I’ve recently had to move from where i had a job for 5 years as a WW operator at an activated sludge plant. While there i was able to obtain a VA class 3 license. I’ve now relocated in state and have applied for a job at the county Drinking Water Plant (conventional plant). My question is how much harder or easier will this change be and how hard is it to keep both licenses since WW expires on even years and W expires on odd.

Hey folks. Currently an OIT in NY and about to take classes to be eligible to test for 2A. I just wanted to hype up everyone working to move up or get in to the industry. A lot of people on this board were helpful to me before I got hired so I wanted to pay it forward. Good luck everyone! 🍻

For those of you who work in a crew, how common is it to have coworkers who tap about politics non stop every day in the control room?

New to the industry, not sure if this is just a trades related thing, industry related, or just my plant?

I’m interested in wastewater treatment as a career path in Florida. I was curious on what the best preparation for a trainee position would be? Florida websites are so weird with courses, and I’m trying to figure out what course to take to prepare me for the class C exam.

I’ve also noticed some jobs are water vs wastewater.. waste would be end goal but I believe the certifications are different and I’m assuming not interchangeable when applying to jobs with requirements.

My only current work experience is 2 years with Cicis Pizza as a highschooler, and about 3 1/2 years at a corporate retail store as a stocker. I have taken some college courses as well. Any resume boosters that wouldn’t necessarily require me to get a trainee position?

My girlfriend is looking into jobs out of our current county, and I don’t want to secure a position just to have to move in a few months.

Any tips, resume boosters/certifications, or volunteer opportunities would be appreciated!!

Hello this is a follow up form my last post, I’m currently doing an internship in Philly for a wastewater plant. Right now I’m contract is only for a year I can’t get an extension and I was told without a certificate or degree I would have to start entry level. I wanted to ask for tips on studying for the DEP exam I tried taking it while at school but it was overwhelming and also if anybody went to college for a secondary degree currently I left school to focus on work however I do want to try for my environmental engineering degree and wanted to know what the best things to study to move up in the wastewater field.

Last week you guys corrected my pay numbers by class. One thing that stuck: getting hired as an OIT can take months, even with Class I already passed.

So if you had to do it in 90 days with zero experience, what's the plan? Exam first, certificate, small rural plant, private contract operator, something else?

I had an at-fault collision which resulted in zero injuries but my car getting totalled. I don't have any other blemishes on my driver's record.

Realistically, how much of a headache would it be in getting hired as an OIT in Ontario?

I’m thinking of pursuing the OIT license in Ontario by first studying environmental technician but I don’t have a clean driver abstract (I got into an accident a year ago). Can I still pursue this career even if I lack my DZ license??

I am officially off to Georgia, assigned to Hyundai Engineering America. My dedication to always learning the most I can from this field has paid off big; now I get to learn metals precipitation. 7 days straight of 12 hour shifts but only 26 weeks of the year. I'm so excited.

My start as just a laborer assigned to operations back in 2016 has turned into the career I wouldn't leave if you paid me. No college, no certification, just a will to make clean water under any circumstance.

Big thanks have to go out to my Chief Operator from back then. He put up with my bs for real and taught me the way. If he's still on here I hope he can tell who it is.

I recently upgraded the expansion discs to 3d printed parts to replace the modified PVC caps that didn't work the best. This works great, though! Measures exactly what the FilterSmart sensors detect during the backwashes. Instructions and files are here: https://www.printables.com/model/1878078-backwash-expansion-tool

Really just curious, so I was a wastewater operator for a small factory for 4 years and now I'm a wastewater treatment plant mechanic for the city I live in. I'm central Indiana, and about the worse it gets weather wise for us is heavy rain fall and storms that can knock out power. We recently had some bad flooding, and I got to experience what it was like working for the city and dealing with flooded creeks that are normally 15 feet below a bridge rise to almost and half a foot below the bridge. I'm really curious if anyone here works at a plant that deals with hurricanes every year, mostly Florida. Obviously collections are gonna fill up, power may be lost but how stressful is it? Like I can't imagine already being stressed about having a hurricane come my way but to also be running the system when it happens? Idk sounds wild.

