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The California-Nevada Section of the American Water Works Association (CA-NV AWWA) announced yesterday that the new Advanced Water Treatment Operator™ (AWTO™) certification program is available.
Planning and development of the certification program was done in partnership with California Water Environment Association (CWEA) and took about four years to complete after prompting from the industry. The program will offer up to an AWT5™ exam.
AWTO certification allows water and wastewater operators to demonstrate their advanced knowledge and qualify for new career opportunities at high-tech water reuse facilities. As California and Nevada expand water reuse, AWT operators are expected to be in high demand.
“The CA-NV Section of AWWA is proud to co-own and collaboratively develop the AWT Operator certification program with CWEA,” said Sue Mosburg, Executive Director for the section. “Uniting the world of water, AWTO is the only treatment operator certification jointly offered by AWWA and CWEA. Through this program skilled operators can advance in their water sector careers by benchmarking their knowledge and competency against standardized criteria.”
“We know how important it is to build public trust in water reuse and the operators who protect clean drinking water. Certification allows those amazing operators to demonstrate to the public and employers their deep knowledge of advanced technologies,” said Jenn Jones, CAE, the Executive Director and CEO for CWEA.
More than 100 volunteers from CA-NV AWWA and CWEA were involved in planning, subject matter expert workshops, exam development, marketing and administering the new program.
“AWTO certification is an important milestone in California’s water history,” said Ms. Jones. “By expanding water reuse and implementing DPR we are securing a safe and reliable supply of water for today and for future generations. We need this new supply and a new way of thinking about water before the next drought hits.”
For more information or to start the process for certification please visit https://www.awtoperator.org/awto-certification/.
