There was a celebratory cake at the Hamilton Public Works Department Monday, as the City of Hamilton announced an award for Environmental Excellence from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality.

The Montana Stormwater Award for 2022 was directed at the sewer maintenance crew, mainly. The plaque (photo above) was shown to the media by Donny Ramer, the Public Works director. It was the result of two inspections from the state. One was centered on the wastewater treatment plant discharge permit for wastewater at the west end of Adirondac Avenue and the other was Hamilton's Industrial Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan.

Ramer said the state mentioned Hamilton's efforts to be pro-active, trying to fix problems before they become bigger. The Hamilton department has a main goal Ramer said, "The goal is to remove as much nutrients and sediment as we can from the wastewater. And we're working to remove more and more of that each year."

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Hamilton Mayor Dominic Farrenkopf praised the department staff. "We certainly are proud of our sewer operators. They come to work every day and they do a job that maybe is not the most desirable, but certainly do a great job for that, and the city does appreciate all the work that they do."

Some of the Public Works staff was on-hand for slices of cake. In the photo above, (left-to-right) Ed Barrett, Mayor Farrenkopf, Dana Baughman, Donny Ramer, Regina Panzarella, and in front, Jesse Melvin with his dog Chica. Wastewater treatment workers Matt Howe, Nick Ellingson and Fritz Lossman were not present.

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