Exam Dates and Locations

Certified Wastewater Operator eligibility requirements are set by the NC Legislature and found in rules 15A NCAC 08G .0401-.0409 & .0501 in  Chapter 8, SubChapter G of Title 15A of the North Carolina Administrative Code. Below is a simplified list of requirements. All applicants need to submit a complete exam application.

For the following wastewater operator certification, all applicants need to:

• Biological (WW1): 
  • be 18 years old and hold a High school diploma or GED equivalent, and
  • have completed the corresponding training school.

• Biological (WW2): 
  • be 18 years old and hold a High school diploma or GED equivalent, and
  • have completed the corresponding training school, and
  • hold an active WW1, and
  • have 6 months WW2 or higher experience.

• Biological (WW3): 
  • be 18 years old and hold a High school diploma or GED equivalent, and
  • have completed the corresponding training school, and
  • hold an active WW2, and 1 of the following:
    • have 2 years WW2 or higher experience, or
    • have a 2 or 4-year college degree having passed 6 courses in basic sciences and 18 months WW2 or higher experience.

• Biological (WW4): 
  • be 18 years old and hold a High school diploma or GED equivalent, and
  • have completed the corresponding training school, and
  • hold an active WW3, and 1 of the following:
    • have 3 years WW2 or higher experience, or
    • have a 2 or 4-year college degree having passed 6 courses in basic sciences and 2 years WW3 or higher experience.

• Collections (CS1):
  • be 18 years old and hold a High school diploma or GED equivalent, and
  • have completed the corresponding training school.

• Collections (CS2):
  • be 18 years old and hold a High school diploma or GED equivalent, and
  • have completed the corresponding training school, and
  • hold an active CS1, and
  • have 6 months wastewater  collections systems experience.

• Collections (CS3):
  • be 18 years old and hold a High school diploma or GED equivalent, and
  • have completed the corresponding training school, and
  • hold an active CS2, and 1 of the following:
    • have 2 years wastewater  collections systems experience or 
    • have 1 year wastewater collections systems experience and a 2 or 4-year college degree having passed 6 courses in a field directly related to the operation and maintenance of a collection system, e.g. civil, mechanical, or environmental engineering

• Collections (CS4):
  • be 18 years old and hold a High school diploma or GED equivalent, and
  • have completed the corresponding training school, and
  • hold an active CS2, and 1 of the following:
    • have 3 years wastewater  collections systems experience or
    • have 2 years wastewater collections systems experience and a 2 or 4-year college degree having passed 6 courses in a field directly related to the operation and maintenance of a collection system, e.g. civil, mechanical, or environmental engineering 

• Physical / Chemical (PC1):
  • be 18 years old and hold a High school diploma or GED equivalent, and
  • have completed the corresponding training school.

• Physical / Chemical (PC2):
  • be 18 years old and hold a High school diploma or GED equivalent, and
  • have completed the corresponding training school, and
  • hold an active PC1, and
  • have 1 year PC2 experience at an industrial pretreatment or indirect discharge permitted facility.

• Land Application (LA)
  • be 18 years old and hold a High school diploma or GED equivalent, and
  • have completed the corresponding training school and 1 of the following:
    • have one year of experience in the land application of residuals or, 
    • have a two or four-year college degree and passed 6 courses in basic sciences, or
    • hold a valid WW-2 or higher. 

• Surface Irrigation (SI)
  • be 18 years old and hold a High school diploma or GED equivalent, and
  • have completed the corresponding training school, and 1 of the following:
    • have one year of experience in the operation of a surface irrigation water pollution control system, or
    • have a two or four-year college degree and passed 6 courses in basic sciences, or
    • hold a valid WW-2 or higher, or
    • be a private homeowner who intends to operate only their own domestic surface irrigation water pollution control system. 

• Subsurface (SS)
  • be 18 years old and hold a High school diploma or GED equivalent, and
  • have completed the corresponding training school, and 1 of the following:
    • have one year of experience in the operation of a subsurface water pollution control system, or
    • have a two or four-year college degree and passed 6 courses in basic sciences, or
    • hold a valid WW-2 or higher, or
    • be a private homeowner who intends to operate only their own domestic subsurface water pollution control system