How to Renew Your Indiana IDEM Drinking Water Operator Certification
Triennially. It’s a word you don’t hear often — unless you have an Indiana water operator certification. In that case, you’re probably aware that you need to renew your certificate every three years, or triennially.
That triennial renewal cycle only took effect in 2018. Before that, you would have had to renew every two years. The extra year gives you some breathing room, but it also makes it easier to forget when your renewal is due. Mark your calendar so you complete the required continuing education units (CEUs) and submit your renewal to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) on time.
To help yourself stay on top of your Indiana water operator certification renewal — including the IDEM-approved drinking water CEU requirement — use this guide.
How to renew an Indiana water operator certification
Per Indiana state code — specifically, IC 13-18-11-6.5 — your triennial renewal just requires two things from you:
Step one: Meet your IDEM-approved drinking water CEU requirement
IDEM requires that all certified water operators complete a specific number of continuing education hours during each renewal cycle. The number of hours you’ll need depends on your license type. The Office of Water Quality has distilled 327 IAC 8-12-7.5 down for you in a PDF outlining the IDEM-approved drinking water CEU requirements. But to make it even easier, here’s the breakdown of required CEUs by license type:
- Grade DSS: 10 contact hours
- Grade DSM: 15 contact hours
- Grade DSL: 15 contact hours
- Grade WT 1: 10 contact hours
- Grade WT 2: 15 contact hours
- Grade WT 3: 25 contact hours
- Grade WT 4-6: 30 contact hours
It’s also important to know that 70% of your continuing education hours need to be in a technical category.
Fortunately, meeting the technical requirement and taking your hours, in general, can be fairly easy thanks to Indiana drinking water operator online CEUs. By choosing online continuing education hours from an IDEM-approved provider, you can take the hours you need at your own pace from any location that’s convenient for you.
What’s more, these Indiana drinking water operator online CEUs are all approved as technical courses. So if you complete your CEUs there, you won’t have to worry about hitting that 70% mark.
Step two: Submit your renewal and pay the fee
Good news. Your renewal fee is one of the most affordable around, both for Indiana license types and for water operators in other states. You only need to pay $30 to renew your Indiana water operator certification.
Through the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency Online Services, you can renew your certification and pay the $30 fee online. Start that process here. If you haven’t used the service before, you’ll need to set up an account.
You can start submitting your renewal as early as May of the year when your renewal is due. But don’t try to submit your renewal until you’ve met your IDEM-approved drinking water CEU requirement since that’s required to renew.
Mark your calendar so the triennial renewal date doesn’t get away from you. Take your Indiana drinking water operator online CEUs and renew online, too, and the process should be relatively easy.