they work so hard to treat.
What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? After moderating a WEF webinar and volunteering for my local MA, I think my biggest achievement is seeing someone else enjoy my volunteering activities.  It is so hard to find volunteers with today's economy, I just get thrilled helping others out.

Name: Ronald G. Schulyer
Title: Vice President/Wastewater Process Technical Lead
Location: Tetra Tech, Denver, CO
Years in water quality: 39 total, 22 at Colorado Department of Health and 17 at Tetra Tech/RTW

Why are you a water quality professional?
  As a youngster duck hunting along the South Platte River north of Denver, I had to wade through black muck to cross the River.   It looked bad and smelled even worse.  Something needed to be done, but I had no idea what.  But, as a senior in Civil Engineering at Colorado State University, I had the opportunity to take the Wastewater Treatment class from Professor Max Parshall, the son of the inverter of the Parshall flume for water measurement.  He was truly a teacher, a person that inspired me to get into the water quality profession.  Then in graduate school in Microbiology, Drs. Sumner Morrison, Bill Boyd and Josephine Boyd started me on the road to understanding how microorganisms treat wastewater and why controlling them is the key to making wastewater treatment processes function properly.  I was hooked!  Now, nearly 40 years later, Lynn Marshall, John Esler, and I still inspire each other and love to talk about activated sludge whenever we get together – three seniors who still enjoy “playing in the water.”

What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? It relates to the combination of training and troubleshooting/optimization.  Training a few thousand wastewater treatment operators and engineers in activated sludge process control has been the most important and highly rewarding.  Watching the “lights turn on” in students is quite gratifying.  I have been involved with operator/engineer training starting at the University of Colorado 39 years ago, and that includes Preconference Workshops on Wastewater Treatment Microbiology for the last 22 WEFTECs.  Hopefully, I have helped some operators improve plant operations and effluent quality and engineers improve designs to provide more operable and flexible treatment plants.  The other part is troubleshooting domestic and industrial wastewater treatment plants, helping them meet permit limits and save significant money on chemicals and energy.  Seeing improved effluent quality at lower cost from these plants inspires one to get involved even more in making further improvements in our water environment.

Name: Julian Sandino
Title: Vice President, Assistant Director of Technology - CH2M Hill
Location: Kansas City, MO
Years in water quality: 27

Why are you a water quality professional? For the challenge of protecting public and environmental health (no higher call!) and the pleasure of working with a bunch of great people while making a decent living from it...what a blessing!

What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? Having contributed to the well being of millions of people around the world through the projects I've been involved in and through my volunteer work with WEF.

Name: Alan Vicory , P.E., BCEE
Title: Executive Director and Chief Engineer
Location: Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO)
Years in water quality: 35

Why are you a water quality professional?  I can think of no more self-fulfilling life mission than working to preserve and enhance water quality.

What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? Guiding ORSANCO though 20 plus years of progress and growth and serving the profession as President of ASIWPCA and AAEE.

RobBastianName: Bob Bastian
Title: Senior Environmental Scientist
Location: Office of Wastewater Management, U.S. EPA, Washington, D.C.

Years in water quality:
Nearly 40 years, starting with surveys of Lake Erie water quality and studies associated with water quality impacts of land-applied food processing wastewater while in college.

Why are you a water quality professional?
  It has provided me with an opportunity to apply my broad interests in ecology, environmental sciences, engineering, and natural biological systems toward addressing practical water quality problems facing society -- in this case the effective management of municipal wastewater.

What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? Working effectively with a wide range of professionals within the government, academia, the consulting world, and at the local project level to help address practical problems associated with wastewater treatment and biosolids management.  These efforts have resulted in the development of a series of EPA technology assessments, policy statements, technical reports and guidance documents, along with a long list of state-of-the-science conferences and proceedings documents, demonstration projects, etc., dealing with biosolids management.

Name: Luz M Amador
Title: Systems and Engineering Consulting, Inc/ CEO
Location: Fresno, California
Years in water quality: 6 years fully dedicated but 25 working on different wastewater projects
Why are you a water quality professional?  I believe water is the most precious and needed resource. There is need for more research in water cycles to increase natural efficiency to recover and thus maintain our supplies of clean water. I truly have a passion about cleaning wastewater and much respect for all the people who work daily at the WW facilities.

What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? Being able to develop and implement an affordable, yet effective, process that leads to water reccovery. Perhaps of more relevance is the elimination of NO3 and decrease of BOD in the effluent at Dinuba Wastewater facility. I am thankful I was able to eliminate pollutants to water and air.

deannawindhName: DeAnna D. Windh
Title: Operator 3
Location: Lakehaven Utility District, Federal Way, WA
Years in water quality: 19
Why are you a water quality professional? I was born and raised in an area where open pit & deep coal mining has had a devastating effect on our water  resources.

The general population rarely thinks about life without water, until they experience an  un-announced supply interruption. It seems that absolutely everything they do calls for water when this happens. The dishes need washed, the baby needs bathed, food need to be prepared, hygiene needs met, and the car picks this moment to overheat.  The simple act of getting a drink requires a trip to the market for bottled water. Consider this one day interruption as a glimpse of life without water.

Perhaps that is why I use every opportunity to teach water resource protection and conservation to any and all groups that will listen to me.

I would devote a lifetime  (come to think of it I have) to any effort needed to assure future generations the luxury of pure clean water.

Right now, water is a renewable resource. However, this cannot be guaranteed for future generations unless we who understand water quality issues such as ground water protection, recharge issues, stormwater management, water & wastewater treatment, and conservation step forth in a world wide effort to inform the general population.

What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional?  My greatest accomplishment is that I have been privileged to speak to young people across the United States from East to West coasts about the importance and the necessity of everyone working together to assure future generations the pure clean water that is necessary to sustain all life. The second would be the honor of being asked to represent the water quality professionals at the China conference a few years back.

JoeFosterName: Joe Foster
Title: City of Olathe Wastewater Superintendent
Location: Olathe, Kansas
Years in Water Quality: 28
Why am I a water quality professional? I have a passion for the water quality field because of the impact it has on the environment.  When surgeons operate on a person, they have one person’s life in their hands.  However, when water professionals operate treatment facilities, they are responsible for the health of thousands of people.  We make an impact on our community, but also on the overall environment for other communities downstream.  I truly feel that in this field, a person can leave a legacy by ensuring that we have clean water for future generations.

johnhartName: John Hart
Title: Chief Operator
Location: City Of Saco, Maine, USA
Years in water quality: 37
Why are you a water quality professional? Primarily to protect the water environment and to help make it better for generations to come. Initially I was inspired by the importance and value of the water environment profession when I took part in a high school class tour of three different facilities in my area. From there it was clear that I would strive to become a water quality professional in a field among those who take their jobs very seriously in an effort to protect and clean our natural waters. Furthermore, the Operations Challenge Program that I have been a part of has laid the foundation and groundwork for both my professional and personal growth within this rewarding field.

