BC Water News Exclusive

SEPT. 22, 2005

Grizzly Water Veterans

Water industry experts go to the head of the class

by Jennifer Finley | BC WATER NEWS

Don Jones takes his class on a field trip to the Helix Water District's Levy Water Treatment Plant in Lakeside, Calif.

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.

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.

"The best way to stay ahead is to read Brown and Caldwell's Water News at least weekly and attend available short classes."

"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.”

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,” 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, click here.

For more information on Cuyamaca College's Water & Wastewater Technology Program, click here.

For more information on DHS Distribution Operator Certification, click here.