Online Course

Introduction to Water Treatment Operations

Follow water from its source to the point where it is ready to serve a community, and meet the people, equipment, tests and safety habits that make that possible.

Course Details

Certificate
1.0 hour
Time
About 70 minutes
To pass
80% or better on the final
Price
For credit: $20, or $150 for the Course Pass. To learn with no credit: Included with Premium Pay for this course

For You

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Try a Sample PageCoagulation, exactly as it appears in the course

What You'll Learn

  • Describe what a water treatment operator does and why the work matters.
  • Explain where drinking water comes from and how source water can change.
  • Follow water through intake, coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration and disinfection.
  • Recognize common plant equipment such as pumps, valves, chemical feed, analyzers and SCADA.
  • Explain the basic water quality checks and how operators use trends, alarms and controlled changes.
  • Describe core safety habits, records and how people enter the field.
What's Inside 8 parts, 72 pages
  1. The Work 8 pages
    • Welcome
    • Why It Matters
    • The Operator
    • Around the Clock
    • Public Trust
    • The WPI View
    • Career Fit
    • Checkpoint
  2. Source Water 8 pages
    • Water Sources
    • Watersheds
    • Surface Water
    • Groundwater
    • Well Levels
    • Source Changes
    • Source Protection
    • Source Check
  3. Treatment Steps 16 pages
    • Plant Flow
    • Intake
    • Pretreatment
    • Coagulation
    • Flocculation
    • Sedimentation
    • Clarifiers
    • Filtration
    • Filter Runs
    • Backwashing
    • Membranes
    • Disinfection
    • Byproducts
    • Other Treatment
    • Residuals
    • Process Check
  4. Equipment 10 pages
    • Pumps
    • Valves
    • Mixers
    • Chemical Feed
    • Filter Parts
    • Analyzers
    • SCADA
    • Maintenance
    • Backup Systems
    • Equipment Check
  5. Water Quality 8 pages
    • Good Samples
    • Turbidity
    • Disinfectant
    • pH and Alkalinity
    • Minerals
    • Microbes
    • Quality Control
    • Data Check
  6. Process Control 8 pages
    • Normal Conditions
    • Water Demand
    • Chemical Dose
    • Filter Data
    • Alarms
    • Trends
    • Controlled Changes
    • Control Check
  7. Safety and Records 8 pages
    • Safety Culture
    • Chemical Safety
    • Chlorine Safety
    • Energy Control
    • Confined Spaces
    • Compliance
    • Security
    • Safety Check
  8. Entering the Field 6 pages
    • Entry Paths
    • Certification
    • Learn the Plant
    • Study Habits
    • Your First Year
    • The Mission
More Details

Who It's For

New and future operators, and anyone who wants a clear introduction to the work. No experience needed.

Format

72 narrated pages with short checks and a final. Built by a working wastewater operator (Washington Group III).

Where Does This Course Count?

A course counts toward your continuing education credit only once your state or province accepts it. Today Minnesota and Montana have approved our courses, they count in Alabama, Arizona, Idaho, South Carolina, where courses need no pre-approval, and we are asking more states. Ask us to add your state or province.

Do I Need an Account?

Yes, to take the course. Signing in lets us record your time and issue your certificate. This page, the topic pages and the practice questions need no account.

Can I Skip Ahead?

No. Each page has a minimum time before the next one opens, and your time is recorded.

What Do I Get When I Finish?

A certificate of completion from Operator Master for 1.0 hour, once you pass the final with 80% or better. Your operator certificate or license always comes from your state, not from Operator Master.

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