People searching for "drinking water operator certification" often expect a federal license. Drinking water works differently. This explainer answers one question from EPA's own operator certification pages and the federal drinking water rules: who actually certifies you? Nothing here describes a rule change.
Who issues the certificate?
Your state does. EPA's About Operator Certification page states: "Implementation of the Operator Certification guidelines happens through state operator certification programs." It adds: "Although specific operator certification requirements vary from state to state, a state program’s ultimate goal is the treatment and distribution of safe drinking water."
The federal drinking water rules point to the State as well. 40 CFR 141.70(c), in the filtration and disinfection rules, states: "Each public water system using a surface water source or a ground water source under the direct influence of surface water must be operated by qualified personnel who meet the requirements specified by the State." 40 CFR 141.130(c), in the disinfection byproduct rules, says each community water system (CWS) and nontransient noncommunity water system (NTNCWS) regulated under 141.130(a) "must be operated by qualified personnel who meet the requirements specified by the State and are included in a State register of qualified operators."
So the certification requirements you face are your state's, set within EPA's minimum guidelines described below.
What is EPA's role?
EPA sets minimum standards for the state programs. According to EPA's page, the 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act amendments "directed EPA to develop information on recommended operator certification requirements," and EPA published guidelines in 1999: the "Final Guidelines for the Certification and Recertification of Operators of Community and Nontransient Noncommunity Public Water Systems." EPA states that the two workgroups "worked together to develop nine baseline standards."
EPA's page explains what backs the guidelines: "Under the final guidelines, EPA will withhold 20 percent of a state’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) capitalization grant if the state does not have an operator certification program." A state's program "must meet the requirements of the final guidelines or submit an existing program substantially equivalent to the guidelines."
Which water systems do the EPA guidelines cover?
As the title says, the 1999 guidelines cover community and nontransient noncommunity public water systems. In its questions and answers, EPA's implementation guidance (January 2000) takes up a State that wants to exempt transient noncommunity systems "since the EPA guidelines do not require that these systems have a certified operator." EPA answers that if the State's regulations "that were in effect on February 5, 1998" required certified operators at those systems, it "would consider that 'backsliding'," while noting that "the Guidelines allow States to backslide under limited circumstances." A state's requirements can also go beyond the EPA guidelines: on sample collectors, the guidance says a State "may require" certification (see below).
What does EPA check in state programs?
EPA's implementation guidance contains a checklist EPA uses to review state programs. Among its items, it asks whether the State:
- has classified all CWSs and NTNCWSs "based on indicators of potential public health risk";
- requires owners to place their system "under the responsible charge of an operator holding a valid certification equal to or greater than the classification of the treatment facility or distribution system";
- requires "all operating personnel making process control/system integrity decisions about water quality or quantity that affect public health" to be certified;
- requires "that a designated certified operator be available for each operating shift"; and
- has "a fixed cycle of renewal not exceeding 3 years."
The guidance itself states that it "does not pose additional requirements for States in revising their operator certification programs to meet the EPA’s guidelines."
Do sample collectors need certification?
Not under the EPA guidelines, but your state may say otherwise. The implementation guidance answers: "EPA’s guidelines do not specifically require any person who collects samples to be certified, although the State may require it."
What this means for you
- Apply, test and renew through your state's operator certification program, not through EPA.
- Requirements "vary from state to state," in EPA's words, so a certificate's level and renewal training are set by your state. The EPA sources we checked do not say how one state treats another state's certificate.
Study with goraedu
Our drinking water pages cover those federal rules, not any one state's exam. Start with the water system definitions study guide and the filtration and disinfection practice test, or see all topics on the drinking water operator hub. Our questions are our own, written from the regulation.