Wastewater Operator Certification program

1. Education: You will qualify for an Operator in Training with 3 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) or college credits relevant to wastewater.

2.  Gain experience through:

• Employment: Some cities hire entry-level positions for their WWTP. Search on their websites or see job links below.
• Intern: A few municipalities and schools offer internships. Call your local plant or technical college to see if they have opportunities.
• Volunteer: Offer part-time volunteer work for 3 months at your local plant. Call your local plant to see if it's possible.

You may qualify for reciprocity, a state to state certification exchange, if you meet Washington state's requirements.

To qualify for reciprocity you must:

• Meet Washington state education and experience requirements.
• Have passed a standardized Association of Boards of Certification (ABC) equivalent exam with a score of 70 percent or higher.
• Hold a valid certification in good standing.
• Pay the $50 application fee.

We have reciprocity with:

• Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona, Massachusetts, and Wyoming

We have conditional reciprocity with:

• Oregon — if certification was received by taking a standardized ABC exam
• Nevada — if certification was received by taking the 2017 standardized ABC exam
• Colorado — for levels A-D, not for class S
• Utah — if certificate is not a restricted certificate
• New York — if exam score is 70 percent or higher

We do not have reciprocity with:

• California, Florida, Indiana, New Mexico, or North Carolina

If we do not have reciprocity with your state, you will have to meet Washington’s requirements and pass an exam to become a Washington State Certified Wastewater Operator.

Note: If you do not see your state listed above, we have not verified reciprocity with them. 

• Califormina State University, Sacramento has online self-paced courses including the Ken Kerri series.
• Green River Community College has individual classes or longer term degree programs.

Study guides/resources:

Association of Boards of Certification (ABC) (exam developers)

• Sample test, formula sheet, and need to know criteria

Treatment Plant Operator (TPO) magazine

• Math
• Sample questions

American Water Works Association (AWWA)

• Math
• WW operator certification

• Associations of WA Cities Jobnet
• MyWaterPlantJobs.com

• Pay a $30 annual renewal fee for your validation card.
• Earn three wastewater relevant credits/CEUs or upgrade by exam every professional growth cycle.

The current professional growth cycle is Jan. 1, 2016 to Dec. 31, 2018.

View professional growth transcripts anytime by logging into SecureAccess Washington.

For current SAW account users:

1. Log onto SecureAccess Washington ("Add Service" if you haven't already. See steps 4-10 below)
2. Go to "My Services" at top of  page.
3. Select "Operator Certification" option.
4. View transcripts.

New Users:

1. Open SecureAccess Washington
2. Follow their prompts under "Don't have an account? Create one." They will send you an email confirmation code.
3. Log into SAW with your new account email and password.
4. Click "Add New Service"
5. Select "Department of Ecology" from the list on the left.
6. Find "Operator Certification" under services and click apply on the left.
7. Wait for an email confirmation from SAW
8. Look for "Operator Certification" under "My Services."
9. Fill in the 2 question form. SAW will send OpCert staff a request.
10.  You will have access to your transcripts after we approve your request.

Or, you can call the OpCert office at 360-407-6889.

See our approved course list.

Approved trainers offering Continuing Education Units (CEUs):

• California State University, Sacramento
• CEU Plan
• Community Colleges of Spokane
• Evergreen Rural Water of Washington
• Green River Community College
• Indigo Water Group
• Linn-Benton Community College
• Pacific Northwest Clean Water Association
• Professional Training Association
• Roy CEUs
• Skagit Valley College
• Technical Learning College
• Train to Retain
• Wastewater Collection Personnel Association
• Washington Environmental Training Center
• Water Environment Federation

Washington colleges with operator courses:

• Green River Community College
• Linn-Benton Community College
• Walla Walla Community College

We do not offer a training program, only certification. Some colleges and treatment plants have training or internships to become an operator. See "Where can I get CEUs?" or internships under "How do I get certified with no operating experience?"

1. See if it meets ABC's relevancy criteria for wastewater professional growth criteria.
2. Complete the CEU request form.
3. After approval, use the training sign-in sheet.