(WACO) –Texas State Technical College’s Plumbing and Pipefitting Technology students saw Tuesday what it takes to keep visitors wet under the summer sunshine at Hawaiian Falls Water Park.
Dwayne Ogan, 57, a TSTC alumnus and lead pool technician at the water park on Lake Shore Drive in Waco, showed students the venue’s pump and filtration system. This was the first time TSTC’s Plumbing and Pipefitting Technology students have toured the venue.
“This gave them an idea of what the plumbing industry can be like,” Ogan said.
Ogan, who has worked in pool maintenance for three decades, told students that water park staff constantly check the water’s pH, chlorine and bromine levels. Each section of the park is on its own system.
Students also saw the sand filtration system and where motors function in cooler areas. Some students ventured underground behind the North Shore Breaker Bay wave pool to see its pumps.
Ogan, who studied facilities engineering, industrial maintenance and media communications at TSTC, encouraged students to understand drafting and design as they work on projects.
Jimmy Bibb, a TSTC Plumbing and Pipefitting Technology instructor, said the time at the water park was valuable for students to see a different side of the plumbing and pipefitting field. The students were able to learn more about backflow prevention and plumbing codes, which are taught in the program.
“When they see the installations working, it drives home the value of it to actually see it,” Bibb said.
Students were interested in what water park visitors typically do not get to see.
David McCormick, 31, a Plumbing and Pipefitting Technology major from Temple, said he enjoyed learning about the measurement and volume of water and moving it around the venue.
“I was really impressed,” he said. “I did not know how much effort went into maintenance and upkeep.”
Evan McBroom, 19, a Plumbing and Pipefitting Technology major from Bryan, said he liked learning about the water-testing process.
“What impressed me was the size of the equipment and pipes,” he said.
For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.
