Dawn McCoy Named Mississippi’s Outstanding Wastewater Operator of the Year

Dawn McCoy, Class IV operator and project manager for the McComb (Miss.) Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility, was named recipient of the 2011 Don Scott Award for Outstanding Wastewater Operator of the Year by the Mississippi Water and Pollution Control Operator’s Assn (MWPCOA).

McCoy is an 18-year employee of Severn Trent Services, which operates the plant through a public-private partnership. The award was presented at the association’s annual conference held in Biloxi in September.

The Don Scott Award is presented each year to a wastewater operator who exemplifies professionalism and dedication to his or her work. MWPCOA members submit nominations, which are reviewed by the association's board of governors, and a selection committee visits the operator's facility and conducts an interview before selecting the award recipient.

The McComb treatment plant is permitted for a maximum daily flow of 5 million gal per day. It features a vertical loop reactor process with an interchange biological reactor, the first of its kind in Mississippi and one of only 12 such systems in the United States. Commissioned in 2010, the plant was named the Best Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant by the Mississippi Municipal League in 2011.

Source: Severn Trent Services