2.2 OHA Certificates: Experience Tables, OIT, Exams, Fees and Small Water System Certification

Basic Requirements (OAR 333-061-0235)

To be certified at Levels 1-4, an applicant must provide proof of a high school diploma, GED or higher degree, including the graduation date, and pass the exam for the type and level sought. Certification is issued separately for Water Treatment (WT) and Water Distribution (WD).

Table 53: Experience, Education and Operational Decision-Making

ODM experience is time spent making decisions that affect water quality or quantity, as defined in OAR 333-061-0020. It also counts as general work experience.

Experience Credit Rules

• Hands-on only. Experience must come from direct, hands-on operation, including decisions that may affect public health. Officials, inspectors, managers, engineers and public works directors who do not actually operate or supervise facilities do not earn it.
• Full-time equivalent. One year equals 12 months of full-time employment with 100 percent of the time on activities for the certification sought.
• Related experience, capped at half. For WD, wastewater collection, water treatment, cross connection control, or industrial process water treatment. For WT, wastewater treatment, a wastewater lab, water distribution, or industrial process water treatment.
• One level up. Experience earned at a facility qualifies for certification up to one classification level higher than that facility. OHA's example: an operator who has worked only at a Class 2 plant may apply for Level 3 but not Level 4. After moving to a Class 3 plant, the operator needs half the qualifying experience there before applying for Level 4.
• Education substitution. Education may not exceed half the required experience, except at Level 1, where an approved certificate or degree can replace all experience. Twelve months of education equals one year of college, 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours or 45 CEUs. On-the-job training may count as experience or education, not both.

The Filtration Endorsement Path

To earn the endorsement, an operator must:

1. hold WT Level 2;
2. have one year of ODM experience at a plant using conventional or direct filtration; and
3. pass the filtration endorsement exam.

OHA's FE Need-to-Know covers coagulation and flocculation chemistry and math, jar testing, sedimentation theory and loading math, filtration and backwash, filter-to-waste strategy, particle counters and streaming current monitors, and Surface Water Treatment Rule compliance. The endorsement carries a $90 application fee but no additional annual fee (OAR 333-061-0265).

Operator in Training (OIT)

Under OAR 333-061-0245(6), OHA may waive Level 1 education or experience requirements for an applicant who meets the education requirement and has one of the following:

• 3 months of operating experience,
• 3 months of water-related experience, or
• 30 hours of relevant training (3 CEUs or 3 college credits).

After passing the Level 1 exam, the person is an OIT for up to 36 calendar months to gain the experience. There is no OIT fee, and the operator tracks their own time before applying for Level 1.

Applying, Testing and Retakes

• Submit the application, affidavit of employment, employment history, proof of education and payment. Exam applications must reach OHA 60 days before the desired exam date (OAR 333-061-0245(4)).
• After approval, PSI emails the candidate to schedule the exam. The minimum passing score is 70 percent (OAR 333-061-0250).
• A person may not take the same exam more than twice in a 12-month period unless they show they completed specific education related to the exam since the second attempt. OHA's guidance adds that DWS contacts the candidate before a third attempt and may require an exam-preparation course.
• OHA's study page points to the AWWA operator certification study guides, the WPI/ABC formula sheet and the Need-to-Know criteria for each class.

Fees (OAR 333-061-0265, Table 54)

Initial fees may be prorated for the remainder of the two-year cycle. Exam fees are refundable if the application is denied or the candidate cancels at least one week before the exam.

Reciprocity

Applicants holding current certification from a state or province with a substantially equivalent program submit a reciprocity application, affidavit and fee. OHA sends the other state a questionnaire and decides case by case, and it may require an exam. OHA generally offers reciprocity to applicants from states with EPA primacy.

Small Water System (SWS) Certification (OAR 333-061-0228)

1. Hold a high school diploma or GED; applicants certified after 2020 must submit proof.
2. Complete the free OHA-approved SWS training (the one-day Basics course, offered in person or online).
3. Pass the SWS exam with at least 70 percent, required since August 1, 2022.
4. Submit the SWS application with the course and exam certificates.

The SWS certificate is fee-exempt and expires on July 31 three years after it is granted. To renew, the operator retakes a free SWS course every three years and files a new application; no other course substitutes. The exam need not be repeated if the certificate never lapses. A Level 1-4 operator may serve as a small system's operator, but the system still files an SWS operator application every three years.