by Jennifer Finley |
BC WATER NEWS
ORANGE—Fall
is in the air, a new semester has begun at Santiago Canyon
College and certain seats are widely coveted. The topic
at hand? Water treatment and Applied Water Math. At the
head of the class stands associate professor, Dr. Jim Gates.
After retiring in 1998 from a 33-year career with the MWD
of Southern California, Gates began teaching college full-time
at SCC. He now chairs the Water Utility Science Department.
Just southeast of San Diego County,
classrooms at Cuyamaca College are also stretched to the
limit with students entering the Water and Wastewater
Technology Program. After a 30-year career with the City of
San Diego Water Department, instructor Don Jones left to
head up the Safety and Risk Management Program at the Vista
Irrigation District. He has been teaching in the industry
for over 20 years and also continues to work full-time.
What do these two grizzly
water veterans have in common, other than 40 years in the
water industry? They work diligently to educate the public
on the importance of conservation; strive to help water
workers meet constantly changing mandatory certification
requirements; and both use Brown and Caldwell's Water
News as part of their college curricula.
Getting
the Certs
Why are college-level
water courses so in demand? Mostly because students are
preparing to pass state-mandated certifications exams. The
EPA and the state legislatures are constantly proposing
and adding new laws, making it difficult for some workers
to get ahead of the learning curve.
"In 2001, all field
crews were required to have treatment, distribution and/or
collection system licenses. And they have to obtain
continuing education units for license renewals," explains
Gates. The new requirements have greatly affected the
number of participants enrolled in the community college
water programs.
Don
Jones takes his class on a field trip to the Helix
Water District's Levy Water Treatment Plant located
in Lakeside, CA.
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Finding the right course
can be difficult. Many community colleges are facing severe
cutbacks in funding, which is directly impacting the number
of available water classes. Entry-level courses at SCC and
Cuyamaca College average 40 to 45 participants per class
each semester. Statistics show that approximately 65 percent
to 70 percent of these students are already working in the
water industry; the remaining seats go to those making career
changes or students working to meet a general education
requirement. The immediate challenge for the instructors
is to help these time-stressed professionals retain
the pertinent information needed to pass the licensing exams
to keep their jobs.
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"The best way to stay ahead is to read Brown
and Caldwell's Water News at least weekly and
attend available short classes."
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"The best way to stay
ahead is to read Brown and Caldwell's Water News
at least weekly and to attend available short courses,"
says Gates. "SCC offers four 'Hot Topics' classes each
semester, where a person can obtain 8 hours of qualifying
training in each session. The topics range from regulatory
changes in the water systems to assisting operators in preparing
for the various licensing exams. Each semester-long class
allows a student to obtain the 48 contact hours needed for
renewals."
The end of 2006 will mark
another milestone that could result in an acute shortage
of certified Distribution System Operators. "On
December 31, 2006, all (California) Department of Health
Services-issued interim Distribution Certifications will
expire," explains Jones. "Beginning in 2007, continuing
education will be mandatory to get the certifications renewed.
Depending on the level of certification, the student may
need up to 36 contact hours to apply for renewal."
What does this mean for California's
water agencies? A potential crisis due to a major shortage
of certified workers. "Approximately 140 agencies in
the state are designated as D-5 systems. As such, their
chief operators must have a D-5 Operator Certification,"
says Jones. (The "D" indicates "distribution,"
and the "5" identifies the system class.)
"Realistically, any
D-5 system should have at least three people with D-5 certifications
so that they can provide around-the-clock coverage, including
covering employee vacations, retirement, illnesses and
reassignments. I believe there are currently less than 500
certified D-5 operators in the state."
The time to act is now since
the exams are few and far between. "The state exam
is given only twice a year, so there are only two test dates
left to get several hundred people certified," says
Jones. "The pass rate for the D-5 exam is very low.
At one point, only 14 percent passed the exam. We will begin
to see a 'bidding war' emerging in the next year, as agencies
scurry to find appropriately certified personnel before
the Jan. 1, 2007, deadline."
That's the Ticket
The new certification requirements
may be good news for those moving into the field, but they
could prove to be a challenge for human resource departments
trying to fill vacancies. Agencies will benefit from hiring
workers who have earned their certifications and employees
who have already passed the exams will be at the top of
the recruitment list. "The ticket to employment and/or
advancement is going to be continuing education coupled
with certifications," say Jones.
Conservation and
environmental jobs will continue to lead the
help-wanted ads. “I see a growing need for environmental
assessment workers who either collect water samples for
analysis or assist cities and water districts manage urban
runoff,” says Gates. "I also see a need for every water
system to hire Conservation Coordinators who monitor high
and low water usage rates to establish and maintain
efficiencies and to avoid waste.”
Water
Education Drought
Where will the
water instructors come from? A recent study from the Public
Policy Institute of California indicated that California’s
need for water will jump by 40 percent over the next 25
years. This would imply an even greater need for more water
education and more experts willing to share their knowledge
and expand research programs.
“With the
exodus of large numbers of veteran water industry
professionals, who as 'baby-boomers' are reaching retirement
age, finding well-qualified personnel to serve as
instructors for these courses is becoming increasingly
difficult,” says Jones.
With the
changing of the guard, so to speak, who will lead the future
water experts? The answer rests in gaining more support and
funding for water education programs at the college level.
“Ideally, formal Water Conservation and Water
Resources classes will be part of the general
education curriculum requirement at every college in
California.”
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“Ideally,
formal Water Conservation and Water Resources classes will
be part of the general education curriculum requirement
at every college in California,” says Gates. “Such classes
can explore existing BMPs and delve into the anticipated
growth percentages."
California's water
wars are nothing new and will most likely continue as the
various factions continue to face-off for their fair share
of the flow. What most
experts seem to agree on is the need for better management
practices, public conservation, and scaling back on
individual water consumption. The general public needs to
be better educated on what is
involved in getting water to the end user. The contributions
made by
teachers like Gates and Jones each day in the
classroom are the key to getting the next generation ready
to face the ongoing water crisis. Knowledge shared is
priceless.
For more
information on Santiago Canyon College's
Water Utility Science Degree and Certificate Program, please
click here.
For more
information on Cuyamaca College's
Water & Wastewater Technology Program, please
click here.
For more
information on DHS Distribution Operator Certification,
please
click here.
Sept. 22, 2005
