In an effort to educate the general public, the staff of the Brunswick Sewer District has created an interactive poster and video of the Water Treatment Cycle that incorporates smart phone technology. A 13-minute video was filmed, edited and narrated by staff.

The video begins with a typical household internal plumbing system that has been animated to show potable (clean) water going in and waste water going out. The viewer is then guided on the journey waste water takes through the public sewer system on its way to — and through — the treatment plant. The video covers, through actual clips, various parts of the BSD collection system, including pipes, manholes and pump stations.

Once the flow reaches the treatment plant, the viewer is shown sequential processes the water goes through as it is treated at the district’s 3.85 million-gallon-per-day basic primary treatment and trickling filter secondary treatment processes. Treated water then flows through to the outfall into the Androscoggin River.

In addition to the video, the staff created an interactive poster that features a QR code at each station of the video that allows anyone with a smartphone to scan the corresponding code to view a short (1 to 2 minute) video of the featured portion of the water treatment cycle. The poster is designed so that it can be provided to area schools, mounted in public buildings and anywhere else convenient for public viewing.

A kiosk was constructed by the staff at the District’s Water Street Pumping Station next to the walking and biking path along the Androscoggin River. The pump station’s fence was repositioned to provide space for the kiosk and two wooden benches. This provides a quiet resting spot for walkers, joggers and bicyclists using the popular walking/biking path.

This project was the brainchild of the district’s assistant general manager, Robert Pontau Jr. and is part of its employee goals program. He managed the project giving staff the tools, equipment, software — and ability — to plan the project, script the message, film the episodes, edit and narrate the video. The project was supported by the district’s Board of Trustees as part of an ongoing program to educate and inform district rate payers and the public atlarge about the workings of the municipal sewer system and its importance to the community.