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Education

Operator Certification in BC

By Joe McGowan, Chair Environmental Operators Certification Program

There are hundreds of water and wastewater facilities operating throughout BC, ranging from small water treatment systems at mining sites north of Fort Nelson, to the large sewage treatment plants in the lower mainland. The qualifications of the people who perform the hands - on operation of these increasingly complex water and wastewater facilities are certified by the Environmental Operators Certification Program Society, or, as it is more commonly known, the EOCP.Operators who meet the examination criteria and pass the exams receive the designation Certified Operator.

The EOCP certifies the qualifications of personnel in water distribution, water treatment, wastewater collection, and wastewater treatment, for both municipal and industrial processes, and provides certification for operators of both small water and wastewater treatment facilities that typically serve less than 500 persons. In addition, the Program evaluates the relative complexity of the facilities in which the operators work and assigns a classification ranging from Class 1 to 4.

Criteria to write a Level 1 exam in any of the four basic processes is high school graduation, plus one year hands-on work experience in the classification applied for. A lesser educational and experience requirement applies to applicants working with small water or wastewater systems. As an operator advances through the program, the eligibility requirements attached to each level of exam increases considerably. Candidates applying to write the Level 4 exams are required to show substantial experience at the senior level and possess the equivalent of two years post secondary training in a related field.

The EOCP came into being about 1968 when an ad-hoc group of municipal wastewater treatment operators and a government engineer identified a need to recognize the qualifications of those in the municipal water and wastewater industry. Out of those initial meetings came what was to be known as the British Columbia Water and Wastewater Operators Voluntary Certification Program (BCWWOVCP), which issued its first Certificate in 1969. The name was changed to the EOCP in 1995. Membership has since grown to over 2200 active Certified Operators.

With the BC Program established, the organizers took a lead role in pulling together other loosely defined certification groups from all over North America. In 1972, the BCWWOVCP became a founder and charter member of the Association of Boards of Certification (ABC), which sets the educational and experience standards for all member certification bodies in North America, and develops, with local input, the questions used by member agencies in their examinations. Because of the EOCP affiliation with ABC, operators who receive certification in BC are granted certification through a reciprocity agreement with most provinces and US states.

The profile of a “typical operator” in BC has changed as the complexity of water and wastewater processes has increased. Historically, an operator obtained his or her knowledge by working on a specific municipal system as a junior worker under the tutelage of others who had performed the job in the past. Job turnover was not common and many operators were only exposed to the specific processes and practices that a single municipality might utilize. Health and environmental standards were general in nature and based on the accepted process capabilities and practices of the day. Training, outside of what was offered by the employer, was difficult to come by.

This contrasts with what is happening in the industry today. The legal liabilities (read financial) associated with improper operation of a potable water system, or the failure to meet complex site specific wastewater discharge standards, are considerable. Governments are no longer the only providers of water or wastewater services, and increasingly, industry is developing new processes to deal with it’s liquid waste stream. Private firms now offer conventional and specialized water and wastewater operating services on a contract basis.

Today’s entry level operator is competing with others who have obtained formal training prior to starting on the path to certification. Senior operators in both the water and wastewater treatment fields now possess impressive academic qualifications coupled with operating experience with several treatment technologies obtained through working for multiple employers.

In 1992, the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection (WLAP) began regulating wastewater treatment operations by requiring operators to become certified, with, at minimum, the Chief Operator certified to at least the level of the plant. Current legislation in the works suggests that there may soon be a similar requirement for the operation of potable water treatment and distribution systems.

A majority of US state certification programs have placed a requirement on certified operators to show proof of continuing training as a condition of renewing their certification. A recent meeting of Canadian operator certification organizations confirms a strong desire to follow the lead of our neighbours to the south.

The EOCP, as a leader in operator certification in Canada will, as in the past, be working with the BCWWA, and other training bodies to identify additional operator training opportunities and a delivery system that will permit operators throughout the Province to continue to upgrade their skills.