What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional?  Being honored to represent the operational, deckplate level of our profession as a WEF Delegate At Large is at the top. Secondly is being involved in Operations Challenge beginning as a Team member and then moving through the transitional path of Judge, Event Coordinator and continued up to the honor of Committee Chair of the annual event.

EdKobylinskiName: Edmund (Ed) A. Kobylinski
Title: Senior Wastewater Treatment Process Specialist
Location: Kansas City Missouri
Years in water quality: 31
Why are you a water quality professional? I do it because it is exciting and challenging. How many professions let you do work that you find fun and challenging and yet you do make a difference? Satisfaction is finishing start up and seeing a clear clean effluent leaving the WWTP and knowing that you as a process designer and the whole design team have done a good job.

What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional?  While I have designed a number of advanced treatment systems over the years to be proud of, my biggest achievement is being able to pass on process knowledge and training to our younger staff and clients and watch as they apply that knowledge and grow. Our profession is a small community and being able in some small part to help that community to move forward to meet future challenges is for me my biggest achievement.

BarbaraSmithName: Barbara Smith
Title: Muncie Sanitary District Administrator
Location: Muncie, Indiana
Years in water quality: 28
Why are you a water quality professional? First by accident, then when I realized that as an operator at a facility I was on the front line to protect the precious waters of the earth it became a passion for me.  I have tried to instill this passion to others throughout the years.  When I see the “light bulb” go off for others and they “get it,” I get that natural high.  Every person and every position in this field in truth are Water Heroes and should be listed on this page.

What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional?  A few years ago I found myself teaching classes for operators who needed to study to take the Indiana (and some Ohio) Operator’s Certification Exams.  Over the years I have assisted over 400 operators receive certification (in all levels) or increased their certification levels.  The operators who seek me out for education and learn from the classes are my Water Heroes and at the same time are the biggest achievements of my career.

CindyWallisLageName: Cindy Wallis-Lage
Title: President of Global Water Business, Black & Veatch
Location: Kansas City, MO
Years in water quality: 22
Why are you a water quality professional? My love for the environment, specifically water related issues, started with one of my grandfathers who was a science teacher with a passion for all elements of the environment.  He spent many Saturdays taking me on nature walks to explore local streams and creeks and the associated animal habitats. I also had a fantastic biology teacher in high school that went beyond the basic class room lectures and tied in environmental issues and opportunities. Through these interactions, I decided to choose a career that would make a difference in the preservation of our environment.  Lucky for me, I also excelled in math and science so environmental engineering was a perfect match!  I started working in the southwest after I graduated and through projects there became very interested in reuse. Seeing the benefits of reuse and the opportunities to resolve many water related issues led me to focus on wastewater treatment/reuse which is what I have done now for 22 years!
What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional?  I love the technology aspects of wastewater treatment so developing innovative solutions to challenging treatment problems really mark the highlights in my career. I have had multiple opportunities to design state-of-the-art treatment plants that make a difference in communities around the world. That makes my day!

GaryJohnsonName: Gary W. Johnson, PE
Title: Regional Operations Manager for the Midwest Region of ARCADIS
Location: Akron, Ohio
Years in water quality: 39.5 years
Why are you a water quality professional? It has always been my philosophy that as professionals, we have to give back to our profession and society in general.  As a water quality professional, I have the chance to make a difference in the lives of others…..and with our most precious resource….water.  That is very important to me.
What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? There are several achievements that I am proud of in my career but the one that stands out the most is my formation of an ad hoc “Image Committee” while I was the President of the Ohio Water Environment Association in 1992/1993.  My intent was to elevate the image of our profession from one that was considered a little “Ed Norton-like” to what we truly were….dedicated, committed and well educated professionals serving our society.
My first chore was to internally raise our own image….if we didn’t feel and act like professionals, we surely couldn’t convince the “outside world” that we were.  Once that was accomplished through a number of presentations and skits, we focused our attention on the outside world.  I wanted the OWEA to be the “go to” association when it came to wastewater matters in Ohio.
At the time, we had the largest response to join a committee, which convinced me that others had this same concern.  We came up with numerous ideas on how to elevate our professional image.
Although not as active as back then, I’m happy to say that the Image Committee is still alive and kickin’.

KathyCookName: Kathleen M. Cook
Title: OWEA Certification
Program Manager
Location: Fairborn, Ohio
Years in water quality: 35
Why are you a water quality professional? I have been involved in the profession as a lab analyst and wastewater treatment plant superintendent for 35 years. WEF has been my home and has given me many opportunities to serve.  In addition to serving in numerous volunteer positions over the years, I have also authored manual of practice (MOP) updates and study guides; written articles; given talks; and won many awards.

LindaBilanchoneName: Linda Bilanchone
Title: Commissioner of Public Works
Location: Spartanburg, SC
Years in water quality: 17
Why are you a water quality professional? Because I enjoy making our democratic system work by offering myself for public service in an elected position.
What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? Providing governance for a water/wastewater utility that is superior in every way -- from the quality of water that we provide and return to the natural environment to the service that we give the customer to the excellent staff that we employ -- and doing it all in a cost-effective way.

CindyMurphyName: Cindy Murphy
Title: Executive Director,  Water Environment Association of SC and SC Section AWWA
Location: Lexington, SC
Years in water quality: 18
Why are you a water quality professional?  I ended up in the water industry quite by accident, but it has been the most satisfying career path of my entire employment history. Impacting the quality of life for thousands of people each day, whether through direct treatment, operator training, or coordination of professional education, assures me that my life WILL have made a difference when all is said and done even if I never have a bridge, road or building named after me!
What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? I would have to say education. It touches me deeply that operators I have trained still maintain contact with me, and I love seeing the light bulb go off when I explain water treatment and protection to a room full of operators, commissioners, kids, etc.  In my present position I am privileged to support our Association/Section Committees as they deliver workshops, seminars and conferences, and nothing pleases me more than to have an attendee express the impact a piece of information that we delivered has had on them. I love it that we affect so many people!

GeorgeMartin.JPGName: George L. Martin
Title: Assistant Manager, Greenwood Metropolitan District
Location: Greenwood, SC
Years in water quality: 28
Why are you a water quality professional?  I was hired to establish an effective maintenance department which included preventative and corrective maintenance for the collect/transportation system, including pump stations, and treatment facilities. What seemed to be an overwhelming task was made a bit easier as I became acquainted with others in the South Carolina MA with like responsibilities. I was introduced to technical publications from WEF that were of great benefit. I attended my first WEFTEC in 1982 and was impressed with the quality of information and the knowledge of those who presented. I knew then I was not alone. I was later introduced to the WEF Collections Committee and formed lasting relationships with people with a national view and knowledge of numerous wastewater treatment operations. This was the reinforcement I needed to know that having a maintenance department that operated effectively and efficiently was not only doable but my responsibility. I have since had the opportunity, as assistant manager, to view all facets of the complex operation of the entire wastewater system from dealing with decision makers, the media, customers, employees and peers. I do not see any boundaries to the commitment of quality service for our customers and our employees. I feel extremely fortunate to have job responsibilities that impact the public health and the environment of my community in an important and positive way. That is why I am still excited about being a water quality professional.
What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? Being recognized as the WEF Collection Systems Award winner is perhaps my most satisfying moment followed closely by the staff we have been able to assemble at Greenwood Metropolitan District.

