The Environmental Rower

During this past summer, I interned for the Ridgewood Water Department, my local water department, for seven weeks.

During my internship, I performed a variety of tasks. I scanned more than 8,000 sheets of paper-based work orders dating back 20 years. This task consisted of un-stapling, scanning, re-stapling, and chronologically sorting them. I also had to enter all of the data from the work orders into Ridgewood Water’s system. It would’ve been great if they had Optical Character Recognition (OCR).

I also collected the exact locations of hundreds of water curb boxes, where the department can access water lines to houses. These locations were being collected because the department plans to replace all the lead pipes because they are contaminating the water. This task was exhausting as I was outside in the summer heat – I have a newfound appreciation for what it takes to work outside.

Overall, I enjoyed my time there, helping out with the department. I have a better understanding of the runnings of the town water department. It’s good to know that Ridgewood Water is addressing the lead problems I highlighted in my May post.