FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
After writing and passing my OIT exam, how soon can I
write Class 1 exam.
What is the process to have experience other than ‘experience
as an operator’ considered?
How does the ministry count experience if an operator
works part-time?
What is the difference between a Continuing Education
Unit (CEU) and hours of training?
How do I prepare for my examination(s)?
After writing and passing my OIT exam, how soon can I
write Class 1 exam.
What is the difference between a Continuing Education
Unit (CEU) and hours of training?
Training that meets the
following criteria will be recognized as ‘director approved’ continuing
education training:
·
Structured
course that involves contact between the learner and the training provider
·
Has documented
learning objectives
·
Includes a
means to verify that the participants has learned the material covered in the
course
·
Includes a
course evaluation form to be completed by each participant
·
Is planned and
provided by a qualified training provider
·
Includes a
course completion certificate issued by the training provider to participants
who successfully complete the course
·
Is on subject
matter directly related to the duties typically performed by an operator.
For further information,
please review
Guideline
4.2
On-the-job training would
typically occur in the workplace of the operator receiving the training, or in
another drinking water system. It could include demonstrations, instruction, or
training on subjects defined in
Guideline
4.3.
To be considered for
certificate renewal, the training must meet the following:
·
Be a structured
learning event, involving contact between the learner and instructor
·
Have documented
learning objectives
·
Be delivered by
a training provider with expertise in the subject matter that is being covered
·
Include a
record of the training
·
Is on subject
matter directly related to the duties typically performed by an operator.
Note: Time spent on a
ministry inspection is not considered on-the-job practical training for the
purpose of meeting this training requirement.
For further information,
please review
Guideline
4.3
To qualify for a Class I
certificate you must have one year of experience. Therefore, as you near having
one year experience, you could apply to write your Class I exam.
Example:
You have passed your water treatment and wastewater treatment exams. This would
be one year in a water treatment plant for your Class 1 water treatment
certificate, or one year in a wastewater plant for your Class 1 wastewater. If
you work part-time in both, then you would need to work for two years half-time
to get one year of experience. If you
only work in one treatment plant, then you are likely to only qualify for the
Class I certificate of the type of system in which you work.
I am currently an operator in
All provinces except
To apply for reciprocity,
you must fill out the reciprocity application form, found on the OWWCO
website. On the form, you must indicate which
certificates you have passed indicating that you acquired them through the
passing of an examination, and attach a photocopy of the certificates in
question. Ensure the appropriate fees are paid.
The OWWCO will evaluate your
submission and will secure written verification from the issuing province (
I hold a wastewater operator’s license and a drinking
water operator’s certificate. Under O.Reg.129/04 my employer must provide 40
hours of training per year. Under O.Reg.128/04 I must complete 7-14 hours of
Continuing Education per year and 23-36 hours of Practical On-the-Job training.
Can training be used to
meet both the water and wastewater training requirements?
Yes. Some of the training
you receive may be used to address both requirements depending on the subject
matter of the training. If the subject matter of the training can be applied to
both water and wastewater operations, it may be applied to meet both of the
training requirements.
Example:
A course on pump operation and maintenance may be applied to both the drinking
water and wastewater training requirements.
If the subject matter of the
training is on a drinking water topic it may be applied to both the
wastewater and drinking water requirements
Example:
A course on slow sand filtration may be applied to both the drinking water and
wastewater training requirements.
However, if the subject
matter of the training is on a wastewater topic it may only be
applied to the wastewater training requirements.
Example:
A course on activated sludge may only be applied to the wastewater training
requirements.
It is important to note
that under the wastewater operator training requirements, 40 hours of training
must be received every year. These hours of training may not be
averaged over the course of several years. Under the new drinking water
operator training requirements the hours of training may be averaged
over the 3 year duration of the operator’s certificate. Therefore, if training is being used to meet
both the water and wastewater requirements as clarified above, care must be
taken to ensure the training occurs within the time period specific to that
training requirement.
Yes. The owner or operating
authority of a subsystem shall take reasonable steps to ensure that every
operator employed in the subsystem completes the annual number of hours of
training in each of the three years for which the operator’s certificate is
valid. Completion of the Entry Level Training course would satisfy the
requirements to complete the mandatory training course. The continuing
education units obtained by taking the Entry Level Training may also be applied
to the annual training requirements.