AmandaWithersName: Amanda Withers, P.E.
Title: Environmental Engineer
Location: Springfield, Illinois
Years in water quality: 7 1/2
Why are you a water quality professional?  My passion lies in environmental engineering and particularly wastewater treatment. It is my way of giving something back to society by helping to protect our water environment.

BobPickettName: Bob Pickett
Title: Vice President, CH2M HILL Canada Limited
Location: Toronto Ontario
Years in water quality: 33
Why are you a water quality professional?  I got into water quality following the example of my uncle, Lou Romano. He was the Director of Water Pollution Control for the City of Windsor Ontario. His passion for the industry and his dedication to public service served as a inspiration and example for me.
What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? I spent 29 years with Metro Toronto, which was later combined with the City of Toronto. The last 12 years of my employment with Metro and the City, I was the the Director of the Water Pollution Control Division, which had the 4 wastewater treatment plants, the  trunk sewers and the Industrial Waste Control Branch as well as the Wastewater Laboratory Section. I lead a major restructuring and skills development program which resulted in saving of $32 million dollars a year and the upgrade of skills for the entire work force.

AlGoodmanArchive.jpgName: Al Goodman
Title: Principal (working for CDM
Location: Louisville, KY
Years in water quality: 36
Why are you a water quality professional?  Because
of the interesting challenges of improving water quality and
the opportunity to work with so many great professionals around the
world that really make a difference in human health and the environment.

DonDodsonARchive.jpgName: Don Dodson
Title: Facility Operations Manager - JJG/JJ&G Services
Location: Norcross, GA
Years in water quality: 35
Why are you a water quality professional?  I could not think of a more fulfilling job that affects the environment is so many ways. I get great satisfaction in knowing what I do helps keep our environment clean and safe for others to use.
What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? I would have to say that my biggest achievement is the people that I have trained over the years. The people I work with help keep this job interesting and fun.

SueSchneiderArchive.jpgName: Sue G. Schneider
Title: General Manager of Spartanburg Water
Location: Spartanburg, South Carolina
Years in water quality: 20+
Why are you a water quality professional?  Water supply and management is integral to the development and quality of life of communities.  I am a water quality professional because I am actively involved in my community and my efforts, personally and professionally, enrich my community.
What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? My biggest achievement is steering an organization that supplies and treats water for a community of 200,000 stakeholders in 3 counties.  This organization is known for its strong commitment to the environment and the community.  It is a tremendous honor working with the 260 water quality professionals at Spartanburg Water who serve the Spartanburg County regional area.

PaulBishopName: Paul L. Bishop
Title: Associate Vice President for Research and Professor – University of Cincinnati; Program Director – National Science Foundation
Location: Cincinnati, OH; Arlington, VA
Years in water quality: 37
Why are you a water quality professional?  There are many reasons, but the main ones are to improve the quality of our nation’s waters, and to educate new water professionals to do the same.

JamesStewartName: James R. Stewart
Title: Chief Operator, Shoal Creek WRF
Location: Clayton County, GA
Years in water quality: 24
Why are you a water quality professional?  Like many people in plant operations, I entered the water quality profession because I needed a job. Then I soon realized the importance of the job we are doing.
 I have been blessed to work with and train a great team of operators who, like all of us, are faced with the challenges of new permit limits as well as advanced technology. This team work has produced an award winning plant with over 12 years of perfect permit compliance. Thanks Team.

EarlBahrName: Earl William Bahr
Title: Environmental Specialist, Montana Department of Environmental Quality
Location: Helena, MT
Years in water quality: 29
Why are you a water quality professional?  I would like to say that is was an accidental occupation starting the day I was hired at the local WWTP in Great Falls, Montana and not really knowing what I was getting into. In retrospect, however, my undergraduate studies and research activities at the University of Montana in Missoula in the late 1960s and early 1970s revolved around air pollution studies with Dr. Ronald Erickson and working to develop strategies for evaluating the environmental impacts of the coal-fired electrical generating facilities at Colstrip. From that came an interest in work that preserves and protects Montana high-quality waters and other environmental concerns. Throughout this time I have been able to interact with other water quality professionals through organizations such as the Water Environment Federation by participating in committees and serving as an MA officer and director. Today, I remain committed to the water quality profession through an abiding interest in helping plant operators optimize treatment plant performance and implementing advanced waste treatment technologies to reduce nutrients in discharges to Montana waters.

LyleChristensenName: Lyle R. Christensen, P.E.
Title: Senior Project Manager; HDR Engineerings, Inc.
Location: Omaha, NE
Years in water quality: 35
Why are you a water quality professional?  To sincerely make a difference in the quality of life and education of our citizenry and to contribute to the continued improvement of our water-based environment. In my lifetime I have personally witnessed too many abuses to our water resources, and I have always felt a strong sense of ownership and duty “to do it right.”

What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional?  Numerous projects could be cited, but perhaps the most important accomplishment is to see the fruition of a personal vision that started approximately a decade ago as I became more involved with WEF activities.  That vision was to bring together the four states in EPA Region 7 in the form of representatives from WEF member Governmental Affairs Committees, state regulatory agencies, and EPA staff to discuss targeted “hot topics” in an open, constructive setting.  In this fashion regulatory implementation issues and concepts can be shared; with the ultimate goal of educating our respective memberships, the regulated community, and the public in general.  Our 2nd annual 4-State GA meeting was successfully held in September 2008, and it was felt by all those attending that this effort should not only continue but should also be encouraged to be implemented within the remaining EPA regions.

JoeMastrianoName: Joseph J. Mastriano
Title: Operations Manager, Onondaga County, Department of Water Environment Protection
Location: Syracuse, NY
Years in water quality:  30+
Why are you a water quality professional? Ever since I can remember (at least as far back as the second grade) I have been fascinated by science and more specifically the science of fresh and salt water systems.  My academic training, my professional life and my personal life has been dedicated to the protection, improvement and restoration of water resources in several watersheds in Central New York.

I have actively participated and held  leadership and/or committee positions in a number of organizations dedicated to watershed management and protection including the New York Water Environment Association, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, the Onondaga Lake Partnership, the Oneida Lake Citizen's Advisory Committee, the Oneida Lake Watershed Advisory Council and the Oneida Lake Association. I am grateful to be recognized by the WEF as a water hero.

