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Price to retire from water plant
Ron Price's tenure as Fort Scott Public Works Water Production supervisor will come to an end on Friday.
According to Fort Scott Public Works Director Eric Bailey, Price has done a tremendous job during his years as the water plant's supervisor.
"Ron is very smart. He is a sharp man and has done a great job running the water plant," Bailey said.
During the last 17 years, Price has worked endless hours and was on call 24 hours a day in order to make the water delivered to homes and businesses in Bourbon County safe to use, he said. The water plant pumps water from the river into the water plant for sterilization, Price said. The water is then treated with ozone gases at the water plant. According to a Web site found at http://www.veoliawaterst.co.uk/en/files/?file=946, the ozone gases are extremely useful in water clarification.
"Ozone is used in the water treatment process due to its oxidizing energetic properties. Aside from its exceptional disinfectant abilities (destroying pathogenic germs 20 to 30 times faster than chlorine), ozone is used for its numerous other properties," the Web site said.
After the water has been treated with the ozone gases, Price and his employees also treat the water with chlorine and ammonia to ensure proper disinfecting, he said.
"These chemicals give the dirt particles weight, causing them to settle. This leaves the clear water," he said.
The Fort Scott plant is equipped with a large generator that is capable of running the plant should an electrical outage occur. This way, residents can continue to access clean water, Price said.
Price said that his position at the plant has been stressful at times.
"If something goes down, you don't have much time. You may only have four hours. You have to get the water pumping," he said.
Maintaining a high quality of water is such an important task that it requires a lot of samples to be collected and sent to the state. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment requires several different types of samples to be provided for their testing purposes, Price said.
When asked what Price's biggest job-related challenge during the last 17 years was, he did not hesitate to answer.
"It was the new construction that started in '04 and ended in '06," he said.
Price said that trying to run the water plant in the midst of the new construction created much more work for him and his employees. Quite often, during this time period, they would have to work during the night, he said. Although Price was inconvenienced during the construction, he said that the addition of the new ozone equipment that was a part of the plant improvements was a positive step.
"The ozone is really beneficial. It takes out all taste and odor. It is also a water cleaner," he said.
Price, who has an associate degree in water and wastewater technology from Crowder College, said that he will miss his job but it is time to slow down. He said that he plans to spend more time with his family. He and his wife, Nancy, who is a teacher at Fort Scott High School, have three children; two sons and one daughter whom they enjoy spending time with. Price also said that he will spend some time fishing, golfing and, of course, working on the "Honey Do List" that his wife has ready for him.
According to Price, an interim plant supervisor will take over operations until a new supervisor is hired. According to Price, the water plant not only provides water to all of Bourbon County but is also purchased by many rural water companies, including western Missouri rural water companies which border Bourbon County, parts of Linn County and as far south as Hepler.
Bailey said that he and Price have known each other for many years, and he will miss him.
"I hate to see him go," he said. "Ron and I go way back. He hired me. He's going to be missed, but I am happy for him," Bailey said.