I have a passion for sewage treatment plants. My niece Laura, who is studying to be a psychoanalyst in New York City, says it’s a weird obsession but nothing to worry about unless I stalk sewage treatment plants at night. On a recent trip to the Portland area, I toured three wastewater reclamation facilities (the preferred term for sewage treatment plants). But it was during the day, and the newspaper paid for my trip, so nothing to worry about, right?

My passion notwithstanding, I had a legitimate reason for the trip. Spokane County taxpayers will pay more than $100 million for a state-of-the-art wastewater reclamation facility. Two private companies, CH2M Hill and Veolia Water, are bidding for the contract to design, build and operate the plant, scheduled to open by 2012.

County Commissioner Bonnie Mager wanted a better understanding of what happens when a private company takes on such a complex public responsibility. So I tagged along with Mager, Bruce Rawls, county utilities director, and David Moss, water reclamation manager, who visited three municipal plants operated by either CH2M Hill or Veolia Water. I learned several things that I hope interest even the non-obsessed.

“Sewage treatment is a booming global business.

Veolia Water and CH2M Hill have wastewater treatment projects throughout the United States, as well as in places such as Ireland, New Zealand, Egypt and South Korea. Processing community waste is a recession-proof business. People use the bathroom in good times and in bad. And a huge market for modern sewage treatment is growing in developing countries.

Also, clean drinking water might be more coveted than oil in a decade or so. Wastewater technology has advanced to the point where the final product is drinkable. In Singapore, treated wastewater is bottled into “NEWater.” Not wildly popular yet, but companies in the sewage treatment business hope to someday capitalize on the future need for drinkable treated wastewater.

“Sewage treatment skills are in great demand.

Facilities need operators with two-year technical degrees and professionals with advanced degrees in chemistry and biology. Water & Wastes Digest recently reported that as baby boomers reach retirement age, “there won’t be young professionals galore waiting to enter the wastewater field. This problem is even more severe in rural areas.”

We visited the treatment plant in Sandy, Ore., population 7,595. The facility is at the end of a country lane. Sandy privatized its treatment plant five years ago.

“The primary reason we went to contract operations was our inability to find and retain qualified personnel,” explained Mike Walker, Sandy’s public works director.

Both CH2M Hill and Veolia Water tout their expertise at recruiting and retaining workers and sending in wastewater troubleshooters from all over the world.

“Sewage treatment plants double as community centers.

You can hold your wedding reception at the Vancouver, Wash., wastewater treatment plant. No kidding. The Water Resources Education Center, located a discreet distance from the plant’s mechanical workings, has vaulted ceilings and views of the Columbia River. Schoolchildren learn about water and sewage in interactive displays. Civic groups hold meetings, and couples celebrate their marriages.

Spokane County hopes to include an education center at its new plant. Someday when I retire, I’ll have more time to focus on my passion/obsession. Will there be a need for wastewater docents who hand out free samples of NEWater? I hope so. Sign me up.