What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? Perhaps my most gratifying achievement is the lead role I played in being responsible for the development and growth of Onondaga County's Ambient Water Quality Monitoring Program.  During my tenure with Onondaga County, the program has expanded from a relatively simple lake and tributary monitoring program to a watershed monitoring program that provides detailed information not only on an extensive suite of water quality parameters, but also on the biological communities and the physical attributes of the system.

EricaHugginsErica Huggins, PE
Title: Regional Office Manager, BP Barber
Location: Greenville, SC
Years in water quality: 12
Why are you a water quality professional? I have always been passionate about the environment and water resources so the water industry was a natural fit for me.  As a consultant, it is very rewarding to have a career focused on helping friends solve problems and working to find project specific solutions that also protect our water resources.
What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional?  Every project gives me a personal sense of satisfaction that I am making a positive contribution.  Specializing in water quality and regulatory compliance, I’d have to say a significant achievement has been working with MS4s to develop comprehensive stormwater management programs from scratch.

SidneyInnerebnerName: Sidney Jennifer Innerebner
Title: Principal / Owner of Indigo Water Group, LLC
Location: Littleton, Colorado
Years in Water Quality: 18+ I started my career as a chemist at Rocky Flats – a nuclear manufacturing facility – analyzing environmental samples for trace metals and other contaminants.  From there, I went to the Littleton/Englewood Wastewater Treatment Plant where I also worked as a chemist (helping with operations and process control) and started graduate school for environmental engineering.  I transitioned into consulting engineering and worked as a wastewater operator as well.
Why are you a water quality professional? The first time I was exposed to any kind of engineering was in graduate school.  My first semester included classes in wastewater treatment plant design and environmental law.  I guess you could say I fell in love with both topics.  I always wanted to be Spock (or Quincy!) when I grew up.  Those guys seemed to have all the answers.  Water quality work is diverse and requires knowledge in a lot of different areas.  It seems that I am constantly reading and attending seminars just to keep up with innovations in the field.  The part of my work that I enjoy the most is helping smaller communities meet their goals.  Sometimes this involves troubleshooting a wastewater plant or offering operations assistance.  Sometimes, it means reviewing or negotiating a discharge permit that protects water quality without putting a burden on the community that they can’t bear.  Sometimes, it means designing and building an expansion or upgrade to a facility.  It’s a good feeling at the end of the day to know that I’m helping people and cleaning up the environment at the same time.  It is satisfying to be able to figure out solutions for complicated problems.  I am a water quality professional because I enjoy the diverse, dynamic, satisfying nature of the work.

CharlieStevensName: Charlie Stevens
Title: Utility Director
Location: City of Rifle, Colorado
Years in water quality: 22
Why are you a water quality professional? I found myself in this profession after being trained as a biologist and always having had an interest in water quality since high school. I like the everday challenges, changes and opportunities this profession has given me along with the great friendships that have developed over the years.
What is your biggest achievement as a water quality professional? Striving to improve the lives of the citizens in the communities that I work for by ensuring public health and economic vitality through effective utility mangement.

KeithRileyName: Keith Riley
Title: Assistant District Chief, Ohio EPA NE District Office
Location: Twinsburg, Ohio
Years in water quality: 35 years
Why are you a water quality professional? The year I graduated from high school was the year of the infamous last fire on the Cuyahoga River which sparked the ultimate passage of the Clean Water Act. This historic incident occurred just a half hour north of my home.
I was blessed to get a CO-OP job when I was in college with the Ohio Dept. of Health (later to become the Ohio EPA). After being exposed to the environmental field in my job, the light bulb went off and I found my passion in life. Working to improve the quality of life for mankind and getting a pay check for it seemed like a great fit for me.
After 35 years in the business I have witnessed an explosion of advancement in equipment technology and treatment science, a dramatic elevation of professional expertise in municipal and industrial wastewater operations, and the resultant healthy rebirth of stream segment after stream segment. Now we have a watershed group citizen group in nearly ever watershed taking ownership and managing their own watershed.
It has truly been a pleasure to be a small part of this effort.

CharlesTylerName: Charles W. Tyler
Title: Program Manager, Process Operations; MWRA Deer Island Treatment Plant
Location: Boston, MA
Years in water quality: 31 years
Why are you a water quality professional? When I was a pre-schooler, I fell into an open sewer and it stuck. In much the same way, I "fell into" the industry during the height of the Clean Water Act activities and the occupation was a good fit. It's good to know that everyday I'm doing something to make up for the adverse impact of the human sprawl on the natural environment.

Name: William R. "Bill" Hill
Title: Wastewater Manager
Location: Delaware, Ohio
Years in water quality: 56 years
Why are you a water quality professional? I first entered the Water & Wastewater field while in college and right away, I loved it. My education fit the skill set needed to be successful and I had many people encourage me. As I progressed in the field, the need for Wastewater professionals was apparent. Based on the many people who helped me, the apparent need for better education and upgrade of the many talented people in this business of Wastewater, my activities in the field increased. I have been more than fortunate in my worldwide ventures to assist others in achieving better water quality, while working in both the public and private sectors of the profession.

JohnSchombertName: John Schombert
Title: Executive Director, 3 Rivers Wet Weather
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Years in water quality: 37 years
Why are you a water quality professional? I grew up in the Pittsburgh region where the rivers and streams are a dominate part of the landscape and culture.  If you travel more than a couple of miles in any direction here you will cross one of the rivers and several streams.  As a science major I immediately gravitated to environmental work just after the passage of the original Clean Water Act and for 29 years worked for the local regulatory agency and eventually developed the 3 Rivers Wet Weather programs as a Non- Profit corporation to provide the regional collaborations necessary to further the improvement of the region’s water quality.

JamesRobinFoyName: James Robin Foy
Title: Manager; Water Pollution Enforcement Section; South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control
Location: Columbia, SC
Years in water quality: 16.5 years
Why are you a water quality professional? I made a significant career change beginning in 1992.  Based upon my love for the outdoors and enjoyment of fishing and kayaking, I decided to devote my remaining career years to protection of water resources.

Featured on the WEF homepage January 8-11, 2009

GaylePaganoName: Gayle E. Pagano
Title: Chief of the Division of Regulatory Compliance, Lab an IPP
Location: Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority
Years in water quality: 18 years
Why are you a water quality professional? I am a water quality professional because of the profound sense of accomplishment and pride that comes with helping to ensure high quality and efficient wastewater treatment and regulatory compliance for the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority and the Citizens of Camden County New Jersey.

