Renew a Virginia Wastewater Works Operator or a Waterworks Operator License
As a licensed Virginia water operator, you’re probably familiar with the Board for Waterworks and Wastewater Works Operators and Onsite Sewage System Professionals, which goes by the very catchy acronym: the WWWOOSSP.
Fortunately, figuring out what you need to do to renew your license with the Board is a whole lot easier than trying to remember that acronym. At least, that’s the case when you use this guide. Here are the continuing education requirements and steps to renew a Virginia wastewater works or waterworks operator license.
Renewal timeline
If you have a waterworks operator license, it expires on the last day of February during every odd-numbered year.
If you have a wastewater works operator license, it expires on the last day of February every even-numbered year.
Keep an eye on the expiration date that applies to you because you’ll need to do a little work to get your renewal ready. The biggest part of that comes down to completing the required continuing education.
Continuing professional education for Virginia water operators
The state requires waterworks and wastewater works operators to get a specific number of continuing professional education (CPE) hours, also known as continuing education (CE) hours. You won’t be eligible for renewal without them.
Make sure that your hours come from a state-approved provider or they won’t count. You can scroll to the bottom of this page to see a sample approval letter.
The hours you need and the topics they need to cover depend on your license type, so let’s take a look.
Hours by license class
- Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 licensees: 20 hours
- Class 4 licensees: 16 hours
- Class 5 licensees: 8 hours
- Class 6 licensees: 4 hours
The good news: however many hours you need, you can take them online - such as the trainings we have here - whenever you have time from any location you want.
Required topics by license type
If you have a waterworks license, your courses need to focus on:
- Waterworks operations
- Monitoring, evaluating, and adjusting treatment processes and systems
- Operating and maintaining equipment
- Security and safety procedures
- General science and mathematical principles
- Administrative processes and procedures applicable to your license
- Laws and regulations applicable to the waterworks
If you’re a wastewater works operator, your hours need to cover one of the following:
- Wastewater works operations
- Monitoring, evaluating, and adjusting treatment processes and systems
- Operating and maintaining equipment
- Security and safety procedures
- General science and mathematical principles
- Administrative processes and procedures applicable to your license
- Laws and regulations applicable to wastewater works
Some extra requirements apply to both license types. For both waterworks and wastewater works, operators, you can’t get more than half of your hours on safety subjects. Also, if you have a Class 1 or Class 2 license, five of your 20 hours need to focus on utility management.
Submitting your renewal
You can renew your license online or send in the renewal notice you got in the mail from the Board. If you didn’t get that notice, you can alternatively send in a copy of your license with the renewal fee.
Renewing your license costs $80.
When you submit your renewal paperwork, you’re certifying that you’ve completed the required CE for your license class. The Board can audit you at any time, so make sure you hang onto your CE certificates of completion for at least a couple of years.