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Maintaining Your Operator’s License
The water operator profession protects public health and safety by insuring safe drinking water, providing sufficient water for sanitary purposes and as appropriate fire protection. The profession is also an environmental profession with resource management and a community profession with the infrastructure needed to perform the service of providing water. As a licensed professional there are expectations of performance. The following will help you maintain your license as well as help you understand the varied expectation of the profession.
Operator TCH Record | Professional Development Training Calendar | Water Operator Training | Training and Professional Development | Water Operator Training Providers | Policies | Keep Your License Up To Date | Water Operator License Renewals Dates | Professional Responsibilities
Training and Professional Development
Operator TCH Record
The Drinking Water Program to maintains a record of operator's contact hours. You can review your TCH record here.
Professional Development Training Calendar
The Drinking Water Program strives to maintain an updated listing of Maine-based training opportunities to meet continuing education requirements for license renewal. Click on the link below to view a calendar of recent training. Contact Terry Trott for paper copies of the training calendar.
Drinking Water Operators Professional Development Training Calendar
Please contact training providers directly to sign up for courses.Water Operator Training
License holders must earn continuing education credits for license renewal. The number of training contact hours (TCHs) required for license renewal depends on the classification of the license.Operator training is available in a variety of programs. The DWP maintains a lending library with books and videos for all levels of operation. Self-study programs are also available. For more information or to check to see if a course has been approved please contact Teresa Trott at (207) 287-7485.
Maine Rural Water Association (MRWA) (exam preparation and other courses)
Maine Water Utilities Association
New England Water Works Association
North East Water and Wastewater Training Associates
University of California (correspondance and online courses)
License holders must earn continuing education credits for license renewal. The number of training contact hours (TCHs) required for license renewal depends on the classification of the license.
Training topics be relevant to the treatment or distribution licenses held.
Relevant Training topics will have an:
- Influence on water quality, water supply, or public health protection and
- Be directly related to the operation or maintenance of a water system or
- Be directly related to managing the operation or maintenance of a water system.
Please review Relevancy Fact Sheet
Training and Professional Development
Very Small Water System (VSWS) Study Booklet (pdf format)
Water Operator Training Providers:
Maine Rural Water Association (MRWA) (exam preparation and other courses)
Maine Water Utilities Association
New England Water Works Association
North East Water and Wastewater Training Associates
University of California (correspondance and online courses)
Policies
Training Contact Hours Policy (how many and what kind of TCH credits needed for license renewal)
Policy for Renewal Training Courses for Water System Operator Recertification (requirements for awarding TCHs)
Exam Policy (continuing education credits for passing exams)
Individual TCH Application (for individual training course approval)
Licenses have a two year cycle. You should plan to get your training within the renewal period of your license. This is from the date you renewed your license to the end of the second year. Training requirements are for the highest held license:
6 hours for VSWS 12 hours for Class I
18 hours for Class II 24 hours for Class III or IV
Renewal notices are sent out in November. There is a grace period until March 2nd.
PLEASE UPDATE YOUR ADDRESS WITH THE BOARD TO ASSURE ACCURATE MAILING.
Water Operator License Renewals Dates
2009 and earlier renewal dates are expired. In order to hold a license again, re-examination must take place.
2010 and 2011 renewal dates are in an inactive mode. Licenses remain inactive for two years. During the inactive period an operator may not be “in responsible charge” of a public water system. To reactivate an inactive license the required TCH, renewal fee and reinstatement fee may be submitted to the Board. Training contact hours may be used from the time of license issuance to the present for renewal of the license. They may not be used for more than one renewal.
Persons performing duties without active licenses could be found to be operating without a license. This is a civil charge against the person brought before the Board. Systems may be found to be operating without a licensed operator, which would be a violation brought by the Drinking Water Program against the system.
Download the Reinstatement form (doc file)Professional Responsibilities
As in many professions there is a code of ethics- These are the principles by which the professionals serve their associates.
The Board licenses operators to operator water systems in Maine. With the authority to license persons also is the responsibility to assure the licensed persons perform the respective tasks satisfactorily. The Board has the authority to suspend or revoke licenses. The following describes this process.
Procedure for filing a complaint against an operator Complaint Form
Please review the section on Public water system operator requirements also for a better understanding of operator responsibilities.
05/26/2011
