Pennsylvania Water Treatment Operator Certification: Program Overview
Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Bureau of Safe Drinking Water, administers operator certification under 25 Pa. Code Chapter 302. Unlike states that grade operators purely by skill progression, Pennsylvania classifies water systems by size, and an operator must hold a certification class equal to or greater than the size of the system they control.
The Class Structure (Size-Based)
| Class | System Size |
|---|---|
| D | ≤ 100,000 gpd |
| C | > 100,000 gpd – 1 MGD |
| B | > 1 MGD – 5 MGD |
| A | > 5 MGD |
For Classes A through D, an operator must pass both a General Exam and a technology-specific subclass exam (the subclass identifies the actual treatment processes used — e.g., filtration, disinfection, membrane treatment — at the plant).
Small-System Credentials: Dc