Water Treatment Training courses offered again at Wallace State
HANCEVILLE, Ala. — Wallace State Community College’s Training for Business and Industry program will hold a new round of classes for Water Treatment Training. The course is designed to help the participant obtain a job in distribution systems. Typical jobs would include fixing water main line breaks, installing meters, flushing hydrants, collecting water samples, etc.
Students can choose the level of certification they are interested in obtaining, either Distribution Class Grade I or II. With each higher certification, the level of responsibility and pay increases.
Training will include classroom work, as well as on-site training at water utility facilities. Topics to be covered include:
- Water sources (ground and surface)
- Water testing
- Water treatment
- Operating water distribution systems
- Math equations associated with treatment and distribution
Upon successful completion of the training, students can take certification exams provided by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management for water distribution (Grades I & II). Drinking water operator certification establishes a professional standard, and also provides the knowledge and understanding drinking water operators need to provide safe, adequate drinking water to the public.
Training will take 15 weeks, with classes to be held beginning Jan. 22, 2018. Classes will be from 9 a.m. to noon each Monday, with instructor Wendy Waldrep. The program fee is $506. For more information, contact Mandi Perkins at mandi.perkins@wallacestate.edu or 256.352.7826.
The median annual wage for water and wastewater treatment plan and system operators was $45,760 in May 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest 10 percent earned $27,550 and the highest 10 percent earned $73,120. In Alabama, the mean annual wage was $44,610, with average salaries ranging from $28,590 at the lowest 10 percent to $61,980 at the highest 10 percent.