*Course must be completed one year from your registration date.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The purpose of this course is to provide instruction in the fundamental principles involved in water treatment plant operation. Water treatment practices vary widely across the country; however, a number of distinct processes can usually be identified in any treatment plant. This 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 water treatment field.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

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

•  Recognize the responsibilities of drinking water treatment plant operation and control
•  Identify safe operational procedures, sampling, and laboratory testing techniques
•  Summarize the basic biology, bacteriology, mathematics, and chemistry associated with drinking water treatment
•  Develop test taking skills by completing the quizzes that cover the material discussed in each lesson

Required Textbooks (included with registration fee in the continental U.S. only.) Additional fees will apply for international shipping. Please contact us with any questions prior to registering if you are outside of the U.S.

"Water Treatment Plant Operation, A Field Study Program", Volume 1, seventh edition, 2017

"Water Treatment Plant Operation, A Field Study Program", Volume 2, seventh edition, 2020

You will need to provide a physical street address as FedEx does not deliver to P.O. boxes. 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.

The University of Florida Training, Research, and Education for Environmental Occupations (UF TREEO) course on C/B Drinking Water Treatment Operations is recognized by Florida's Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) as a prerequisite for taking the "C" and "B" level drinking water operator certification exams. This course provides 144 contact hours or 14.4 CEUs. 

STATE APPROVALS

This course is approved in the following states:

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Colorado
• Florida
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Nevada
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• More state approvals pending! Inquire about your state!

To view a summary of your state's Operator Certification Program, click here.

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 of this page for course access requirements.

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

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

Anyone interested in gaining knowledge of operation and maintenance of a community drinking water system including owners, managers, supervisors, chief operators, shift operators, trainees, laboratory personnel and maintenance workers of a municipal drinking water treatment system. This course is approved to take the FDEP Class C and Class B Drinking Water Operator exams.  Your certificate of completion is good for five years, so your state exam for C and B (if interested) should be taken within this period. 

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

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 BIOGRAPHIES

Ron Trygar, CET

Steve Roberts

Steve is an instructor for the Water Programs at the University of Florida TREEO Center. In addition to his knowledge and experience in water plant operations, Steve brings to students a diverse and well-rounded perspective of local water resources conditions, issues and needs.  He has performed instruction throughout the state of Florida.  These added values are supported by having 40 years of related experiences in the public sector.  This includes engineering consulting, municipal water, reclaimed water and storm water system operations, maintenance, planning, and executive management.  He is a licensed Florida Class A Water Operator. His academic background includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Management, and a Master of Science degree in Occupational Safety and Health Environmental Management with a concentration in Environment Management.

Link to Instructor Biographies
 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

COURSE STRUCTURE

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

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, "Water Treatment Plant Operation, A Field Study Training Program", Volumes I and II. The course consists of three modules that are broken up into a total of 23 lessons. 

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.

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%

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

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.

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

You will need to use the Chrome browser to complete your final exam.

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