South Dakota Water Treatment Operator Certification
Water treatment operators in South Dakota are certified Class I through IV (or the special SWTS track below) via the South Dakota Board of Operator Certification, using ABC standardized exams. Classification uses a technical-difficulty point system, similar to the wastewater side. Certificates renew annually (February 1), contingent on rolling 3-year continuing education requirements.
Two Water Sources
South Dakota's drinking water sources split between two very different pictures:
- The Missouri River and its large reservoirs (Oahe, Sharpe, Francis Case, Lewis and Clark) serve the state's major population centers.
- Groundwater aquifers, including the Madison and Dakota aquifers, serve many small rural communities and rural water systems.
Agricultural land use across the state contributes to nitrate concerns in s