The TCEQ issues licenses for operators of wastewater treatment
plants and collection systems. Experience is required for
licensure, as explained here.
Applications
All applications will be reviewed as consistently and fairly as
possible based on the information provided in your application. It
is your responsibility to ensure you meet the experience and
educational requirements before taking the test for a license.
Complete each application in full, with correct dates of employment
and with complete, factual descriptions of duties and
responsibilities. If you’ve had changes in duties, promotions,
or breaks in employment, please note them clearly on your
application.
Wastewater Treatment Plant Experience
(Class A, B, C, D)
30 TAC Subchapter J 
requires that half the
total required experience for Class A, B, and C licensing must be
in actual hands-on operation and/or maintenance of domestic
(biological) wastewater treatment facilities, such as:
- wastewater plant operator, superintendent, or foreman;
- wastewater plant maintenance mechanic or instrument technician,
or
- laboratory analyst or technician (provided that the analyst
works at a lab primarily doing analyses for water utilities, such
that the analyst consults daily with wastewater-operations
personnel).
Related experience may be used to fulfill the remainder of the
experience requirement at a rate of 50 percent—for example,
one year of collection-system experience will count for six months
toward a treatment-plant license. Acceptable related experience may
include duties such as:
- installation, maintenance, or repair of wastewater collection
systems;
- design or construction of wastewater treatment plants and
collection systems;
- inspection and sampling of industrial wastewater treatment
systems by municipal employees as part of their municipal
pre-treatment program, or
- laboratory analysis of wastewater samples by contract or
off-site laboratory personnel.
No experience is required for Class D licensing. (For
renewability of Class D licenses, see
below.)
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Wastewater Collection System Experience (Class I, II, III)
- Components on residential property normally installed or
repaired by a plumber are not considered to be part of a wastewater
collection system and will not count as experience for any level of
wastewater collection licensing.
- Experience must be in actual wastewater-collection-system
operation or maintenance duties, such as:
- installation or maintenance of mains, laterals, trunk sewers,
lift stations, and manholes, or
- repair of wastewater collection systems.
- Credit for experience not directly connected with
collection-system operation or maintenance will be approved at a
rate of 50 percent if the experience involves tasks that are
similar to those required for the operation and maintenance of
collection systems. This includes duties such as:
- inspection and sampling of industrial wastewater treatment
systems by municipal employees as part of their municipal
pre-treatment program,
- design or construction of wastewater collection systems,
or
- wastewater-treatment-plant operation or maintenance.
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Industrial Wastewater Experience
A separate industrial wastewater operator’s license is not
available at this time. However, if work experience is gained
operating a wastewater treatment system at an industry with a large
plant incorporating biological wastewater treatment, that
experience will count towards wastewater-treatment-plant experience
(for Class A, B, and C licenses). Industrial pretreatment where
limited treatment is used, such as pH adjustments, will not count
as experience for licensing. A more detailed description of
industrial experience, including volumes treated and a schematic of
the treatment units, may be requested so we can accurately evaluate
the applicable experience.
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On-Site Aerobic Treatment Unit Maintenance Experience
Experience in maintenance of on-site aerobic treatment units
does not apply toward the requirements for wastewater operator
licensing. A Class D license is renewable if it is a license to
perform maintenance on on-site aerobic treatment units.
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Other Applicable Experience
Full-time water utility personnel who have both water and
wastewater duties in approximately equal amounts will be credited
with 100 percent of their time of employment as applicable toward
wastewater operator licensing. Persons whose duties primarily
involve potable water distribution or treatment with occasional
wastewater-collection-system or treatment-plant duties will be
credited with a proportional amount of wastewater experience.
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For More Information
For questions about experience qualifications, contact the
Wastewater Operator Licensing Program in Austin at 512/239-0176,
fax 512/239-6272, or write to us at:
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Compliance Support Division
Wastewater Operator Licensing Program—MC 178
P.O. Box 13087
Austin, TX 78711-3087
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