Standards coming to improve skills of water treatment plant operators

The Canadian Council for Human Resources in the Environment Industry is developing Canada’s first national occupational standards for water and wastewater operators. The program, funded by Human Resources Development Canada, will help to ensure that operators have the right skills and knowledge to operate their facilities.
After the tragedies of Walkerton and North Battleford, it has become glaringly apparent that personnel who run and maintain municipal water and wastewater treatment plants are not always qualified for the work. Plants that are not operated properly can present a hazard to human health and the environment.
In a press release by the CCHREI, Gerald Samuel of Opertech Consulting and former manager of Operator Certification and Training Programs at Alberta Environment states, “The National Occupational Standards will be an invaluable tool for the development of job specifications, training curricula, and certification criteria for water and wastewater professionals.”