Featured on the WEF homepage December 10-11, 2008

MaryFralishawardName: Mary Fralish
Title: Deputy Director of Public Works, Environmental Services
Location:  Mankato, Minnesota
Years in Water Quality: 33 years.  I began as the Chemist at the Wastewater Treatment Plant, them became the plant supervisor and recently moved to the current position of Deputy Director of Public Works, Environmental Services
Why are you a water quality professional?  I have always been interested in protection of our natural resources especially on the local level.  I live in the beautiful Minnesota River valley in a community that values and appreciates the assets at our doorstep so it’s been very rewarding.

Featured on the WEF homepage December 8-9, 2008

Jim Coughenour
Name: Jim Coughenour
Title: Assistant Superintendent
Location: City of Phoenix Water Services Department; Wastewater Treatment Division; 91st Avenue Multi-Cities WWTP
Years in water quality:  23 Years
Why are you a water quality professional?
I believe that the job we do, producing high quality effluent and biosolids for beneficial reuse, while limiting emissions and operating costs, is important.  The job remains an exciting challenge, every day.

Featured on WEF homepage December 4-5, 2008

Jane HoodName: Jane F. Hood
Title:  Laboratory Manager/Chemist
Company/Location: Water Pollution Control, City of
St. Joseph, Missouri
Years in water quality:  27+
Why are you a water quality professional?
This is my way to be an environmentalist. I want the water leaving my facility to be the best it can be, since it flows first into the Missouri River, then into the Mississippi River, and finally into the Gulf of Mexico.

Featured on WEF homepage November 10-11, 2008

Sandra RalstonName: Sandra K. Ralston
Title, Company:  Senior Associate, Malcolm Pirnie
Location: Charleston, South Carolina
Years in water quality:  20
Why are you a water quality professional?
Because there are so many things you can do—helping utilities reach solutions, training and mentoring, lobbying Congress for funds, raising funds for Water for People, to name just a few options—to try and make a positive impact on the water legacy we will leave behind.

Featured on WEF homepage November 12-13, 2008

Dale RichwineName: Dale Richwine
Title/Company: Vice President/MWH
Location: Portland, Oregon
Years in Water Quality: 36
Why are you a water quality professional?

I have always been interested in science and the environment.  Being a water quality professional allows me to do something to improve our environment.  Now that I have been in this profession, I realize that there is a small close-knit group of people who do this work and the dedication is unbelievable.  This is where my friends are.


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116ac New line characters - beware! - Perl Programming
Training, Open Source computer languages
PerlPHPPythonMySQLApache / TomcatTclRubyJavaC and C++LinuxCSS
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New line characters - beware!

Posted by admin (Graham Ellis), 11 November 2002
Newcomers to Perl - beware!   When you read in a line in using  $input = <STDIN>;, what you read includes a new line sequence.  If you then use the variable $input to be a file name, it's a very curious file name with the new line sequence on the end of it!

Easy options - use either the chomp function or the chop function to remove the new line sequence;  better option if you're trying to "bullet proof" your code - match it against a regular expression to ensure that the file name  given isn't an attempted hack

Posted by admin (Graham Ellis), 3 January 2003
From my mailbag: ....
"Can you help me with this problem. I need to perform some actions on a dos textfile on a unix platform. I want to chomp the cr/lf. When I do that the function works not correct anymore."

Err - technically it does work correctly - it removes the Unix end of line character (which is just a new line) leaving the carriage return that dos also uses on the end of the string.

I would suggest you replace your chomp with
     $line =~ s/\s+$//;
which will strip off all trailing white spaces - tabs, spaces, new lines and returns as well.   This makes your code work on Unix and Linux whether the input file is from Windows or from Unix.   As a side effect, it also removes any trailing whitespace on each line which is usually but not always an advantage.

This page is a thread posted to the opentalk forum at www.opentalk.org.uk and archived here for reference. To jump to the archive index please follow this link.

Comment: "Solved my problem. ..."
Visitor Ranking 4.8 (5=excellent, 1=poor)
1 unpublished comment pending on this page

Comment by LaV (published 2011-02-18)
Solved my problem.

Thanks!!! [#3877]

Comment by Anon (published 2010-08-21)
Thanks - the regexp did the trick for me! [#3737]

Comment by Anon (published 2010-07-15)
some files i was working with had the new line return, other did not. this worked for both, thanks. [#3654]

Comment by Anon (published 2010-03-21) Suggested link.
Thanks for that tiny regexp. [#3486]

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Inderpal Singh, MD

Inderpal Singh, MD
2001 RTE 17M
GOSHEN, NY 10924

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About Inderpal Singh, MD

Inderpal Singh, MD practices as a Cardiologist in GOSHEN, NY.
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Services Inderpal Singh, MD provides cardiology services in GOSHEN, NY. A cardiologist is a physician who is certified to diagnose and treat disorders of the circulatory system and the cardiovascular system — the heart, arteries and veins.

To learn more, or to make an appointment with Inderpal Singh, MD in GOSHEN, NY, please call (845) 615-1234 for more information.
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Autism is Not Mental Illness: Get it Out of the DSM

Posted Apr 29 2009 11:00pm
Gabby, a friend from the Healing-Low-Functioning-Autism Yahoo list, posted this very imformative article that I am sharing on this blog.

Trapped child By Jill Rubolino

In this month of Autism Awareness, I am ever so aware of the great disparity for our children on the autism spectrum regarding their diagnosis and healthcare. It brings to light some major changes that need to take place in order to not only stop the perpetual, exponentially expanding numbers of children developing autism, but to provide the already affected children with proper medical care and treatment.

In a health care community that listed homosexuality as a psychiatric disorder on the DSM until 1973, and recognizes alcoholism, addiction and obesity as diseases, our children are suffering and being denied proper medical attention. Not only are our doctors not acknowledging our children’s medical ailments, they are flat out denying to us that they are occurring or that somehow these conditions are some normal variation of childhood.

This needs to stop immediately. It will only stop when parents demand competent and educated pediatricians for their children and settle for nothing less. We must no longer listen to the false and unsubstantiated litany of canned text responses we hear from uninformed, uneducated pediatricians and specialists. We must no longer accept the standard answers that all refer back to one, already discredited study, regarding vaccine safety. When pediatricians site their references, how many parents ask them to explain that information? How many doctors could? And yet, how many parents that we know can site study after study, and explain biochemical abnormalities ‘til the cows come home?Autism as a diagnosis must be removed from the DSM. Period. It is a medical disorder, with many causes, some of them genetic and totally unrelated to a psychiatric diagnosis altogether. Down’s syndrome is a medical diagnosis, has an identifiable genetic abnormality, and a range of associated features also affecting that person developmentally. It is not, however, diagnosed using the DSM. Autism is not currently recognized as a medical disorder because, if not diagnosed as a known genetic cause, it is a disorder caused by environmental insult, including vaccines.

The resulting medical problems are symptoms of the underlying cause, not the disorder itself. But because this medical disorder is caused by vaccines given to our children by the very people who are supposed to care for them and keep them healthy, it will not be recognized as such. No other disorder, psychiatric or otherwise, is so blatantly denied its medical or biochemical component except autism.

