Public Water System Operator Certification

Public Water System Operator Certification

Public drinking water systems are required to have an Operator certified by the DWGPD. The class of Operator Certification is based on the source water type, treatment, and population of a water system. A listing of class types can be found in Table 1. Certifications are valid for 3 years.

SEARCH TOOL-Operator Certification & Training Hour Information

Table 1: Operator Class Types
Class	Source Water Type	Treatment Technology
1A	Groundwater	TNC systems with ion exchange for water softening, cartridge filters, and/or limestone contactors.
1B	Groundwater	TNC systems with disinfection with: • UV or chlorine, including standby • Treatment for secondary contaminants or manganese below the Vermont Health Advisory with an active service contract. Documentation of the active service contract must be made available to the Division upon request to maintain classification as Class 1B.
2	Groundwater	Disinfection with Chlorine or UV (including standby capability), ion exchange for softening, and/or limestone contactors
3	Groundwater	Disinfection by means other than Chlorine or UV; sequestration of manganese or iron; fluoridation; corrosion control when installed in response to a lead or copper action level exceedance; pH control; air stripping; GAC for primary contaminants or secondary contaminants without an active treatment contract; ion exchange to achieve compliance with primary MCL or manganese Health Advisory; centralized reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, or ultrafiltration; aeration; blending to achieve compliance with a primary MCL.
4A, 4B AND 4C	Surface water or GWUDI	Systems filtering surface water, class depends on the population served by the system: Class 4A serving from 25 to 500 people Class 4B serving from 501 to 3,300 people Class 4C serving more than 3,300 people
D	Any	Effective 2/24/2024, the D operator regulations have changed. Systems are required to have a D operator no later than July 1, 2029 if they meet one of the criteria below. There are 3 types of water system that require a D operator: Consecutive systems serving 500+ people Community Systems over 500 in population with either: Fire protection via fire hydrants connected to distribution/transmission or Multiple pressure zones owned or operated by the PWS NTNC Systems over 500 in population with fire protection via fire hydrants connected to distribution/transmission

Operator Certification Applications
In addition to completing the online Application, which includes the Child Support and VT Taxes Statement, please refer to Tables 2 and 3 for initial and renewal certification requirements for Certified Operators. For questions regarding the online application, please email Tom Harrington (Tom.Harrington@vermont.gov).

All Classes:

Public Drinking Water System Operator Certification Application - Initial or Renewal
Statement Regarding Child Support and Vermont Taxes is included in the online application. You may view an example of the statement here: Statement Regarding Child Support and VT Taxes

Table 2: Initial Certification Requirements
Class	Fee	Minimum Education	Initial Experience	Letter from Supervisor*	Exam	Support/Taxes Statement
1A	$45	HS or GED	None	No	No	Yes
1B	$45	HS or GED	None	No	No	Yes
2	$80	HS or GED	1.5 years	Yes	Yes	Yes
3	$80	HS or GED	1.5 years	Yes	Yes	Yes
4A1	$80	HS or GED	2 years	Yes	Yes	Yes
4A	$80	HS or GED	2 years	Yes	Yes	Yes
4B	$80	HS or GED	2.5 years	Yes	Yes	Yes
4C	$80	HS or GED	3 years	Yes	Yes	Yes
D	$80	HS or GED	1.5 years	Yes	Yes	Yes

*Letter from Supervisor: a brief, written statement with signature certifying training experience and technical knowledge of water system. Please enclose with application.

Table 3: Renewal Certification Requirements - Certifications must be renewed every 3 years.
Class	Fee	Minimum Education	Continuing Education Requirements (TCH)*	Deadline	Support/Taxes Statement
1A	$45	HS or GED	None	N/A	Yes
1B	$45	HS or GED	3 hours	N/A	Yes
2	$80	HS or GED	10 hours (see below)	June 30, 2026	Yes
3	$80	HS or GED	20 hours (see below)	June 30, 2025	Yes
4A	$80	HS or GED	20 hours (see below)	June 30, 2026	Yes
4B	$80	HS or GED	20 hours (see below)	June 30, 2026	Yes
4C	$80	HS or GED	20 hours (see below)	June 30, 2026	Yes
D	$80	HS or GED	20 hours (see below)	June 30, 2025	Yes

Effective with training classes starting in 2025 to be applied to the 2028 renewal for Class 3 and D operators and 2026 to be applied to the 2029 renewal for Class 2 and 4 operators are required to meet the new training class categorizations (see below)

Treatment Certification Training Class Categorization

	Category 1	Category 2	Category 3
Topics	Regulatory	Treatment	All other approved training topics
	Public Health	Distribution
	Management and/or Finance	Source Protection
		Operation and Maintenance
Minimum Hours Class 2	3 hours per renewal	3 hours per renewal	No minimum
Minimum Hours Classes 3, 4	6 hours per renewal	6 hours per renewal	No minimum

Distribution Certification Training Class Categorization

	Category 1	Category 2	Category 3
Topics	Regulatory	Treatment	All other approved training topics
	Public Health	Management and/or Finance
	Distribution	Operation and Maintenance
	Worksite Safety	Hydraulics/pumps
Minimum Hours Class D	10 hours per renewal	6 hours per renewal	No minimum

Dual Certification (an operator who holds both a treatment class and a distribution certificate):

	Treatment Category 1	Treatment Category 2	Treatment Category 3	Distribution Category 1	Distribution Category 2
Topics	Regulatory	Treatment	All other approved training topics	Regulatory	Treatment
	Public Health	Distribution		Public health	Management and/or Finance
	Management and/or Finance	Source Protection		Distribution	Operation and Maintenance
		Operation and Maintenance		Worksite Safety	Hydraulics (pumps, pressure, etc.)
Minimum Hours Class 2D (15 hours)	3 hours	3 hours	No Minimum	5 hours
Minimum Hours Class 2D (15 hours)	10 hours toward “treatment”			5 hours
Minimum Hours Classes 3D, 4D (30 hours)	6 hours	6 hours	No Minimum	10 hours
Minimum Hours Classes 3D, 4D (30 hours)	20 hours toward “treatment”			10 hours

Provisional Certification: Under some conditions, a Provisional Certification may be issued. The operator is only allowed to work for one water system and must meet the requirements for a full certification except for the experience. For more information, please contact us.

Legacy Distribution Certification (required by July 1, 2029):

Operators who have passed a treatment exam (2, 3, 4) AND can document 1.5 years experience at the water system meeting the D definition:
- May attend a State-provided training class instead of the exam (date/time TBD).
  - Will receive “legacy” status, only for those systems worked at for 1.5 years or more as of 7/1/2029.
If a legacy D operator transfers to a new system for which they do not have 1.5 years experience as of 7/1/2029, they would need to pass the Distribution exam.
The Legacy D certification is “linked” to renewal period for the existing treatment certification.
Those without the required 1.5 years of experience as of 7/1/2029 must pass the exam and have the required experience to become certified.
Operators who have passed the D exam since 1/1/2018 but have not kept up their D certification but HAVE kept up a treatment certification may apply to reinstate their full D certification prior to 7/1/2029.

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