The LOTT Clean Water Alliance offers a variety of interesting work and career opportunities. Our positions range from entry level to skilled professional in diverse fields. Explore below to learn about some of our current projects and the exciting work performed by our staff.

Reclaimed Water

The production of Class A Reclaimed Water is a key component of LOTT’s strategy for meeting the future wastewater treatment needs of our region. Our citizens support the view that wastewater is a valuable resource that can be cleaned and restored, reused, and returned to the environment. Staff from every division and work group have participated in our reclaimed water projects, including planning, siting, and permitting; design, construction, and start-up; and operation, maintenance, and performance testing. The construction and operation of these facilities have provided our staff with the opportunity to work with state-of-the art technologies, to work with representatives from our partner jurisdictions and regulatory agencies, and to benefit the community we serve by creating a new water resource.

Environmental Monitoring

Employees from the Laboratory and Operations conduct monthly environmental monitoring and sampling of Budd Inlet in LOTT's boat. The excursion typically lasts 3-4 hours and keeps the sampling team busy as they use a submersible water quality data logger to collect data (pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and salinity). They also bring water samples back to the lab to be analyzed for nutrients, chlorophyll, and fecal coliform. It’s a busy day for the team, but it hardly feels like work when they get to spend a few hours boating on Budd Inlet as part of their job.

Collections and Distribution Systems

The LOTT Alliance owns, operates, maintains, and builds pipelines and pump stations that are used to convey wastewater (collections system) to the treatment facilities and to send Class A Reclaimed Water (distribution system) to our jurisdictional partners and the constructed wetlands and recharge basins. LOTT’s active Engineering team is responsible for the construction of new pipelines, monitoring the condition of existing pipelines, and rehabilitating or replacing damaged or aging pipelines. These projects, which often impact traffic flow, require extensive coordination by our staff with partner jurisdictions, and frequent open communication with local businesses and residents to minimize disruption to traffic and roadways.

Facilities and Grounds

LOTT staff are responsible for managing a variety of park-like facilities and grounds. While people would not typically associate wastewater treatment facilities with beauty, LOTT grounds are maintained by a Master Gardener/Certified Arborist who keeps our facilities lush and green. The Budd Inlet Treatment Plant and the Hawks Prairie Ponds/Recharge Basins provide our grounds-keeping staff with an outlet for their creativity and ingenuity. In addition to upgrading, designing, and installing automated irrigation systems to enable the use of reclaimed water, our Grounds Specialist has led landscape design, installation, and maintenance projects to create beautiful and peaceful settings that are an oasis within the industrial environment of the treatment plant. At the Hawks Prairie Ponds Site, the extensive use of native species attracts a large variety of wildlife to the facility, which has also become a popular dog-walking location for area residents.

Regional Services Center

When complete, LOTT’s Regional Services Center, which includes the Water Education and Technology Center, will be a showcase for the organization’s commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship. Designed to be Platinum level LEED certified by the United States Green Building Council, this building will use a variety of innovative and environmentally friendly practices, including use of Class A Reclaimed Water for irrigation and toilets; a "green" vegetated roof to minimize storm runoff; and extensive use of natural light and recycled materials.

This project, which represents the first step in a partnership with the Port of Olympia, City of Olympia, and the Hands On Children’s Museum to redevelop the East Bay area of Olympia, has already provided many opportunities for our staff to work with people from other agencies. Construction is sure to keep our Engineering Division busy, and our Community Relations Division is excited about creating all of the displays and programs that will be housed in the new Education Center.

Publications and Web Design

The LOTT Alliance’s longstanding values include proactive and open public communication and community involvement. LOTT is committed to a "Good Neighbor Policy" in the planning, development, construction, and operation of all facilities and understands that community education regarding wastewater treatment, renewing water resources, and conservation are essential to the success of LOTT’s mission. In addition to the many public meetings, facility tours, and professional presentations provided by our staff, our website and a variety of annual publications (which are available online) provide a vital communication link with the community.

These exceptional public resources are developed in-house by staff from the Community Relations Division with the help of employees from throughout the organization. In 2008, LOTT website won the prestigious National Association of Clean Water Agencies Environmental Achievement Awards Public Information and Education: E-Media Award. The site provides the general public with 24-hour access to information about the LOTT Alliance and our projects. The site also helps others experience LOTT as we experience it – a great place to work, with progressive projects, state-of-the-art facilities, and highly skilled employees who take pride in work that they perform on behalf of the community we serve.

learn more

State of the Utility Report 2010 – LOTT works diligently to provide an essential service to the public, and this Report details much of the work accomplished in 2009, and outlines plans for 2010.

Strategic Business Plan 2008-2012 – The Strategic Business Plan documents LOTT’s organizational philosophy and approaches to effectively managing this substantial community investment.