Example:
If an OIT was employed in a Class II Water treatment system, they would have to
take an average of 12 hours or more of continuing education per year during the
3 year duration of the OIT certificate, including the mandatory training course,
with the remaining hours to the minimum total of 35 hours as on-the-job
practical training. By taking the Entry Level Training course (worth 70 hours)
the OIT has not only met the requirements for mandatory training, but has also
fulfilled all 36 hours of continuing education and 34 hours of the on-the-job
practical training.
If
a drinking water operator has had his/her OIT renewed, the operator would be
required to complete the mandatory certificate renewal course (Preventing
Waterborne Illnesses) during the second three year term of the certificate.
No. A Professional Engineer
without an operator certificate cannot be ORO.
Yes. A Professional
Engineer without an operator certificate may be OIC for up to 180 days within a
12 month period.
To qualify for a Class I,
II, III or IV municipal residential operator’s certificate, in addition to
education and training, a person must have specific years of experience as an
operator in the type of municipal residential subsystem corresponding to the
certificate for which the individual is applying.
Experience as an operator
would be experience performing the functions that need to be performed by a
certified operator, including ‘direct’ experience (hands-on – actually
performing the function) and ‘indirect’ experience (directs and/or supervises
operators performing operating functions).
To secure a Class II, III
or IV certificate, applicants may be permitted to substitute experience as an
operator with relevant different experience, such as an operator in a
different type of system, experience in a system other than as an operator or
other relevant qualifications for experience. Substitution will be recognized
for up to 50% of the required operating experience.
For the purpose of meeting
the certificate experience requirement, ORO experience is considered equivalent
to OIC experience therefore specific years of OIC experience substitution must
be OIC or ORO experience.
An important note: there is
NO substitution of experience for a Class I certificate. To secure a Class I
certificate, the applicant must have one year of experience as an
operator-in-training or equivalent)
For further information,
please review
Guideline
3.4.
If an applicant wishes to
have ‘different’ experience substituted, or be considered as having
‘equivalent’ experience because they do not meet the qualifying requirement,
such a request must be made in writing at the time of submission of the
application form, including the details of their ‘different’ or equivalent
experience.
For further information,
please review the
Guide
to Completing Water and Wastewater Operator Certification Forms…….. and
Guideline
3.4.
Some operators work
part-time because the system does not require a full-time operator. Other
operators work full-time but only part-time performing operating duties.
The ministry considers
1,800 hours per year to equal full-time employment. A person employed part-time
as an operator will be credited the percent of full-time employment they work
as an operator. A person serving as an on-call operator will only be credited
experience for the time they actually perform operating functions. No
experience will be credited for time spent ‘standing by’.
For operators who spend the
vast majority of their time performing non-operating functions, it might take
many years to acquire the necessary operating experience. For this reason, the
ministry will credit one year experience for five consecutive years performing
operating functions on a regular basis throughout each year (retroactive to
It is important to note
that operators who work part-time as an operator but are responsible for the
subsystem on a full-time basis will receive one-year experience credit for each
year worked, for each different type of subsystem for which they are
responsible. This is limited to subsystems requiring only one operator, who
needs to be available on a full-time basis but only needs to work on a
part-time basis to operator the subsystem.
For further information,
please review
Guideline
3.4.
A full-time operator will
be credited one year experience for each year worked, for each type of
subsystem.
Example:
A full-time operator in a treatment subsystem will received one year of credit
toward their treatment certificate.
Example:
A full-time operator who operates the water treatment, water distribution,
wastewater collection and wastewater treatment facilities will receive one year
experience to each of these certificates/licenses.
For further information,
please see
Guideline
3.4
An operator who works in
more than one type and/or class of drinking water subsystem during the same
period of time must complete the hours of training requirement for the highest
type and class of subsystem in which they work.
Where an operator holds
more than one type of certificate, the hours for the highest type and class of
subsystem in which the operator works will be applied against the renewal of both
certificates. The training will be verified each time the certificate with the
earliest
renewal date comes up for renewal.
Example:
An operator who works in a Class II Water Treatment facility and a Class I Distribution
facility will have to complete the training requirement for the Water Treatment
subsystem. The Water Treatment subsystem is the highest type of subsystem of
the two. That operator would need a minimum of 35 hours of training, which
includes 12 or more hours of continuing education and the remaining hours as
on-the-job practical training.
If
this operator held a Class I Water Treatment certificate (expiry date of
January 2008) and Class I Water Distribution certificate (expiry date October
2007), the operator would need to verify the minimum 35 hours of training when
the water distribution certificate is to be renewed because it expires first.
However, the operator would not have to verify the training for the water
treatment certificate when it is to be renewed.
