Professional Growth Requirement

About the Requirement

The Washington Waterworks Operator Certification Program requires a BTO, CCS, WDS, WDM, or WTPO to demonstrate professional growth during each professional growth reporting period of at least three years. Following Department of Health's regulations and policies, Washington Certification Services at Green River College evaluates and accredits training used by waterworks operators to meet the professional growth requirement. Eligible training and examinations used to meet the requirement are recorded on individual transcripts for each certified operator.

Here is more information about the professional growth requirement...

Options For Meeting the Requirement

To meet the professional growth requirement, certified waterworks operators must accomplish one of the following within each professional growth reporting period:

Option 1: Accumulate a minimum of three Continuing Education Units (CEU) or college credits for training that directly relates to information and procedures that influence water quality, water quantity, or public health protection, including:

a. The operation or maintenance activities of a public water system; or

b. Managing the operation or maintenance activities of a public water system.

Option 2: Advance as a WDM or WTPO by examination to a higher level classification.

Option 3: Achieve certification by examination in a different classification as follows:

BTO to a CCS, WDM or WTPO
CCS to a WDS, WDM or WTPO
WDM to a CCS or WTPO
WDS to a CCS, WDM or WTPO
WTPO to a CCS or WDM

Reporting Periods

All certified operators are assigned a professional growth reporting period based on their original certification date. Department of Health allows each operator a minimum of three years to meet the professional growth requirement. All training applied toward the requirement must be completed within the reporting period dates.

The following chart shows when certified operators must meet the professional growth requirement.

If Your Original Certification Date	Then You Must Meet The Professional Growth Requirement Between:
Before 1/1/2022	1/1/2022 and 12/31/2024 and in each 3-year reporting period thereafter.
Between 1/1/2022 and 12/31/2024	Your original certification date and 12/31/2027 and in each 3-year reporting period thereafter.
Between 1/1/2025 and 12/31/2027	Your original certification date and 12/31/2030 and in each 3-year reporting period thereafter.

Training Relevancy

Training applied toward the waterworks operator professional growth requirement in Washington must meet the relevancy criteria established by the Department of Health (DOH), Office of Drinking Water. Relevant training means training that:

Has an influence on water quality, water supply, or public health protection; and
Is directly relevant to the operation, or maintenance of a water system; or
Is directly relevant to managing the operation or maintenance activities of a water system.

Examples of acceptable management training include drinking water regulatory compliance, capacity development, rate setting, financial viability, water system security and responding to drinking water emergencies.

Training that may not meet the relevancy criteria is evaluated by the DOH Relevancy Review Committee.

For more information about the relevancy requirement, view the Department’s Fact Sheet on Relevancy of Training for Waterworks Operators or Relevancy of Training for Certified Waterworks Operators Fact Sheet (PDF) (DOH Pub #331-186)

Relevancy appeals must be filed according to the Training Relevancy Review Procedure - DOH.

Instructing or Repeating Training

Certified waterworks operators may earn CEU or college credit for successfully completing or instructing relevant training. If an operator repeats the same course used to meet their professional growth requirement in the previous two reporting periods, CEU equal to one-half of the original assignment may be applied toward their current professional growth requirement. Repeat courses three reporting periods or older may be applied toward the current professional growth requirement for the full original assignment. CEU will be rounded down to the nearest one-tenth of a CEU.

No CEU will be accepted toward the professional growth requirement for:

a training repeated during the same reporting period
repeating any Self-Paced Training activities, regardless of professional growth period.

Submitting Training for CEU Evaluation

It is the certified operator's responsibility to satisfy the professional growth requirement on or before December 31st of the reporting period deadline year.

It also the operator's responsibility to ensure the accuracy of their professional growth report. This includes but is not limited to ensuring completed training has been submitted and recorded correctly.

Live training completion documentation may be submitted for evaluation by the certified operator or the training sponsor following the procedures established by Department of Health (DOH).

There are special completion and submittal requirements for approved Self-Paced Training. See Self-Paced Training for more information.

Submitted by Operators

Training sponsors must request course evaluation and Continuing Education Unit (CEU) assignment in advance for waterworks training they conduct in Washington. Courses that have been pre-approved for CEU assignment can be found on our List of Approved Live Training.

If an operator takes training outside of Washington that has not been pre-approved by WCS, but has been awarded CEU for successful completion, an operator may request an evaluation after completing the course.

To request an evaluation of Live Training that has not been pre-approved, the operator must submit a Waterworks Live Training Submittal Form along with the "required attachments" listed on the form to WCS. For training taken remotely (virtually), the operator must submit documentation or an attestation from the course sponsor that Washington State's remote criteria was met.

