Water & Wastewater Facility Operators Certification Program - Information

Manitoba Operator Certification Exams:

Exam Schedule February 2012 - June 2012 (pdf 21KB)

Operators must register in advance to write exams with Pat Goran.

Water and Wastewater Refresher Courses - Spring 2012 provided by Red River College (pdf 189KB)
Operators should contact Red River College directly (http://www.rrc.mb.ca/techsolutions) if they wish to register for exam preparatory courses. Operators should note that attending refresher courses is not a requirement for writing the certification exam. NOTE: No certification exam is scheduled at the end of Red River College's Water & Wastewater School Level 1, 2 and 3. These courses are different from the refresher courses.

Water & Wastewater Technician school training program provided by Apprenticeship Manitoba.
The Apprenticeship Program is an alternative for Operators to gain the experience and education required for Manitoba Conservation's Water & Wastewater Facility Operators Certification. This program could also help Operators prepare for Certification Exams. It is not mandatory and will not be required in order to be Certified. At the end of the Apprenticeship Program, Operators will get a Certificate similar to those received from any educational program. A Certificate issued by the Apprenticeship Program is NOT equivalent to an Operator Certificate issued by Manitoba Conservation and will, therefore, NOT be acceptable as an "Operator Certificate" in other jurisdictions.

Certification Exam Information:

• There are 18 different exam categories: Small Water, Small Wastewater, and Water Treatment, Water Distribution, Wastewater Treatment, and Wastewater Collection I, II, III, and IV. Applicants should contact the Certification Program Coordinator if unsure which exam to write.

• The passing grade is 70% in all categories.

• Operators may challenge any category (facility and class) of exam, with two exceptions:
  • Operators must wait 4 months after failing to pass a specific category of exam before re-writing.
• Operators may not write exams for the same or lower categories than they have already passed (e.g. operators cannot pass WT II and later write WT II again or WT I).

Note: Beginning on January 1, 2012 sequential exams will be used. Exams will need to be written in sequence starting at the lowest level (Class I) and increasing to the highest level required.

• Formulas used for Manitoba Certification Examinations (Revised January 2006) to help you prepare for your certification exam. (pdf 139KB)

• Manitoba Conservation contracts with the Association of Boards of Certification (ABC) for the provision of an examination service.
• ABC's Need-to-Know Criteria describes the core competencies that are covered on the exams and are available online (http://www.abccert.org/testing_services/certification_study_resources.asp).
• Links
  • Association of Boards of Certification Exam Information
  • Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality
  • Red River College
  • Apprenticeship Manitoba Training Program - Water & Wastewater Technician

If you need additional information or further clarification regarding exams, contact Pat Goran.