Deadline today for water operators’ exam registration

Today is the last day for CNMI water system operators to register for the upcoming Water and Wastewater Operator Examination, according to the Division of Environmental Quality.

So far, only 25 of the 111 public water systems have registered for the upcoming examination, according to DEQ spokeswoman Reina Camacho.

She stressed that applications submitted after today will not be entertained and will not be allowed to take the exam.

The examination will take place on Thursday, Oct. 6, at the Pacific Islands Club’s Charley’s Cabaret. While majority of pubic water systems are classified as level I or level II, the examination is available for all four levels. Each system is classified according to the type and complexity of their treatment system.

Class I includes groundwater sources using disinfections on a continuous basis; Class II uses membrane filtration, cartridge filtration, or desalination that includes distillation, ion exchange, and reverse osmosis of groundwater, purchased water, or water from rainwater roof catchments; Class III include any filtration except conventional or direct filtration of surface water or groundwater under the direct influence of surface water; and Class IV is conventional filtration or direct filtration of surface water.

A drinking water distribution system is classified based on the population served by the water system. Class I would be for a population that is 1,500 or less; Class II is for 1,501 to 15,000; Class III for15,001 to 50,000; and Class IV is for populations 50,001 or greater.

“Wastewater operators are those in charge of the wastewater treatment system, such as the CUC sewer treatment in Sadog Tasi and Agingan Point or the Rota Golf Resort wastewater treatment,” Camacho said.

Due to conditions in some areas on Saipan, water sometimes get salty, forcing some systems to resort to using reverse osmosis units.

“For those that have their own water well, the newly amended regulations require that they use any sort of treatment, and that is where the certified operators come in,” said Camacho.

The DEQ recently updated its water regulations, which state that public water systems are required to have a certified operator by Jan 1, 2006. The examination would allow existing water operators to be certified If PWS do not employ certified operators by the deadline, they will be fined for failure to comply with regulations.

Camacho said the Oct. 6 examination would be the only time the DEQ will hold the exam for the rest of the year. The test is being administered in collaboration with the Guam Environmental Agency.