Bob Petersen, Maintenance Mechanic, prepares to maintain residence sewers at the hatchery.

On December 22, Bob Petersen, Maintenance Mechanic, and John Johnston, “Septage” Biologist, performed “one of America’s dirtiest jobs,” sewer pipe maintenance. 

The maintenance of the sewer pipes leading to the hatchery residences’ common septic tank has recently become an annual winter ritual. 

Tree roots invading the system through cracks in the ceramic sewer pipes collect material and begin to form plugs.  If a sewage backup occurs, it is inconvenient for everyone and unsanitary for those who live on station.

With three families and five children living on-site, it’s just a fact of life that it needs to be done, and Peterson and Johnston are heroes for their efforts and preventative maintenance.