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of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    The .gov means its official.

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    Wastewater operators are encouraged to visit the Operator Certification Information Center for information concerning operator licensing, exams, and related information. Additional resources are available below.

    DEP Publications

    Spreadsheets

    All of the following are DEP-developed spreadsheets for use by operators and consultants. These spreadsheets were developed using Microsoft Excel 2007; the spreadsheets may not function as intended in previous versions of Excel.

    • Operator Tools (macro-enabled Excel)
      Unit conversions, geometric mean calculator for fecal coliform, sludge production estimates, F/M Ratios, Nitrification – Alkalinity calculator, and others. Each calculator is on a separate worksheet.
    • Chapter 94 Spreadsheet (macro-enabled Excel)
      Use to facilitate development of annual Chapter 94 reports.
    • WET Analysis Spreadsheet (Excel)
      Use to evaluate Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET) test results for NPDES permit compliance.

    Energy Efficiency

    Wastewater treatment facilities use a significant amount of electrical power.

    An understanding of how electricity is consumed and how the power company calculates the charge is critical to saving energy. DEP's Energy Efficiency Information Sheet (PDF) will help you, as an operator, gain this understanding.

    Asset Management

    Asset management is a framework being widely adopted as a means to pursue and achieve sustainable infrastructure. It is the practice of managing infrastructure capital assets to minimize the total cost of owning and operating them while delivering the desired service levels.

    A high-performing asset management program incorporates detailed asset inventories, operation and maintenance tasks, and long-range financial planning to build system capacity, and it puts systems on the road to sustainability. DEP's Asset Management Information Sheet (PDF) provides more information on this topic.

    Training Materials

    Training Modules

    DEP has a selection of Training Modules that are available for your review and download. These modules cover laboratory operations, drinking water, and wastewater system operations.

    Training modules are intended to serve as student workbooks for use by approved training sponsors to develop pre-certification classroom training.

    DEP now distributes these modules directly to non-certified operators for use as self-study guides for the certification exams. Please be aware that this is not the intended purpose for which these modules were developed, and their effectiveness as self-study guides has not been evaluated.

    Wastewater Instructional Videos

    The Department's YouTube channel includes a Wastewater Instructional Videos page where you can access a variety of wastewater related videos on topics including nitrification, denitrification, and safety. Continue to check back for new videos.