Water Operator Certification
	Drinking water treatment and distribution operators assume the honor, responsibility, and duty of safeguarding public health. Their knowledge, skill, and experience are the elements that make them valuable employees and effective guardians of public health. In addition, operators should be able to demonstrate the ability to maintain system integrity, process control, and customer confidence. Operator Training Individual states and provinces determine the credits or hours of training needed for each job level. On-the-job experience is another factor that varies from agency to agency. Each agency generally has four levels of certification, and each agency designates these levels in its own manner. For more information on state and provincial requirements, a list of certification contacts is provided at the end of this document. Need to Know Each state and province determines the need-to-know criteria for each job level. However, the USEPA has developed standard requirements that all states must adhere to. These include knowledge of: Pump maintenance Water storage Valves and hydrants Distribution (pipes and maintenance) Safety Proper sampling procedures and monitoring schedules Cross connection control Development of Consumer Confidence Reports Source water assessments Simple treatment Public notification requirements Record keeping Safe Drinking Water Act requirements Basic math Minimum Requirements for States USEPA has developed minimal guidelines for developing and implementing state programs for certification and recertification of drinking water operators. Each state has the flexibility to develop a program according to its needs. States must address the following nine baseline standards: Authorization - A state must have the authority from its legislature to implement the program. Classification of systems, facilities, and operators - States must classify all systems and operator levels and require that each system has an operator certified to operate a system according to or higher than its classification. Operator qualifications - Operators must pass a validated exam that tests their knowledge, skills, ability, and judgment; have a high school diploma, general equivalency diploma, or comparable experience; and have an appropriate amount of on-the-job experience for each classification level. Enforcement - States must be able to enforce the regulation through tactics such as license suspension, administrative orders, penalties, and compliance agreements. Certification renewal - States must establish continuing education requirements for license renewal and have a fixed renewal cycle not to exceed three years. Resources needed to implement the program - States must provide adequate funding to support the operator certification program. Recertification - States must have a process for recertifying operators whose licenses have expired, been revoked, or been suspended. Stakeholder involvement - States must involve stakeholders, including operators, public health and environmental groups, technical assistance providers, trainers, and utility managers, in revising and operating the certification program. Program review - All aspects of the program should be periodically reviewed. More Resources for Water Operator Certification State Water Operator Certification Contacts Information on Certification Programs Earn continuing education credits through the AWWA Online Institute Related Operator Certification Products Operator Certification Study Guide, Fifth Edition