Detroit Lakes Water Festival, Minnesota--Erin Ryding

"Hi there, my name is Erin Ryding, and I work with the City of Detroit Lakes. I've been with the city for about 15 years now, and my main job here is I run the wastewater lab, but also along with the lab, I also run the water plant, so I see the freshwater when it comes out of the wells, and I make sure that that water gets treated to make a safe drinking water for the City of Detroit Lakes.

Then at the wastewater plant, I grab the samples from over there, and I test them, and make sure that we are not putting out water into our receiving waters that is going to be bad for the environment. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency along with the EPA regulates what we discharge from our wastewater plant, and so that's what I am guaranteeing, that we hit the numbers that we need to hit, and just make sure the overall process is working fine. I see the water from the beginning before you drink it, to the end after you flush it."

This story was collected as part of a collaborative effort to record the state of American lakes, rivers, and waterways as well an attempt to uncover what water means to Americans. Listen to other stories recorded for the Be Here: Main Street project, a collaboration with the MuseWeb Foundation to record stories from rural America. 

Asset ID #3974