Water Well Journal
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/629532
recognition enjoyed by anyone with any degree or letters behind their name. The consultant should seek out the advice of experi- enced and knowledgeable operators who will be operat- ing the system he is designing well before preparing the design documents and certainly before releasing them for bidding. An experienced, smart consultant will recognize no one individual engineer can possibly have all the experience, knowledge, and background necessary to provide for every conceivable occurrence and construction variable, regardless of his own past experience. The consultant should seek out the counsel of those individuals who will be in charge of running the water system after it is built. After all, what good is the best design if the facility is not operated as it was intended? I have seen numerous designs that were excellent on paper but were later modified by the operator simply because they would not work as designed. What good is that? Forget the desire to win an award for design or engineering. The consult- ant must put his ego aside and place the needs of the client ahead of his desire to be all things to all people. He should always remember his primary responsibility is to serve and represent his client in the best and most efficient way possible—that is, provide the customer with the highest degree of safe drinking water possible. That's the bottom line. The consultant must recognize the operator often has decades of experience in plant operation and water treat- ment far beyond his own. The consultant should be willing to benefit from the opera- tor's experience. This is especially important to consultants with five to 10 years of design experience or less who too often think the answer to every problem must lie in a book somewhere—if only they could just find it! It simply doesn't work that way in the real world. The consultant must recognize the operator is the one with his hands on the buttons of the plant and in the water day after day, and often the person best suited to give opinions as to the most cost effective treatment means and methods. The consultant must recognize neither Mother Nature nor Murphy (of Murphy's Law) have taken the time to read his specifications or review his plan. Sometimes a good design on paper may just not work as planned. Very sim- ply: If the consultant used good judg- ment and diligence in preparing the design. If he employed rational judg- ment and any needed bench testing when selecting the treatment process. If he sought out the advice and counsel of those more experienced in the subject area. If he adequately monitored the construction and assured himself as to the integrity of the design. Then: He has done everything expected of him. Yet with all this prudent caution, mis- takes do sometimes happen. When they do, the consultant must put aside any egocentric or liability concerns and seek out the advice and counsel of operators who can help correct the problems. Did you notice I put the full responsi- bility on the consultant for these items mentioned? This is exactly what he gets paid for. No engineer can possibly anticipate every characteristic of the actual design and construction process, no matter what school they attended or how many projects they have seen completed. ENGINEERING from page 41 42 February 2016 WWJ waterwelljournal.com T C MGWC KNOWLEDGE EXPERIENCE Y ABILIT CERTIFIED national ground water associati T ER ER C and stand out fr J M TIO D ion BRIGADE CK JA GREEN TIO AT C I TIF TIF etitio omp om the c ut fr anks of the oin the r ON E T KE ON on with e e elit er ast as a M T ER C tr on er C t a oundw r r G TIO A C I TIF or! t ac r ON 800 551 7 e A NGWA ee w a gr earn how L 7379 614 898 ti a ti‰c er g/C .or ou an help y et c en jacke 7791 ion u stand out! 800 551.7 7379 • 614 898 .7791