Nevada Wastewater Treatment Operator Certification
NDEP certifies wastewater treatment operators in four mandatory grades — Grade I through Grade IV — on a 2-year renewal cycle. This is separate from the Nevada Water Environment Association's (NVWEA) voluntary specialty certifications in Collection, Industrial Waste, and Plant Maintenance.
Las Vegas Valley: Protecting the Drinking Water Source
Nevada's largest wastewater treatment plants — Clark County Water Reclamation District, City of Las Vegas, and Henderson — discharge highly treated effluent to the Las Vegas Wash, which flows into Lake Mead. Because Lake Mead is also the primary drinking water source for the region (and for millions of people downstream via the Colorado River), these plants operate under some of the strictest nutrient and water-quality permit limits in the state. Operators at these facilities s