For assistance with this online course, please contact questions@ad.ufl.edu.

*Students from outside the continental United States will charged an additional shipping fee for their course material. Please contact us with any questions.

If you are eligible for CEUs for this course: You will be responsible for providing your license information at the completion of your course. We will provide confirmation once your information has been submitted. 

Make sure you read to the bottom for online course access requirements.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This University of Florida Training, Research, and Education for Environmental Occupations (UF TREEO) course Wastewater Treatment Plant Operations Class ‘C’ training course is recognized by Florida's Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) Operator Certification Program as a prerequisite for taking the "C" level wastewater operator certification exam. This course provides 150 contact hours or 15 CEUs. 

The purpose of this course is to provide instruction in the fundamental principles involved in wastewater treatment plant operation. Wastewater treatment practices vary widely across the country; however, a number of distinct processes can usually be identified in any treatment plant. The course deals with both theoretical and practical aspects of these processes and is intended to provide the basic knowledge necessary for you to begin a career in the wastewater treatment field.

STATE APPROVALS

This course is approved in the following states:

COURSE OBJECTIVES

At the end of this course, student will be able to:

•  Recognize the responsibilities of wastewater treatment plant operation and process control
•  Identify safe operating procedures, proper sampling, and laboratory testing techniques
•  Summarize the basic biology, chemistry, mathematics, biological and physical processes associated with wastewater treatment
•  Develop test taking skills by completing quizzes and tests that cover the material discussed in each lesson

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

Anyone interested in gaining knowledge of operation and maintenance of a community wastewater system including owners, managers, supervisors, chief operators, shift operators, trainees, laboratory personnel and maintenance workers of a municipal wastewater treatment system. This course is approved to take the FDEP Class C Wastewater Operator exam.  Your certificate of completion is good for five years; therefore the class C wastewater state exam should be taken within this time period.

STUDENT TESTIMONIALS

“The online course allows you to work at your own pace.”

“I really liked the quizzes and being able to communicate with the instructors.”

“The course had material that was pretty clear to understand. I liked the books that came along with the course.”

“I liked how thorough the course was and how many different ways the information was presented.”

“The information within each module was presented well.”

INSTRUCTOR BIOGRAPHY

Ron Trygar, CET

Ron is the Senior Training Specialist for Water and Wastewater programs at the University of Florida TREEO Center.

Ron began his career in wastewater treatment in 1983 in Virginia Beach, VA, before moving back to his home state of New Jersey where he worked at large regional treatment plants along the New Jersey shore. Ron moved to north central Florida in 1989, where he ran small package-type treatment plants and became Chief Operator of a community water and wastewater treatment system. He joined the team at Florida Rural Water Association in 1996 where he became the Wastewater Section Supervisor while providing technical assistance to more than 35 wastewater treatment facilities each month across north Florida.

With an interest in training, Ron was given the opportunity to instruct some classes at the University of Florida’s TREEO Center in 1997, becoming a Certified Environmental Trainer (CET) through NESHTA in 1998. Ron had the wonderful opportunity to become the Wastewater Training and Education Coordinator for a company in the US Virgin Islands in 2003 and did so for the EPA mandated contract period of two years. While there, Ron enabled many of the island operators to become certified through ABC to the Grade II level, as well as some becoming collection system and laboratory certified. Ron left the islands in December 2005 to start his own training and consulting company based in Tallahassee, Florida.

As President of Trygar Consulting Services, Ron traveled the country providing wastewater training to Rural Water Association members through a contract with USA Bluebook. Ron also instructed classes at UF TREEO Center and in the US Virgin Islands through 2008. Ron became a full-time employee of UF TREEO Center in 2008, instructing most all of the water and wastewater related classes there, and moved to High Springs, Florida.

Ron is a member of many water and wastewater associations including FW&PCOA, FSAWWA, FWEA, WEF, NESHTA, BCSP, and SEDA. He is also a member of the State of Florida Operator Certification Program Exam Review Committee for both drinking water and wastewater treatment.

Ron holds Florida Class A Wastewater and Class B Drinking Water Treatment Plant Operator’s licenses.

When Ron is not teaching classes, he enjoys saltwater fishing and diving, hiking and bike riding and spending time at his home with his wife Rochelle. Ron also takes classes to further his education and sharpen his skill as a trainer.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James Clifton

James (Jim) Clifton holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science in biology. He was initiated into the wastewater field in 1980 by starting up a facility upgrade in Seaford, Delaware. In 1985 Mr. Clifton joined the staff at the University of Florida’s Center for Training Research and Education for Environmental Occupations (TREEO), shortly after he obtained his Florida Class A Wastewater Treatment Operator certification. Initial responsibilities involved providing training and technical assistance to small non-compliant municipal wastewater treatment facilities throughout Florida. The position evolved to developing and delivering new continuing education training programs for wastewater personnel.

In 1997 Mr. Clifton left TREEO to assume the superintendent position in Manchester, Connecticut. In 2000, with the prospect of participating in the design, construction, and operation of a nitrogen removal facility, he accepted the superintendent position at the Simsbury, Connecticut facility. Mr. Clifton retired from day-to-day operations in 2013. While in Connecticut he obtained a Class IV Wastewater Operator Certification and served on the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection’s Certification Advisory Committee as the Educator for 14 years.