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Spring Operators Education Symposium

May 12 – 16, 2003

The BC Water and Waste Association is pleased to present the most comprehensive and varied Operator course offering ever assembled at its Spring Operator Education Symposium. Besides a number of regular course offerings, we have added one-day courses in Introductory Computer Skills and Advanced Computer Skills for Operators and Basic Mathematics and Advanced Mathematics for Operators.

Attached is a brief description and outline of the content of all of these courses that were designed by senior water and wastewater professionals. For the first time ever, BCWWA will also offer a Water Treatment Level II course for water operators specializing in this area. The very popular “Supervisory Skills for Operators,” a two-day primer will be offered for the second time. The Wastewater Collection Level II course should be of interest to those planning to prepare and challenge the WWC II certification examination.

Details of the Lower Mainland Campus location will be announced in the latter part of March on our website: www.bcwwa.org or be available from our office toll free 1-877-433-4389 or 604-433-4389. Due to a current pending labor dispute at lower mainland university campuses, we cannot confirm the venue location at this time. Nonetheless, we can assure you that a suitable site will be chosen and cost effective accommodations for ‘out of town’ operators will also be made available. Professional training and the Environmental

Operator Certification examinations will be offered separately and concurrently where applicable, to ensure that the tradition of this popular and highly successfully school is maintained. A Manufacturer, Suppliers and Consultants Trade Exhibition will also be part of the Symposium. All operators interested in writing EOCP examinations must contact the EOCP office ASAP (telephone 604 874-4784) and fill out and submit the required EOCP applications at least two weeks before the course starts at the Lower Mainland Operator’s School. You are encouraged to act now, so you will not be disappointed!! We look forward to seeing you at the Spring Operator Education Symposium. Please register early as enrollments in course offering are limited and this is a very popular program.

Sincerely, Del Haylock
Executive Director

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CERTIFICATION EXAMINATIONS: Many of our courses will be of particular interest to operators wishing to become certified or increase their level of certification. In concert with the EOCP

We are arranging to make time available to write EOCP examinations at the conclusion of many of the courses. Precise times will be arranged later for exams on the dates and at locations highlighted above in bold. You must however, apply separately to the EOCP, 219 - 3823 Henning Drive, Burnaby, BC V5C 6P3, Tel. (604) 874-4784, Fax (604) 874-4794, email eocp@eocp.org to write the examination and satisfy EOCP’s requirements. There is also a separate EOCP fee for writing the examination. All EOCP requirements must be satisfi ed at least two weeks in advance of the exam session.

REGISTRATION DETAILS: Course venues will be provided on request at the time of registration. Courses will be offered subject to minimum registration levels being attained and BCWWA reserves the right to cancel and/or reschedule any course. If you wish to take any course other than those show in the 2003 Course Calendar shown hereunder, contact Diana Dempsey or Del Haylock (604-433-4389) and we will try to accommodate your request.

"Norm Staff” Operator’s Bursary

A special bursary in honour of Norm Staff will be offered at the Lower Mainland Operators School in May, 2003. The bursary covers registration fees and manuals. For full particulars on how to apply for the bursary.

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Student paper competition

The BCWWA is pleased to announce the new WEF Undergraduate Student Paper Competition to promote the recognition of undergraduate students in the areas of water pollution control, water quality, hazardous wastes, and related areas. This competition is based on the research and writing of a paper in one of the subject areas.

The BCWWA will work with the universities, colleges and technical schools in BC and the Yukon to encourage undergraduates to participate in the competition. The BCWWA will select the best paper to represent BC and the Yukon to compete with winners from the other WEF Member Associations across North America.

The BCWWA winning paper and two runner-up papers will be published in the BCWWA Watermark. The BCWWA winner will also receive an award, a one-year free WEF Student membership as well as a BCWWA membership, and a free registration to the 2004 BCWWA Annual Conference, where the winner will be recognized at an award ceremony.