For further information,
please review the
Certification Guide for Operators and Water Quality Analysts of Drinking Water
Systems.
A Continuing Education Unit
is an internationally accepted way to assess course duration. 10 training hours
of approved training is equivalent to 1 CEU. Please note that the approved
hours of training and the actual course duration may sometimes be different.
All courses listed in the OWWCO website of approved trainers are listed in CEUs.
To calculate the number of hours each course is worth multiply the CEU value by
10.
Example:
A course provided by an approved trainer is listed as having 3.6 CEUs. The
equivalent worth of this course is 36 hours of approved training.
In order to renew your drinking water certificate
you must take 20-50 hours of training annually on topics directly related to
drinking water. This training is broken down into “director approved continuing
education” and “on-the-job practical training”. The actual number of hours
depends on the highest class of drinking water system you work in. for more
details please see the
guidelines
4-2 and
4-3 available on the
OWWCO’s website (www. owwco.ca).
This training must be verified every three years when you renew your drinking
water certificate.
Owners of wastewater facilities must ensure that
every operator in the facility is given 40 hours of training every year.
Subjects may include “training on new or revised operating procedures, reviews
of existing operating procedures, safety training and studies of information
and technical skills related to environmental subjects”. (s.21(2), O.Reg
129/04). This training may be verified by a Ministry inspector during an
inspection.
If training is taken on subjects directly related to
both wastewater and drinking water it may be applied to both sets of training.
Example: a 12 hour course (1.2 CEU) on pump
maintenance or chlorination could be used to meet both the drinking water and
wastewater training requirements.
A course which is strictly applicable only to
wastewater system operation (e.g., activated sludge) may only be used to meet
the 40 hour wastewater requirement. Currently, a course which is related
primarily to drinking water may, however, be used to meet both your drinking
water and wastewater training requirements.
As a result of the above rules, the number of hours
of training required per year will depend on the topics of the courses you
complete.
For further information, please see
guidelines
4-2 and
4-3.
The owner or operating
authority must designate an ORO, and must also designate one or more operators
as OIC for the subsystem they operate. These are two different roles, although
they can be performed by the same operator.
The ORO has overall
operational
responsibility for the system. The operator designated as ORO must hold a
certificate equal to or higher than the class of the facility. There can only
be one ORO designated at any given time/shift. If there is more than one
operator holding the proper level of certificate, a different ORO can be
appointed for different shifts. The ORO is not required to be on site, but must
be available to act in the event of an operational emergency. The ORO may be
ORO for more than one subsystem at the same time.
The OIC typically makes the
day to day operating decisions, and instructs other operators on system
procedures. The operators designated as OIC must have the same type of
certificate as the facility but it can be a lower class of certificate
than the facility. There can be more than one operator designated as an OIC at
any given time. The OIC typically works on site given the nature of their
responsibilities, but could be off site if process control is remote. Usually,
an OIC is only OIC for one subsystem at the same time.
Note: To secure a Class III
or IV certificate, the operator must have a specific number of years of
experience as an OIC, to ensure that they have gained the specific operating
experience and responsibilities reflected in the duties of an OIC.
For further information,
please review
Guideline
5.1
To register for your
examination(s) you completed an
Exam
Registration Form (1858). This form was used only for examination purposes.
You were asked to select the exam you were registering for (maximum of 2 per
exam date) and your mailing address and employer.
The examination represents
only part of the requirement for certification. Experience and training must
also be met.
To receive your drinking
water treatment, drinking water distribution, drinking water distribution and
supply, or water quality analyst certificates, provided your marks are 70% or
higher, you must submit a
Drinking
Water Certificate Application Form (1854). This form provides the
information necessary to evaluate operator experience and education/training in
order to assess eligibility for a drinking water certificate. This form is also
verified by your manager or designated overall responsible operator (ORO)
through their signature. A separate form must be submitted for each
certificate.
Note: This form only
applies to operators of municipal residential systems. To submit an application
for a limited systems certificate, complete the
Limited Subsystem Certificate
Application Form (Form 1856)
Before writing an
examination, it is recommended operators review the ‘Need to Know’ relevant to
their examination. These documents were compiled to help operators understand
how examinations are developed. This makes it easier to study.
The information in
examinations is cumulative. The knowledge required at a lower class of certification
is also required as the operator progresses to higher classes of certification.
Example:
Preparing for your Class III examination, you must have studied the topics for
Class II and Class I as well as the Class III topics.