In 2013 Mr. Clifton received the William D. Hatfield award from the New England Water Environment Association and the Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Excellence Award from the New England EPA.

However, Mr. Clifton has not been able to fully relinquish participation in a profession and organization he loves and stays involved by contributing to TREEO’s mission as a trainer.

Link to Instructor Biographies

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

COURSE STRUCTURE

You will have one year from your registration date to complete your course.

Unlike a traditional classroom-based course, you do not need to show up to class at a specific time every day to participate in this online course. Instead, you complete lesson presentations, reading, assignments, and quizzes/tests all online. Although some of these activities will be ungraded, you are still required to complete them.

This fully online course is designed to be flexible and self-paced. The lesson sequence used in this online course generally follows the chapter sequence in the course manuals, "Wastewater Treatment Plant Operations, Class C Online Training Course” 2020

The course consists of three modules that are broken up into a total of 26 lessons. The content of the course is as follows:

TEST AND EXAM DETAILS

All tests/exams consist only of multiple-choice questions, which is meant to simulate the types of questions you will encounter on your state exam.

The tests/exams are closed book; you should not use your textbook, study notes, or the online content while taking your tests/exams. You should use a calculator and your mathematical formula sheets for all tests/exams.

SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION

Instructions will be available in your online course for how to view and print your certificate of successful completion once you have met the following requirements:

•  Complete all assignments
•  Score at least 70% on each test/exam
•  Earn an overall course grade of at least 70%

For more information on becoming a licensed wastewater operator in Florida, visit the FDEP operator handbook here.

The UF TREEO website provides helpful hints on how to become certified in Florida as a Class C Water/Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator. If you live outside of the state of Florida, please visit your state operator certification program.

ADDITIONAL POLICIES

UNIVERSITY POLICY ON ACCOMMODATING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Students requesting accommodation for disabilities must contact UF TREEO registrar, Kady Morris at kadymorris@treeo.ufl.edu.  Accommodations are not retroactive; therefore, students should contact the office before registering for the course.

UNIVERSITY POLICY ON ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT

Academic honesty and integrity are fundamental values of the University community. Students should be sure that they understand the UF Student Honor Code.

Required Textbooks (included with registration fee)

"Wastewater Treatment Plant Operations, Class C Online Training Course” 2020

Please allow 2-3 weeks for shipping. Books will be shipped out after your registration has been processed and payment is made. You are able to begin the course and familiarize yourself with the course content before the books arrive.

Additional Learning Aids

This course requires use of various math skills. If you feel that you need a refresher on basic math skills, we highly recommend that you take some time to watch videos and do practice problems at khanacademy.org . It is free to set up an account and track your progress.

Please visit khanacademy.org  and sign up for a free account before doing any of the practice listed below.

Khan Academy Early Math Practice 

Khan Academy Arithmetic Practice 

Khan Academy Pre-Algebra Practice 

Videos

There are videos to watch at the end of several chapters.

Students, please be aware to qualify for the state exam you will need either a high school diploma or a FL Dept. of Education approved GED.  Online GED's are not accepted by FDEP.

Students must sign up separately for the state Level-C Exam. For more information about the state exam, go to the FDEP Website.

Requirements for Online Courses:

• You should be computer literate and familiar with PC-based systems to participate in the online courses
• Prepayment is required before you will receive log-in information, including address and password
• You must provide an email address at time of registration/payment
• Course must be completed within one year from your date of registration.
• Certificate will be issued on the date you pass the final exam.

Accessing the course:

• Student will receive course access once the registration has been processed by our office during normal business hours.
• If you are taking a refresher course, we will first verify your eligibility. Your registration might be placed on hold until this is completed. If you are not eligible to take a refresher based on our records, we will contact you.

Once the registration has been processed by our office, you can expect the following:

• An email will be sent to you asking to complete your enrollment.
• Follow the link to the Enroll Now page.
• You will be asked to create your login using an external identifier. The University of Florida has approved the use of Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google (Gmail) to enter our courses. You can use an existing account for this course. You will want to make sure you know your credentials for this outside account.
• The use of an external identifier as listed above is required to enter our courses. We cannot provide another method of access to the course.
• If you are unsure about any of these requirements, please contact us before you register, and we'll be happy to assist.

System Requirements:

• Operating Systems
• Windows 7 and newer
• Mac OSX 10.6 and newer
• Linux - chromeOS
• Mobile Operating System Native App Support
• iOS 7 and newer (versions vary by device)
• Android 4.2 and newer
• Computer Speed and Processor
• Use a computer 5 years old or newer when possible
• 1GB of RAM
• 2GHz processor
• Internet Speed
• Along with compatibility and web standards, Canvas has been carefully crafted to accommodate low bandwidth environments.
• Minimum of 512kbps
• Screen Readers
• Macintosh: VoiceOver (latest version for Safari)
• PC: JAWS (latest version for Internet Explorer)
• PC: NVDA (latest version for Firefox)
• There is no screen reader support for Canvas in Chrome