Two Wastewater Treatment Plant Employees Found Dead In Pumphouse
In a tragedy that rocked a community in Nebraska, two city employees were found dead at the state’s McCook Wastewater Treatment Plant.
“The McCook Police Department responded to a welfare check after one employee did not return home following a routine check of the facilities,” NTV reported. “Officers found personal items of an employee outside the sludge pumphouse, prompting the police to check inside for the workers. The city said officers discovered two deceased victims inside the sludge pumphouse and secured the scene.”
The employees have been identified as 65-year-old Larry Dicke and 43-year-old Kenneth Keslin. The cause of death was not immediately reported as the investigation was ongoing and local labs were backlogged with COVID-19 test analysis, but toxic gas and hazardous material inside of the facility required local fire and rescue teams to be dispatched to recover the victims.
Regardless of the cause, the death of two essential, dedicated city employees was felt deeply across the community. As evidence of this impact, City Manager Nate Schneider delivered a heartfelt tribute as he announced the news during a city council meeting.
“In a voice choked with emotion, he read a statement at the beginning of the meeting that acknowledged the men as hard working employees who did their work ‘with little fanfare,’” according to the McCook Gazette. “The city was lucky to have them as employees but even more lucky to have them as friends, Schneider said, before being unable to continue.”
The city’s mayor asked for prayers for the employees’ families and acknowledged the emotional toll this tragedy was taking on city staff during the meeting.
To read more about the people who staff wastewater treatment operations, visit Water Online’s Labor Solutions Center.