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When Greg Dicken of the Plains Public Works Department takes his package to the post office, he nearly always gets a sour look from the postal employees, but that could be because he's mailing out town sewage samples to a lab in Kalispell, as he's mandated by the state. Dicken doesn't care about the postal reception; he gets a laugh from their reaction.

Yet making the postal ladies squeamish is nothing like the thrill he got last week when he was named the Montana 2019 Wastewater Operator of the Year Award. The 57-year-old Dicken was presented the prestigious honor at the 40th Annual Montana Rural Water Convention in Great Falls last Thursday evening.

"This is like an actor getting an Oscar. It's a once in a lifetime deal," said Dicken, who has served as the town's certified water and wastewater operator for 17 years. Dicken was selected from more than 1,000 operators of rural communities across the state and was surprised when he found out.

He is one of three members of the Plains Public Works Department, but he is the sole water and wastewater operator and spends most of his week ensuring the quality of the town's drinking water and making sure the Plains Wastewater Treatment Plant is operating efficiently. He said the material being pumped into the Clark Fork River is perfect and the quality of the town's drinking water is one of the best in the state.

"This year's awardee is always looking to improve on the current operation of the treatment facility and strives to maintain complete and up-to-date records and logs. Daily maintenance is considered essential, not just part of the job," Dicken's certification read.

"I was really surprised. This was an absolute blessing and I worked hard for it," said Dicken, who has an assortment of responsibilities having to do with the town's sewage lagoon and water supply. To become certified, Dicken had to attend several weeks of training and had to pass a large test. He also has to be recertified every two years.

Throughout the week, Dicken travels between the town's two wells, the lift station and sewage lagoon making sure the equipment is working and to record data required by the state. Dicken must send sewage samples to a certified lab in Kalispell weekly and drinking water samples to the lab monthly. Technicians there forward the results to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, which also regularly visits Plains to inspect Dicken's work and to offer help, if needed. He tests the four lagoon ponds almost daily to ensure they are operating effectively.

"When treatment issues started to develop, creating discharge violations, this operator immediately requested assistance to find a solution to the problem. Working diligently with MRWS (Montana Rural Water Systems) and regulatory agencies to determine the problem and making adjustments, this operator was able to bring the treatment system back into compliance and running smoothly," the citation read.

Dicken is also responsible for maintenance for the equipment at the lagoon, the lift station and well pumps. When a new piece of equipment is brought in, he must immediately learn how to operate and repair it. Dicken is constantly having to learn on the job, particularly because the state's regulations are constantly evolving. "Everything's getting more stringent and that's making us meet higher standards," said Dicken, "which is making us have better water quality."