Details of the competition are as follows. Additional information or clarification can be obtained from Del Haylock, Executive Director, at 604-433-4389.

Rules of the competition

TOPIC: Any paper dealing with water pollution control, water quality problems, water-related concerns, hazardous waste, or related areas is invited.

PAPERS: The paper submitted shall be limited to 10 typed pages of less than 5,000 words, including an abstract of less than 350 words, tables, and figures (references will be allowed and not counted in total words). Four copies of the paper must be submitted. All information that identifies the author (such as name, address, telephone number, and the name, address and telephone number of the school) must be omitted from three copies of the paper. Include one copy with all pertinent personal information.

DEADLINE: To be eligible, the paper must be received at the following address by 2:00 pm on May 15, 2003.

Del Haylock
Executive Director
BC Water & Waste Association
#221 – 8678 Greenall Avenue
Burnaby, B.C.
V5J 3M6

SELECTION CRITERIA: The BCWWA Board will appoint a sub-committee to review the papers and select one winning paper and two runner-up papers. Selection will be based on: Originality of Work-20%, Technical Content-20%, Completeness of Work-20%, Clarity of Paper- 20%, Relevancy-10%, and Abstract-10%.

NOTIFICATION: The author of the winning paper will be notified by June 15, 2003.

PRESENTATION: The BCWWA winning paper and two runner-up papers will be published in the Watermark. The BCWWA winner will also receive an award, a one-year free BCWWA membership, and a free registration to the 2004 BCWWA Annual Conference where the winner will be recognized at an award ceremony. The winning BCWWA paper will be submitted for the WEF Undergraduate Student Paper Competition. The winner of this competition will be announced by WEF on or before August 15, 2003. The WEF winner will present his/her paper in a poster presentation at the national Water Environment Federation Technology Conference (WEFTEC) in Los Angeles from October 11 to 15, 2003.

AUTHORSHIP: Must be a current undergraduate student or recently graduated (within one calendar year of WEFTEC 2003) of a university, college or post-secondary technical school in British Columbia or the Yukon to be eligible for this competition. Students in a graduate level program, who have completed an undergraduate degree or diploma, are not eligible. Faculty advisors cannot be listed as co-authors. However, they may act in an advisory capacity.

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BCIT training courses on pipe polyfusion

Polyethylene pipe systems are used for both gas distribution lines and municipal infrastructure. High-density polyethylene is installed by either open cut or trenchless technology, incorporating heat-fused joints, known as POLYFUSION. To meet the demand for polyfusion skills, BC Institute of Technology’s Civil and Structural Engineering Technology Program, in conjunction with the Institute’s Piping Department, is offering training seminars and workshops.

The BCIT polyfusion training sessions will be available in March and April at the Institute’s Burnaby campus. Specialized equipment to produce fusion joints, data log critical parameters, non-destructively evaluate the joints and tensile test joint coupons will be demonstrated.

Overview of polyfusion – one-day course

A one-day seminar is designed to provide an introduction to the methods of polyethylene pipe fusion, demonstrations of the equipment, inspection and qualifying of fusion joints. The one-day seminar will be offered Thursday, March 6, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and again on Tuesday, March 25, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Polyfusion training workshop – three-day course.

A three-day training workshop will provide a more in-depth look at plastics, polyethylene pipe, the fusion process, hands-on butt fusion, data logging, qualifying of fusion joints and initiating a quality assurance program. The threeday workshop is set for Tuesday, April 8 to Thursday, April 10, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Register by phone at 604-434-1610. For more information, contact program assistant Paula Rossetti, at 604-412-7564, via e-mail Paula_Rossetti@bcit.ca, or visit www.construction.bcit.ca/news online.

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Industry targeted training: Are you getting yours?

