SIUE’s Lallish Elected to IAWPCO Executive Board
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Ricky Lallish, program director of Water Pollution Control at the Environmental Resources Training Center (ERTC) in the School of Engineering, has been elected to serve as third vice president for the Illinois Association of Water Pollution Control Operators (IAWPCO).
The organization was founded as the Illinois Sewage Works Association in 1935 and incorporated as the Illinois Association of Water Pollution Control Operators in 1972. The purpose of the Illinois Association of Water Pollution Control Operators is to bring together wastewater treatment professionals to educate, encourage the exchange of ideas, and exhibit the latest equipment and technologies.
Lallish joins an 11-member board that includes the association president, three vice presidents and chairmen from the four regions of the state. As a new board member, Lallish began his duties earlier in April.
IAWPCO’s goal is the advancement of the wastewater operator’s status in the public eye and to promote recognition for the services they provide as the major component in preventing water pollution and improving community health and welfare. The organization is also involved in the study and promotion of the improvement in the quality of the waterways of Illinois.
Lallish joined SIUE in August 2008 after serving as lead operator for the City of Greenville. He holds both a class one wastewater and collections systems operator certification from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. He has more than 20 years of experience in the water pollution control field and is highly active in local, state and international organizations.
The ERTC provides vocational-technical educational opportunities for people desiring a career in the field of water treatment technology. Their hands-on training consists of the operation of the training-scale treatment plant housed at the Center. The ERTC provides students with the opportunity to operate five separate water treatment processes while attending the one-year program. The Center also houses two water quality teaching laboratories.
The Training Center offers a one-year certificate of completion in Water Quality Control Operations Program. In conjunction with Lewis and Clark Community College, the students may earn an associates in applied science degree.
Graduates from ERTC are eligible to take the state exams to become certified water treatment operators in Illinois and Missouri. “Graduates have the opportunity to hold five professional certifications in water treatment” said ERTC Director Paul Shetley. “There is no other training center in the nation that provides that opportunity”.
Information on ERTC can be obtained by calling 618-650-2030 or visiting their website at siue.edu/ertc.
Photo: Ricky Lallish, program director of Water Pollution Control at the Environmental Resources Training Center (ERTC) in the SIUE School of Engineering.
