Merry Lea’s master’s students encountered the complex science and muscular equipment behind the flush of a toilet January 9. The visit to Goshen’s Wastewater Treatment Plant was part of an environmental issues course taught by Dr. Joel Pontius.

MAEE Student Sarah Gothe views an amoeba through a microscope while wastewater staff describe mercury regulations.

Terri Habig, Sarah Gothe and Josh Crawford are still smiling despite 22-degree wind at Goshen’s Wet Weather Detention Center. The facility stores stormwater during flood events, preventing overflow of untreated water.

MAEE students look over a tank that can keep 2.5 million gallons of stormwater out of the Elkhart River until it can be treated.

Merry Lea’s Dr. Joel Pontius ponders a scene from Goshen’s Wet Weather Detention Center. The equipment includes a grinder that could chew up a school bus.