Contributed By Rich MacAlpine

Rich MacAlpine is a volunteer member of the RMWQAA Board, Co-chair of the Laboratory Practices Committee, and a supervisor at Metro Water Recovery.

As water professionals, we spend a lot of time analyzing, verifying, thinking about, and using water quality data. That is good! It is needed, and it can be fun work. I enjoy working in water quality, I enjoy my co-workers, associates in the field, the challenges, and I believe that this work provides a benefit to the world.

Speaking for myself though, sometimes I can get totally wrapped up in the purely scientific qualities of water. Suspended solids, conductivity, BOD, ammonia levels, pH, metals levels, Kjeldahl nitrogen, PFAS, dissolved phosphorous, emerging contaminants, salinity, all of these can become the only way that I view water.

However, I was recently able to go on a trip where I was able to reacquaint myself with other, non-purely scientific qualities of water. Many of these are the qualities of water that attracted me to a career in water quality to begin with. It was great to align myself again with what I will call the more fun qualities of water.

Listening to waves crashing on shore while falling asleep is a wonderfully relaxing experience. Jumping into a cold lake is fun, refreshing, and invigorating. Standing under a waterfall is a powerful feeling. Diving and snorkeling give views into a whole other wonderful world. Listening to a creek is rejuvenating. Watching barges on a river is inspiring and contemplative. Watching birds land on a pond is inspiring (and can also be hilarious!). Kayaking is (somehow, magically) both relaxing and great exercise. Going to an aquarium is still fun and still educational.

I felt a renewed connection with water and with my work by being able to get out of the purely laboratory qualities of water and into the more existential qualities of water. For anyone in the water field feeling a little run down or overwhelmed at work, getting out and enjoying water on a different level (be that physical, emotional, spiritual, visual, etc.) is highly recommended! There are so many great opportunities to enjoy and get out and be amazed again by the resource that you work so hard to preserve. When you find your water outside of the lab, it can inspire your work with water in the lab!