Hey! I learned that I’d need to shave for a respirator fit test for a utility operator position in Ontario. I understand why , because it’s for safety of course but I’ve noticed some operators in the OCWA have facial hair. Is shaving only required for the test, or year-round? Different with each employer?

I’d shave for the job, but would prefer to keep my beard most the year otherwise, just because I look like a teen boy without one 😂

Thanks!

Looking for some advice from operators who have experience treating high-grease wastewater from meat processing facilities.
I’m currently operating a 7,000 GPD extended aeration package plant servicing a meat packing company. The facility averages approximately 2,500 GPD in actual flow.
The plant was brought online about two weeks ago, and we’re currently in the process of reseeding and establishing a healthy biomass.
Current challenges:
High grease/FOG loading from the industrial waste stream.
Low biological solids inventory as we’re rebuilding the biomass.
Trying to reduce effluent TSS and improve settling performance.
Relatively low hydraulic loading compared to the plant’s design capacity.
A few questions for experienced operators:
Has anyone operated a similar extended aeration package plant treating meat processing wastewater?
What SVI range have you found produces the best settling and effluent clarity under these conditions?
What sludge age (SRT/MCRT) have you had the most success maintaining for TSS removal in smaller extended aeration systems?
Have you found that maintaining a higher MLSS improves settling, or does it create issues with older sludge and poor floc formation?
Any recommendations for managing grease interference with biological treatment and secondary clarification?
During startup or reseeding, what operational adjustments have helped you establish a stable biomass while minimizing solids carryover?
I’m particularly interested in real-world operating experience rather than just textbook target ranges.
Any input on SVI, sludge age, wasting strategies, DO control, or improving secondary clarifier performance would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

Edit: 4 grease traps, separate sanitary trash trap from restrooms. Equalization well, extended aeration, clarifier and slow sand filters. UV disinfection.

Check out this job posting page at Upper Trinity Rural Water District

https://utrwd.com/join-our-team/

Hey everyone! I recently passed my grade 3 exam and to get my license I need an additional 1.3 CEUs. I’m in California. Anyone have suggestions for some online classes or anything? I’ve looked at the Sac State website and looked over those options. Just figured I’d ask if anyone has other suggestions. Thanks in advance

Anyone taken their S1 in NJ recently? I have been using royceu and water operator practice tests to study. Wondering if anyone has had any luck with either?

I’m currently in the field with both DW and WW licenses, my situation has changed where the remote Alaska type operator jobs that do a two week on two week off rotation (or similar) fit my situation a little better.

I can’t seem to find them on any of the normal job sites. Are these hard to come by? Are lots of people applying?

I know the oil fields also seem to do this

Also, if anyone has done these type of job I’m interested in your input on how you liked it.

So I’m taking my KY state license test next week. I’ve seen the WPI, formerly ABC, certification advertised on google and stuff. Is that an actual useful certification or is it just a gimmicky waste of time? I think I might qualify for class 3 or 4 on it, so if it isn’t a waste, I may do it next. Thanks for any info or advice

Hi everyone!

We’re seeking experts in bioeconomy, sustainability, waste management, environmental science, and related fields to participate in an academic survey.

The research explores the key drivers and barriers to recovering humic acid from anaerobic digestate, with a focus on implementation in Ireland.

Duration: 20–30 minutes
Deadline: 28 October 2026
Participation: Voluntary and confidential, with results reported anonymously

Survey link:

https://mubusiness.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9z7fpY3A67nb4fY

We’d greatly appreciate your participation or sharing the survey with others who may have relevant expertise!
Thank you!

