Chief plant operator brings spark to wastewater treatment facility

Condoms and kitty litter, tampons and baby wipes are all things that should not go down the toilet. This is a fact that Roxanna Chomas, the new Chief Plant Operator at Whitefish's wastewater treatment plant, wants people to know.

Chomas’ personality is as vibrant as the yellow jacket she wears at work and education is one of her top priorities as she manages the newly updated plant.

“My main job here is to get the next person ready so he can fall into this position and market and educate people in Whitefish,” she said. “Have as many tours as I can and let them know, when you flush the toilet, it goes somewhere.”

The place it goes is the City of Whitefish’s new wastewater treatment facility on Monegan Road. Not only is the facility new, but it is one of only four plants in the country with this particular, advanced technology.

“This is a brand new process. It has come over from the Netherlands,” Chomas said of the highly-secretive Aqua-Nereda process. “Very innovative, very fast, cost saving, small footprint.”

The plant today is a far cry from the lagoons of the 1970s and the tour is fascinating, thanks in large part to Chomas’ exuberance. From the granules, or “bugs,” that break down the waste, the analyzers with peristaltic pumps and the ultraviolet disinfection room, the entire operation is captivating as is Chomas as she leads the tour.

“That whole idea of how a wastewater plant was visualized years and years ago, it’s not like that anymore,” she said. “It’s a beautiful facility and Whitefish is very lucky to have such a state-of-the-art (facility).”

CHOMAS, A WOMAN from New Hampshire, is two months into her new job working with three male operators who are each fifth-generation Montanans.

“I grew up with men all my life, so I'm up to it but I need to change. I need to slow myself down,” she said with a laugh. “I’m kinda high-strung. They don't like me to drink coffee. And Red Bull is definitely out of the question.”

She started her career as a nuclear machinist working on submarines. In the early 1980s, she worked in the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in New Hampshire for the U.S. Department of Defense.

“From there, I went to King's Bay, Georgia, and worked on Trident submarines in the reactor compartment,” she said. “My husband works for American Airlines and he got a job in LA, so I quit that career and went to LA, worked at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard until that closed.”

The couple then moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, where their daughter, Hannah, was born. It was there, while Chomas was working on lift stations, that she was first hired as a wastewater plant operator.

“Somebody gave me a shot and I've been in the business for 25 years. So I know my sh--,” she said. “It’s just amazing what these little bugs can do.”

She came out of retirement to work in the Whitefish plant and her enthusiasm for her job is admirable.

“I love it. I have a passion for it. I never got into this field to be rich,” Chomas said. “I just got in it because I loved it. I thought it was fascinating.”

She wants to share her knowledge and believes that education is key. She is looking forward to giving tours of the plant to as many people as possible, in addition to bringing her message on the road.

“I want to go to the elementary schools because you teach them there and they bring all that information home. ‘Mom, don’t throw the bacon grease down the drain, it’s not supposed to go down there,’” Chomas expressed.

“So you have to educate people,” she added. “People take it for granted. You flush the toilet — it’s gone!”

In 2007, Chomas and her family traveled to Whitefish for a summer vacation, loved it and decided it would be a good place to retire. In 2020, they sold their house, retired, packed and moved to a “beautiful piece of land” here.

Sometimes, folks back east have a hard time grasping the allure of Montana, but Chomas understood that she was meant to be here, in Whitefish. The move also allowed her to be closer to her daughter who also lives in the west.

“Looking back, everyone in my family, coworkers and close friends thought I was having a crisis,” she said, laughing. “Our daughter was in her last year of college at the University of Oregon, graduating with a degree in architecture. She started designing our home. We lived in a yurt on our land for six months. Done with camping for a bit.”

Though it might be a while before she’d like to camp again, she and her husband, Scott, enjoy hunting, fishing and being outdoors. She is also happy to be lending her expertise to Whitefish as the new chief plant operator.

“We are both always thankful to be welcomed here in the Flathead Valley. We’re closer to our daughter and are looking forward to a life full of excitement,” she said. “I never put too much emphasis on the long journey here, only the fact I reached my destination.”