No amount of early detection or early intervention will reverse a disease process unless it is treated medically. It is a process, that left untreated, will perpetuate itself to variable degrees in each individual with sometimes irreversible and devastating effects. The medical community turning its back on basic medical principles in treating their autistic patients’ symptoms first can only be referred to as gross malpractice.

The pediatricians that are treating our children should be ashamed and embarrassed at their complete negligence and incompetence in recognizing a pattern of symptoms that is seen over and over again, hundreds, and thousands of times in this patient population. And yet, they cling to their outdated, obviously inadequate standard answers and bury their heads in the sand while our children suffer and sink deeper and deeper into Autism. Every parent of an autistic child has heard some ridiculous, condescending statement from a physician while they ignored that same child’s obvious vaccine reaction, or explosive diarrhea, abdominal pain, mysterious rash, poor weight gain, reflux, relentless fever, immune dysfunction, and on, and on. And they ignore us, because they can.

Pediatricians, vaccine manufacturers, the CDC, and our federal government are all protected under laws that are unconstitutional. That’s right. Your pediatrician doesn’t have to worry about being sued for your child’s descent into Autism after their MMR, or Proquad because the US Federal Government says so. Even though adequate informed consent is never provided, and protocols for vaccinating are rarely followed appropriately.

Children get vaccinated without being screened for immune dysfunction, mitochondrial disorders, and even when they have a febrile illness, all inappropriate according to the vaccine makers’ own recommendations. Yet, where are all the suits being filed for this obvious malpractice? Because, as parents, we are spending every waking moment and every dime we have trying to recover our children, we have no resources to venture into this legal arena with special masters and shorter statute of limitations. In a country where the father of a child that resulted from a rape has a legal right to that child, our children have no legal rights. By the time we navigate the myriad of professionals that are deemed qualified to diagnose our children as autistic, our statute of limitations has already expired. It will take one individual with deep pockets and a fire burning in their soul, to bring change. There is no exemption for gross negligence by a physician even if it’s one of our kids. You are not protected under the umbrella of indifference. It will only take one case, one precedent. Change will happen.

The controversy about vaccines rages on, but only in the minds of those officials who are themselves, responsible for the conspiracy to conceal the truth about vaccines. All of the supposed nonexistent, mainstream medical studies that apply to vaccines, and thimerosol, mitochondrial disorder and dysfunction, seizure disorder, aluminum etc. are all easily accessed by anyone with a computer and half a brain. This may explain why the officials, that coincidentally have some type of connection to vaccine manufacturers, cannot seem to find them. All of the necessary medical documentation, studies, information, case studies, etc. are there and readily available for anyone who wasn’t deluding themselves that they can still go on national television and tout that everything is okay. This political, money driven quagmire will come to an end. Big tobacco took a fall and so will vaccine pushers. And I’m thinking of one gentleman in particular, I think we all know who that is, you will not make it off this planet in an upward direction, sir.

I’ll leave you with the thought that for the same reasons that people fought for civil rights, government officials are impeached, landmark cases are won, people have overcome adversity throughout history to affect change, we must do the same for our cause. I will pledge from this day forward that the next time I get that look from a doctor, you know, the placating one you get when you start to talk gastrointestinal, I will put my foot down. I will say, “Why do you look at me that way? Do you not believe what I am saying or are you just not aware how negligent you have been in my child’s care? Why did you not recommend a genetic work up for my child? Why have you not tested his lead level before now? Why is it that while I sit here in receipt of that condescending look, you don’t even realize that every new piece of information I have found out about my child’s medical condition is because I looked for it and not you? As we sit here right now,
I know infinitely more about how to treat the medical condition of autism than you, and quite frankly, you should be on the receiving end of that very same look you are giving me. As we sit here and you comment on how well my child is doing, and how far he has come, it is only because of me, and not you, acting as his medical professional and managing his care, and at the same time, being damn good at it.”

So pediatricians, and specialists be aware and beware. We will no longer tolerate substandard, negligent care for our kids. And while we might be the government’s scapegoat right now, that curtain will come down, and they will sell you out just as fast. And then my friends, you won’t be able to afford your malpractice insurance.

Jill Rubolino is the mother of two beautiful children, one who was affected by vaccines and diagnosed with PDD-NOS. She, along with her husband Richard, is currently working on her son’s recovery and returning his body to a healthy state. Jill has been a nurse for fifteen years and is appalled at the lack of appropriate medical care for ASD kids. Along with friend Jeanna Reed (fellow nurse and mom to a vaccine injured son) they plan to do something about it. Their company, Autism Is Medical, Inc.., focuses on educating doctors and parents and bridging the gap between them. They can be found at .

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Unsafe Levels of Flame Retardant Chemicals Common in US Homes

Posted Dec 29 2012 10:07pm
Posted on Dec. 28, 2012, 6 a.m. in Environment Brain and Mental Performance Cancer

Flame retardant chemicals are inescapably present in the everyday environment, from furniture to clothing to electronics and as “third hand” exposures via dust from these items.  Many flame retardants raise health concerns, including cancer, hormone disruption, and harmful effects on brain development, with infants and toddlers who spend much time on the floor at higher risk for exposure.  Robin Dodson, from Silent Spring Institute (Massachusetts, USA), and colleagues completed a peer-reviewed study of the largest number of flame retardants ever tested in homes found that most houses had levels of at least one flame retardant that exceeded a federal health guideline. The team tested for 49 flame retardant chemicals in household dust, the main route of exposure for people and especially for children. Forty-four flame retardant chemicals were detected and 36 were found in at least 50% of the samples, sometimes at levels of health concern. The highest concentrations were found for chlorinated organophosphate flame retardants. This chemical group includes TCEP and TDCIPP (or chlorinated "Tris"), which are listed as carcinogens under California's Proposition 65.  TDBPP (or brominated "Tris") was banned from children's pajamas in 1977 due to health concerns but is still allowed in other products, and was present in 75% of homes tested in 2011. There are no federal rules requiring that flame retardants be safety tested. Among the limited number of flame retardants with EPA health risk guidelines, the study found five at levels higher than those guidelines -- BDE 47, BDE 99, TCEP, TDCIPP and BB 153. The study authors warn that: “Results highlight the evolving nature of [flame retardant] exposures and suggest that manufacturers continue to use hazardous chemicals and replace chemicals of concern with chemicals with uncharacterized toxicity.”

Robin E. Dodson, Laura J. Perovich, Adrian Covaci, Nele Van den Eede, Alin C. Ionas, Alin C. Dirtu, et al.  “After the PBDE Phase-Out: A Broad Suite of Flame Retardants in Repeat House Dust Samples from California.”  Environ. Sci. Technol., 2012, 46 (24), pp 13056–13066.

World Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine & Regenerative Biomedical Technologies Showcases Innovations in Clinical Aging Intervention:
Daily supplementation of aged garlic extract helps to reduce blood pressure, in people with uncontrolled systolic hypertension.
Most American homes have levels of at least one flame retardant that exceed a federal health guideline.
Three to four cups of coffee per day may help to prevent type 2 diabetes.
A person’s risk of heart attack increases incrementally, and may be elevated within the first year of unemployment.
People with known cardiovascular disease, or diabetes with end-organ effects, are at a lower risk if they consume a healthy diet.
Triclosan, an antibacterial chemical found in numerous personal care products, may contribute to an increased risk of allergy development in children.
To maintain healthy weight at the holidays, think twice before reaching for traditional staples like cookies or candy – and the car keys.
Mercury released into the air and then deposited into oceans contaminates seafood eaten by people worldwide.
Higher vitamin D dietary intake associates with a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, among women.
Triclosan, an antibacterial chemical found in numerous personal care products, may contribute to an increased risk of allergy development in children.
The antibiotic-resistant “superbug” methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is prevalent at several US wastewater treatment plants.
Two United Nations agencies have mapped the intersection of health and climate in an age of global warming.
Long-term exposure to fine particulate matter decreases flow-mediated brachial artery dilation.
People who are exposed to mold in their homes could be at an increased risk for sarcoidosis, a chronic inflammatory lung disease.
High noise levels can put people at-risk of annoyance as well as sleep disturbance, both of which can have serious health consequences.
People with severe coronary artery disease have been found to have higher-than-normal levels of the plastic bisphenol-A (BPA) in their urine.
Roofers and road construction workers who use hot asphalt experience elevated blood high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
Link between climate change, ozone loss and possible increase in skin cancer incidence.
Among women, increased concentrations of phthalates in the body may raise risk of type-2 diabetes.
Anti-Aging Forum MLDP Join A4M
#97 - Be a Social Butterfly
Social and productive activities provide equivalent advantages to staying alive as do physical fitness activities. Harvard Medical School researchers found that people with a chronic medical condition that makes physical exertion difficult may greatly benefit from participating in social activities. Spend an afternoon tea with your friends, play bridge on Friday night, or have an impromptu get-together with neighbors. When you spend quality time with those who share your interests, you establish the basis for a social network that helps you to maintain a positive outlook on life.
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Red & Blue State Eats

Posted Sep 28 2008 12:00am

Friday night while torrential rain dumped down on Boston my friends and I gathered inside for a Presidential Debate party.  I’d been looking forward to this party for weeks, even though in the days leading up to the debate it was unclear if it would happen at all.  Thankfully despite economic turmoil the show went on.  The stars of the night, however, weren’t Obama or McCain, but a spread of red and blue state inspired food.  Unfortunately I was rushing to get everything done by the time my guests arrived so I didn’t have a chance to snap photos of the food, but the menu was as follows:

  • Black-Eyed Pea Hummus
  • Wisconsin Beer & Cheddar Fondue w/ various dippers (i.e. fingerling potatoes, cornichons, apple slices, kielbasa, etc.)
  • Biscuits and Gravy w/ Vegetarian Sausage (made by a co-worker)
  • Martha’s One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Dark Chocolate frosting and patriotic gum paste toppers (pictured above)
Everything was very delicious and I was especially impressed with the cupcakes.  They were rich and chocolately and so sinful.  I have a feeling they will become one of my regulars.  Hope everyone had a great weekend.
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A Pilgrimage to Bhutan – Making Sense of 2012

Posted Dec 22 2012 10:12pm

What we can be sure of is change, the unpredictability and shifting nature of life.   How we relate to that change determines everything – does it beat us down or hone us into more refined ways of being, does it tear apart what we know leaving nothing, or does it guide us into a deeper relationship to what is true, to our deeper nature and a richer texture of life, like a grain of sand that becomes a pearl.

This year, 2012, has symbolism and meaning for many in ancient times, and for many today – the end of the world, a time of upheaval, and of renewal.  For me, in my small world, it has been an unusual and extraordinary year – of deep peaks and valleys, of experience throwing me back into the questions that all of us at one time or another must confront such as why am I here, why do bad things happen, how do I make sense of loss and change, what is true and how do I live fully now, and how should I spend this one precious life?

Over the past year, my older sister, Carrie, died slowly from biliary cancer.  Environmental toxins are causing an increase in this type of cancer.  She was young, a single mother, and had two children, my niece and nephew.

Despite a desperate struggle, she died last month in my home surrounded by her family singing songs, offering poems, prayers, and laughter. It was out of order – her parents, my parents, buried her.  Her children are not yet raised; her life, so incomplete, was gone in one breath.

I also sadly ended a marriage of eight years.  And so I took a pause, and went to do the things that restore me, that slow me down enough to notice what is true.  For me it is walking in the mountains and offering myself in the service of others.

In the fresh and raw place of these changes, my 24 year old daughter Rachel and I went to Bhutan on a trek to a sacred mountain, Jomolhari, altitude 23,000 feet, and to a Tibetan boy’s orphanage at Menri Monastery in the foothills of the Himalayas in India, to pare away the known and see what is left.  It was a sort of pilgrimage to sacred outer and internal landscapes. For thousands of years, human beings have made pilgrimages to such sacred places.

And in my life, at this moment, it was time for that pilgrimage.   I would like to share some of my experience with you in several blogs with the hope that in them you might find a way to make your own pilgrimage in thought, place or deed that brings you closer to what is true, essential and eternal in life, to peace, and happiness.  It is not the kind of thing I am prone to share, but it informs all of the work I do to help create healing in the world.

We begin in Paro, nested at 7,000 feet, a small, rugged, mountainous town.  It is a cold, crisp and dark morning. I awoke from fitful dreams of my sister struggling to find a way to live, to find a way back.  The Tibetan Buddhists believe in the Bardo, a transitional state where the soul is lost, confused, and uncertain of its state.

For 49 days it is believed that the soul seeks to reconnect with life, family, friends, and the departed feel as though they are still alive but no one responds to them; and this creates great suffering.  Perhaps it is that or my sadness, but in the deep dark nights in my dreams she is there, palpable, real, resisting death, longing desperately to live.

I do not pretend to understand how this life works, my place in it, or how to arrive to a place that is settled, authentic, powerful, and clear, but I am trying.  As I return to the East where I spent so much of my youth, either as a mythical place explored in ancient texts and practices, or thirty years ago in the physical places and spaces of Tibet and Nepal where I wandered as a young man in search of meaning, I am reminded of the foundation upon which I have built my life, beliefs, attitudes, and aspirations that are who I am.