I’m trying to identify job titles and employers that would realistically value my experience rather than automatically screen me out for not having a bachelor’s or engineering degree.
My background includes:
15+ years in municipal and industrial water/wastewater treatment
Current COO of a small water-treatment chemical distributor
Previous operations and warehouse-management roles
Industrial pretreatment, food/dairy wastewater and metals removal
DAFs, clarifiers, centrifuges, filter presses, belt presses and screw presses
Polymer/coagulant selection, jar testing, dewatering optimization and chemical-feed troubleshooting
Field trials, startups, emergency troubleshooting and operator/customer training
OSHA, DOT hazmat and NSF compliance
Hiring, discipline, employee development and safety leadership
Purchasing, inventory, shipping, routing, vendors and warehouse operations
Technical customer support and consultative selling
Project-management, OSHA and wastewater-treatment certifications
I’ve managed both the operational side of a chemical business and hands-on treatment problems in the field. I’m strongest when I can walk into a troubled plant, diagnose the process or equipment problem, run testing, coordinate the people and vendors involved, and help the customer implement a practical solution.
I do not have a bachelor’s degree, PE license or high-level municipal operator license. I also have less formal P&L authority than my COO title might suggest, although I’m involved in purchasing, operating decisions, staffing, customer continuity and cost-saving projects.
I’m located in Northeast Ohio but would consider a remote/travel position or relocation for the right opportunity. Roles I’ve been considering include:
Industrial water-treatment area or regional manager
Wastewater applications/project manager
Technical service or applications manager
Field-service operations manager
Water-treatment business-development manager
Regional operations manager
Chemical distribution or plant operations manager
For those working in the industry:
Which titles best match this combination of field expertise, customer support and operations leadership?
Which companies are genuinely willing to substitute extensive experience for a degree?
Would I be competitive for an area manager or applications project manager position?
What skills, licenses or certifications would close my biggest gaps?
Are there employers or sectors I may be overlooking?
I’m not looking to inflate my experience or pretend to be an engineer. I’m trying to determine where practical treatment knowledge and operational leadership are genuinely valued—and where I would have a realistic path into the $110,000–$150,000 range.

For the past month we have been dealing with an SVI ranging from 18-48. Our settleometer after 5 minutes drops down to 100 and after 30 minutes reads 90. MLSS runs anywhere from 2000mg/L-3000mg/L. SRT avg 25.
We have not been too concerned as all our other numbers (TSS, Turbidity, Ammonia, Etc.) have been really good and water quality is good.

This is a smaller wastewater plant running .265MGD

After several years in the industry and rotating between days and nights at my last plant, I finally have my dream job as an operator making good money and we only work M-F 7-3 with an on call rotation every 12 weeks.

However, there’s some family health issues that I have to move back home 5 hours away for. This is unfortunately a scenario where a family member needs long term care with nobody else to help, and moving them here isn’t an option.

The area I’m moving to has a good size town nearby but there’s really only one wastewater plant and one drinking water plant. Both of them having rotating shifts for operations but maintenance works M-F. I’m sure there might be some industrial jobs in the area but so far I can’t seem to find them.

I’m not sure I’m willing to go back to rotating shifts as I worked several years to get away from that. I want to stay in the industry and it appears maintenance might be my only option for M-F for the foreseeable future.

Just curious if anyone else has done this? Seems like usually people go from maintenance to operations.

I just started and i was informed thid is the smallest plant in the state. Do yall think a steam deck and stardew will pass the time? My boss already said that on busy days we finish our work at 1130qm. Is steam deck worth it or shkuld i do phone games

I’m a grad student researching septic management in Gulf Coast communities (rural or anywhere at this point I have no data), and I’m struggling to get industry folks to talk to me.

What’s the best way for a researcher to approach you without being that annoying person calling during your workday? Or looking like i want to get the trade secrets and steal clients 😅

What would make you willing to participate?

Any advice is appreciated! Here’s my survey if you’re curious: https://forms.gle/LTCpPDdLDUUzXMVb7

Thanks, y’all!

I had a one night stand with my girlfriend and this other chick. Went super well and the rest of that story is IRRELEVANT.

This little lady happened to work as a dental assistant. We were talking about our jobs as one does in uh… that scenario, and we got talking about bacteria. Bacteria in the mouth.

Now this is anecdotal and I’m sure there is more nuance, however I work as an equipment operator mostly on sanitary root sawing and camera work. Excuse the language, but I get shit blasted in my mouth constantly. Talk about a little spray coming from a toilet, that’s cute. I have disgusting breath.

Xylitol sweetened gums/candys/lozenges. It starves the bacteria in the mouth.