Generally, the difficulty
of the questions on each topic will increase as you progress through the
classes of certification, with the expectation that at a Class I you have
obtained general or basic knowledge of a topic and that at a Class IV you have
mastered all topics.
The ‘Study Materials’
section of the website also contains a list of appropriate study materials for
each class of examination. These materials cannot replace training and
experience, but rather are a way operators can review information prior to
writing an examination. Many of these resources can be ordered directly using
the
Study
Manual Order Form (1861).
Developing
fair exams for water operators is a challenge in a province containing
relatively simple, small facilities along side large complex ones. Technologies which may be common in one size
of facility may be absent in another.
However, an operator who holds any Class of water treatment license may
operate in any water treatment system in the province. For this reason even at a Class I level
operators will be expected to have a basic level of understanding or awareness
in some of the common advanced processes or technologies (i.e.
filtration). For this reason some of the
questions on the exam may cover processes or technologies not used in the
operator’s facility. Although the
question may not apply to your facility, it will be relevant for many other
operators in the province.
Information
made available to operators through the Study Materials section of this
website, aim to support operators as they prepare for examinations. Although a
broad overview, they may not necessarily cover all topics on the examination.
The
exams which are written in
To qualify for a Class I
certificate you must have one year of experience. Therefore, as you near having
one year experience, you could apply to write your Class I exam.
Example:
You have passed your water treatment and wastewater treatment exams. This would
be one year in a water treatment plant for your Class 1 water treatment
certificate, or one year in a wastewater plant for your Class 1 wastewater. If
you work part-time in both, then you would need to work for two years half-time
to get one year of experience. If you
only work in one treatment plant, then you are likely to only qualify for the
Class I certificate of the type of system in which you work.
A person who is attempting
to secure a higher class of certificate or license, whether drinking water or
wastewater, may be permitted to substitute ‘direct’ experience up to 50% of
their full experience requirement. However they have to have direct experience
in that type of system for the other 50%.
If a certificate is deemed
equivalent, as is the case of the WWC Class 1, direct experience within that
type of system for 50% of the full requirement is still required.
I am currently an operator in
All provinces except
To apply for reciprocity,
you must fill out the
application
form, found on the MOE Drinking Water website. On the form, you must indicate which
certificates you have passed indicating that you acquired them through the
passing of an examination, and attach a photocopy of the certificates in
question. Ensure the appropriate fees are paid.
The OWWCO will evaluate your
submission and will secure written verification from the issuing province (
I hold a wastewater operator’s license and a
drinking water operator’s certificate. Under O.Reg.129/04 my employer must
provide 40 hours of training per year. Under O.Reg.128/04 I must complete 7-14
hours of Continuing Education per year and 23-36 hours of Practical On-the-Job
training.
Can training
be used to meet both the water and wastewater training requirements?
Yes. Some of the training
you receive may be used to address both requirements depending on the subject
matter of the training. If the subject matter of the training can be applied to
both water and wastewater operations, it may be applied to meet both of the
training requirements.
Example:
A course on pump operation and maintenance may be applied to both the drinking
water and wastewater training requirements.
If the subject matter of
the training is on a drinking water topic it may be applied to both the
wastewater and drinking water requirements
Example:
A course on slow sand filtration may be applied to both the drinking water and
wastewater training requirements.
However, if the subject
matter of the training is on a wastewater topic it may only be
applied to the wastewater training requirements.
Example:
A course on activated sludge may only be applied to the wastewater training
requirements.
It is important to note
that under the wastewater operator training requirements, 40 hours of training
must be received every year.
These hours of training may not be averaged over the course of
several years. Under the new drinking water operator training requirements the
hours of training may be averaged over the 3 year duration of the
operator’s certificate. Therefore, if
training is being used to meet both the water and wastewater requirements as
clarified above, care must be taken to ensure the training occurs within the
time period specific to that training requirement.
Yes. A Professional
Engineer without an operator license may be ORO for a period not longer than
six months.
Yes. A Professional
Engineer without an operator license may be OIC for up to 180 days within a 12
month period.
A Continuing Education Unit
is an internationally accepted way to assess course duration. 10 training hours
of approved training is equivalent to 1 CEU. Please note that the approved
hours of training and the actual course duration may sometimes be different.
All courses listed in the OWWCO website of approved trainers are listed in CEUs.
To calculate the number of hours each course is worth multiply the CEU value by
10.
Example:
A course provided by an approved trainer is listed as having 3.6 CEUs. The
equivalent worth of this course is 36 hours of approved training.