I am reminded of the notion of compassion and the Bodhisattva committed to the liberation from suffering of all sentient beings, of loving kindness, of impermanence and non-attachment, of clear and present awareness of what is without judgment or ideas of this or that, of realms of consciousness and beings beyond the senses and beyond knowing, of merit and the endless cycle of life, of discernment, of seeing what is true, and of our true or Buddha nature and the Buddha nature in all things. These are the quiet and unspoken principles that are the filters through which I experience life.

Being here, visiting the sacred places, in this sacred country where these Buddhist principles are their constitution, their declaration of interdependence and interconnection of all things, I am quieted and happy, but less certain than ever of how things should be – only open to how things might be if I relax, let go, be present, show up, pay attention, and listen for what is true in everything.

I have failed at this many times, have made many mistakes, but now in this little crack in my life where, as Leonard Cohen reminds us, is how the light gets in, I am sensing something luminous and possible. With the death of my sister, the drama of the divorce leaving me raw, and in the questions, I sense a transition to something different – though I am not sure what it is.

It is a day’s hike up the river toward the sacred mountain Jomolhari; I awoke nestled in my sleeping bag warmed by a hot water bottle that reminded me of the safety of my childhood, something my mother offered when I was sick.

Here in this remote valley, in this even more remote country, Bhutan, nestled against the border of Tibet and India, is a place that rejects the values of the West, of material success in exchange for “Gross National Happiness”, a measure of life’s quality, of how we care for each other and the earth. It is place that outlaws smoking because it kills and enforces driving slowly and safely. It is a place that educates the young and whose last king abdicated power to introduce democracy and describes himself as a servant, parent, caretaker, and steward not a ruler.

Though poor, a gentle happiness exudes from the Bhutanese I have met. They are graceful, generous, and kind. The landscape and the people are imbued with core Buddhist values – loving kindness, compassion, peace with the impermanence of life, understanding the cycles of life, death and rebirth, and of creating merit in this lifetime which shapes a different way of being in each day.

When we arrived at our destination we climbed up a steep mountain to an 8th century monastery, the Tiger’s Nest.  It is perched on the edge of a cliff, held on by angel hairs, the place where Padmasambhava (or Guru Rinpoche) meditated for 3 years, 3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days, 3 minutes and 3 seconds in the 8th century and brought Tantra and Tibetan Buddhism to Bhutan and Tibet, offering an accelerated path to enlightenment.

The monasteries are sacred ancient places where, for over a thousand years, the Dharma (the Buddha’s teachings) have been taught, the sutras (prayers) chanted, the butter lamps lit, where offerings were made, and where thousands upon tens of thousands of prostrations were done by the humble caretaker of a 7th century monastery that has worn grooves into the wood that somehow fits everyone’s foot regardless of size.

The walls speak and resonate with the sacred, ancient Thangka paintings. They adorn the walls telling the story of Samsara, the endless wheel of life, of the Buddha and his disciples, of Guru Rinpoche and his eight manifestations and consorts with whom he formed mystical union and achieved the Great Enlightenment.

They speak of demons representing the demons of our minds and statues of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, of Avalokiteśvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, who returned from the gates of enlightenment to work for the liberation of all sentient beings. He made it his life’s work to teach all of us the power of loving kindness and to heal and remake the world through compassion. The current Dalai Lama is the 14th reincarnation of Avalokiteśvara.

These Buddhist values permeate Bhutan – values of compassion, non-attachment, discernment of the true nature of reality, the nature of our minds, the Buddha nature of all people and all things,  the impermanence of life, our Self versus self, our true nature versus our ego mind, our thought forms as impermanent, and of the seeking toward witnessing the play of our minds and our lives as part of Samsara, of Maya, the illusion that arises and passes.

It is the belief that the cultivation of happiness is, all at once, understanding the true nature of things, the beautiful, wondrous, magical nature of life and it’s preciousness, and that one of life’s greatest achievements is to be awake to that preciousness in every moment, in everyone, and in everything.

Against the backdrop of this sacred and protected country, absent of all things familiar to the West, Rachel and I set out on our pilgrimage to the sacred goddess mountain, Jomolhari, to the roof of the world.

This pilgrimage is not easy or always pleasant, as we find out while sitting cross-legged for hours in a monastery on a cold morning.  It takes us away from what is known, comfortable, and easy, where we confront only our minds, our fears, and our beliefs about the limits of our body.

And there we are left only with the vastness of nature, the cold, the deep biting cold, each other, and the play of our minds. With each step toward the sacred mountain we shed layers of what and where we are, shed ideas and notions of what is true and real, and come directly in contact with unadorned experience.

We walked yesterday for hour and hours, past small villages and the beautiful square houses of Bhutan, where animals, cows, pigs, and horses lived below, humans on the middle floor, and food and hay were stored on the top floor.

Electricity and roads have just come in the last few years, but are still absent for most of the country. Life is slow and simple, people grow Bhutanese red rice and turnips, tend animals, wash clothes, and make everything by hand.

Time stretches out like a vast ocean here, not hurried along in some chaotic race to nowhere. What are we to do with our one precious human life, a life so rare that it is likened to a turtle who comes up for one breath once a century and in order to create one human life he must poke his head through one small yellow yoke floating upon all the seas.

What are we to do with this one wild and precious life, as the poet Mary Oliver asks us, but to be awake to its wonder and beauty and live each day with gratitude and loving kindness and service to each other.

Yes, there is suffering, and from a great suffering I have just emerged, the suffering of my sister, Carrie, dying slowly from the ravages of bile duct cancer that slowly twisted and turned off her bowels. The suffering of a mother who was not yet ready to leave her children, who clung to life even as she took her last breath surrounded by all of us, her family, her children, her friends singing to her, blessing her, reading her Rilke’s poetry as she took her last breath.

My own suffering is in losing my beloved and only sister, witnessing the pain of my elderly parents burying their daughter, and of her children losing their mother. Of course there is suffering.  It is real, and yet how we meet it and how we dance with it determines if it devours or enriches us wearing us smooth and beautiful like rocks pounded by the sea.

How we meet the cycle of life and death and, as the Buddhists believe, rebirth, determines if we greet life and greet each other with loving kindness or with bitterness and resentment.   The basic Buddhist belief is that in the endless cycle of life, death, and rebirth everyone at one time was your mother or will be in the next life, highlighting the value of loving kindness toward all beings.

This simple idea, so hard to achieve, is the path to happiness.  And so it is – we set out on this trek alone, unadorned, as no one, and with nothing, simply to meet ourselves and the world as it is.

Now I crawl from my sleep back to meet the day, to have a camp breakfast by the side of this glacial river, as our camp cook brings us hot tea and we head up the trail toward the unknown, a little bit of suffering heaped upon a big dose of happiness.

Wishing you and your family a very happy and healthy holiday!

To your good health,

Mark Hyman, MD

P.S. Please leave your thoughts by adding a comment below – but remember, we can’t offer personal medical advice online, so be sure to limit your comments to those about taking back our health!

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