• Operator Stories

Meet Ben Haddock

  • June 03, 2024

Meet Ben Haddock, Water Quality and Compliance Officer at Southern Downs Regional Council. 

You’ve grown from a Waste Water Treatment Trainee, to Treatment Plant Operator and now to Water Quality and Compliance Officer in your career. Tell us a bit about your career journey?

I acquired a traineeship with the Tenterfield Shire Council. During this traineeship I worked at numerous water and waste water treatment plants throughout the region gaining experience and broad knowledge. This was fundamental in completing my certificate 3 in water industry operations.

After completing my certificate 3, I was highly motivated to see what other treatment plant opportunities were available out there within the water industry. I submitted my application to the Southern Downs Regional Council for an assistant treatment plant operator position and I was successful in gaining the position. It was fantastic to work at multiple water and waste water treatment plants, learning from more experienced senior operators and supervisors.

After 2 years as a trainee, I had been provided with the tools to become an independent treatment plant operator if any opportunities arose and fortunately one did. I applied for the treatment plant operator position at the Stanthorpe wastewater treatment plant and again I was successful. I then decided to further my knowledge within the water industry by undertaking a certificate 4 in water industry operations. This was a good career path as I learnt how to use more complex thinking in the treatment plant and important supervisory skills. During this time I was humbled to be announced as the 2020 WIOA QLD young operator of the year. This award in
itself was a huge accomplishment for not only myself but the whole water and wastewater team.

After completing my certificate 4, I was later promoted to senior treatment plant operator. This role involved floating between all water and wastewater treatment plants throughout the region, assisting the operators with any treatment plant
operational performance issues and the supervisor with any tasks.

I have always has a passion for treatment plants but also the regulatory side. I thoroughly enjoy reviewing water and wastewater quality data and comparing those results to the ADWG, DWQMP and RWMP to ensure compliance objectives are being achieved. So I was offered a position within the regulatory team as water quality and compliance officer. I have really immersed myself within the regulatory space as there is so much to learn and find it extremely interesting. I have a fantastic supervisor who takes the time to teach and mentor me which has been beneficial from a performance and output perspective.

In your experience, what are some of the most pressing water quality challenges or issues facing the region or industry you work in, and how have you addressed them in your role?

In my experience some of the most pressing water quality challenges and issues are dealing with the drought and trying to attract operators. When I started in SDRC we were in the middle of a 10 year drought which presented major issues. The Stanthorpe raw water supply ran dry. With no alternative water sources, Southern Downs Regional Council embarked on one of the most significant water carting projects ever undertaken in Australia. Carting 1.5ML/day of water roughly 60km from Connolly Dam near Warwick to be treated in Stanthorpe was a logistical, technical and operational challenge that stretched staff in all areas. Water quality from Connolly was poor and notoriously difficult to treat, containing extremely high levels of Manganese (Mn Total >4.5mg/L, Soluble >3.8mg/L) as well as algae and taste and odour which the Stanthorpe WTP was not equipped to treat. Process investigations were undertaken to specify requirements for new chemical dosing systems, while significant investments were made in new infrastructure for loading-unloading of trucks and providing a storage and connection pipeline to the Stanthorpe WTPs supply main.

The operations team sourced and where necessary built new dosing systems for Potassium Permanganate and Powder Activated Carbon integrating these with the WTP’s control system. (This paragraph is the abstract from my paper I presented at the 2021 WIOA conference placing 3rd).

With the current aging population, a lot of the experienced senior operators are now retiring and the positions cannot be backfilled. The biggest challenge is awareness of this hidden industry and the endless opportunities that are out there within the water space. This is why I take part in WIOA opportunities to spread awareness, passion and otherwise missed chances.

Any advice for young operators in the industry facing similar challenges?

Look for opportunities and get after it, gain as much knowledge as possible from senior operators, mentors and training providers (I say, be a sponge). Spread this great career path to friends and family. Lastly don’t be afraid to have a go.

How do you stay up-to-date with the latest regulations and guidelines related to water quality reporting and compliance?

I stay up to date with the latest regulations and guidelines but attending regulatory workshops with relevant government bodies and reviewing any updates and changes online.

In 2020, you won the QLD WIOA Young Operator of the Year, what did this award mean to you?

Winning this award was a huge accolade for not only myself but the whole water and wastewater team. It shows that hard work, passion and determination doesn’t go unnoticed and is vastly appreciated. It fuelled the fire to get out there, make change in a positive way and inspire other operators.