Live Training must meet all of the following criteria to be approved:

Training was held outside of Washington state
Course length was a minimum of 3 hours excluding breaks and lunches
Training specifically targeted Waterworks operators
Training meets DOH Relevancy Requirements
Course Sponsor awards Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
The evaluation request includes all completed forms and required attachments

Live Training will be denied without further review if any of the following occur:

Training was held within Washington state and was not pre-approved by WCS
Training does not meet the 3-hour course length requirement
Training was not specifically targeted to Waterworks operators
Training does not meet DOH Relevancy Requirements
Course Sponsor awarded PDHs or other forms of accreditation that are not CEUs
Missing or incomplete forms or required attachments
Submissions received before the completion of training
Training was self-paced, unmonitored learning

Self-Paced Training must be submitted by the course sponsor for pre-approval. Operators must complete training found on the List of Approved Self-Paced Training to receive CEUs towards their professional growth requirement. Self-Paced training completed that is not found on this list will be denied without further review.

College courses may be submitted by the operator for evaluation. They must meet all of the Live Training criteria listed above.

WCS may request additional documentation from the operator during the course evaluation process. CEUs will not be applied to the operator's professional growth report until all requested documentation has been received and a formal approval has been issued to the operator.

Submitted by Sponsors

Most waterworks training sponsors in Washington request an evaluation of their training in advance by Washington Certification Services. If the training has already been evaluated and issued a course evaluation identification number, the sponsor may also submit verification of successful completion of training directly to Washington Certification Services. DOH recommends that the sponsor submit training rosters for posting to operator professional growth transcripts within 30 days of the completion of the training.

View the list of approved classroom training.

Forms and instructions for requesting an evaluation of training in advance are in the Training Course Sponsors section of the web page.

Washington Certification Services will evaluate all verification of CEU or college credit submitted following criteria established by the DOH and the International Association of Continuing Education and Training (IACET).

Training that has been submitted by the sponsor and meets all DOH and IACET criteria can be found on the List of Approved Live Training.

It is the sponsor's responsibility to submit all completion documentation on behalf of the operator to Washington Certification Services. It is recommended this documentation be submitted within 30 days of the completion of training.

Recording Professional Growth Documentation

Professional Growth Transcripts
Washington Certification Services at Green River College maintains individual professional growth transcripts for each certified waterworks operator in Washington. Operators may view and print their unofficial professional growth report online. View Your Professional Growth Report.

Not Accepted for Recording
The Department of Health accepts only Continuing Education Units (CEU) or college credit awarded to relevant waterworks training toward the professional growth requirement. The following will not be accepted for recording:

Contact hours, professional development hours, or other forms of accreditation
CEU or college credit earned prior to the operator's original certification date
CEU or college credit not earned in the operator's current professional growth reporting period
CEU awarded less than 0.3
CEU not awarded based on IACET criteria
CEU or college credit earned for a course repeated in the same reporting period
CEU from any repeated Self-Paced Training
College credit not issued by an accredited college or university

Record Keeping
The Department of Health (DOH) has directed Washington Certification Services to restrict record keeping to that required by a certified operator to meet the professional growth requirement specified by law. When an operator has met the professional growth requirement for certification renewal for the current reporting period, documentation of additional training will not be accepted for the remainder of that reporting period. It is the operator’s responsibility to keep track of training beyond what is required to meet the professional growth requirement.

Notification and Deadlines

Notification

When an operator meets the professional growth requirement, Washington Certification Services will provide the operator with a completion letter. Washington Certification Services will also notify DOH that the operator has met the requirement.

Washington Certification Services will mail a reminder notice to each certified operator that has not met the requirement approximately six months prior to the professional growth reporting period deadline date.

Note: Waterworks Operators are responsible for keeping their contact information up-to-date to receive notifications. The Waterworks Operator Certification Program will not consider an appeal from an operator that is assessed a renewal late fee, does not renew a certificate, or does not meet the professional growth requirement due to failure to provide a valid home and email address. To update your information, visit Waterworks Operator Information Change to submit an online form.

Deadlines
Certified waterworks operator must satisfy the professional growth requirement by the reporting period deadline. Read more about Reporting Periods.

Each certified operator’s certificate will remain temporarily valid for two months after the December 31st reporting period deadline. Documentation of relevant CEU or college credit earned during the professional growth reporting period may be submitted to Washington Certification Services for evaluation until February 15th of the period during which the operator holds a temporarily valid certificate. If the documentation submitted satisfies the requirement, Department of Health (DOH) will provide notification to the operator that the certificate is renewable.

Appeals

Certificates of operators that fail to satisfy the professional growth requirement by the deadline date will be invalid. DOH will not consider appeals from operators for inactivation of certifications for failing to meet the professional growth requirement.
Appeals of professional growth relevancy determinations must be filed according to the Relevancy Review Appeal Procedure - DOH.