Okanagan University College Water Quality Technology program in Kelowna

Water and wastewater technology and environmental monitoring

The water and wastewater field is supported by a multitude of disciplines including civil, mechanical, chemical, electrical, and of course, environmental engineering. The jobs are varied in complexity, size, scope and cost, and while no one individual can hope to be an expert in all fields, a specific understanding of how each discipline is applied in the water industry is desirable. The Water Quality Technology (WQT) two-year co-operative education diploma program delivers specific training targeted to the needs of the water/ wastewater industry.

Okanagan University College Water Quality Technology Program in Kelowna

The program’s emphasis is twofold: “Water and Wastewater” and “Environmental Monitoring.”

The course list includes the following modules:

Hands-on training is reinforced in each of the five laboratory facilities. Each lab is designated to a different theme: chemistry, biology, water treatment, instrumentation, and maintenance. The instructional faculty includes the Foreman of a Class 4 WWTP, a Crown Council for Environmental Law, and PhDs in Chemistry, Biology and Environmental Engineering. Consequently, the training is relevant and the case studies are realistic.

A Co-op program

WQT was designed to fill a niche not directly targeted in other career training programs. The core concepts of chemistry, math, communication skills and computer information systems are buttressed with instruction in instrumentation, water treatment, surveying, heavy machine maintenance, and environmental law. Because the program is taught with 12 months of co-op placement (one four-month and one eight-month co-op), the graduates emerge not only well trained in relevant theory to the water industry but experienced too.

For those of us who have taken an engineering or technical program, the concept of a heavy workload is no stranger. The WQT program delivers 30 hours/week of technical training. It is expected that another 60 hours/week of assignment and study work follows on the student’s own time. Graduates are both well-trained and diligent workers.

Certified program... Certifiable operators... Employed graduates

Our acceptance from industry has been very positive. Water treatment plants from Vancouver Island to Calgary now specifically search out OUC WQT graduates. As well, consulting engineering firms continue to seek out the best and brightest ever since the first graduating class in 1991.

Analytical labs commonly choose WQT diploma holders because the lab training is focused on today’s water quality analysis programs. Lately, instrumentation firms have begun to take notice of students pursuing the Certified Control System Technologist Designation. Recently accredited by the Canadian Technology Accreditation Board and recognized by the EOCP of BC, OUC’s WQT program is acquiring a national reputation.

Employer’s in the water industry can find people with targeted, tough training.

For more information about training or graduates visit our website at http://technologies.ouc.bc.ca/WQT/ index.htm or contact: Randy Engman, P. Eng. rengman@ouc.bc.ca

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OUC students receive BCWWA bursaries

BCWWA has awarded two bursaries of $500 each to students of the Water Quality Technology Program at Okanagan University College in Kelowna, BC. Second year students Kimberly Burling and Paul Dubios were presented the bursaries by Don Degen, Vice-President of the BCWWA, at the OUC campus on November 6, 2002. Congratulations goes out to both students for a job well done!!

OUC Students

Left to right: Kimberly Burling, Don Degen (BCWWA Vice-President) and Paul Dubios.

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Watermark Certification Corner Questions

1) A city of 20,000 people contributes 5,600 m3 of wastewater each day. How many litres of wastewater is produced per person per day?
a) 390 L
b) 280 L
c) 190 L
d) 120 L

2) The interior of a 30.0 cm diameter, 92 m long sewer pipe is uniformly coated evenly with 2.5 cm of grease. How many litres of wastewater will this pipe hold when completely fi lled?
a) 6,500 L
b) 5,475 L
c) 5,662 L
d) 4,514 L

3) Sewer ordinances, which require minimum separation distances between sewer lines and underground water storage tanks, are designed to:
a) Reduce the ground water table next to the storage tank
b) Protect the storage tank from contamination
c) Reduce water infi ltration into the sewer
d) Keep the sewer line from damage

4) At a pumping station equipped with centrifugal pumps, what would cause a sudden increase in the discharge pressure and decrease in discharge volume?
a) A discharge valve was closed
b) A suction valve was closed
c) The pump amperage decreased
d) The station voltage experienced a sudden power surge

Answers

 

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