Maryland Wastewater License and Water Operator Renewal Requirements
As a certified water operator in Maryland, you know you need to renew your certificate every three years. But even if you’ve been keeping an eye on your expiration date, you might not be entirely sure what’s required in order for you to renew. And unfortunately, the Department of the Environment’s Board of Waterworks and Waste System Operators hasn’t made it overly easy to locate their renewal requirements online.
Even if you spent the time to read the state code about the training required for certificate renewal, you wouldn’t find anything about the number of continuing education hours you need there.
That’s where we come in. Here’s a brief outline of what you need to do in order to renew your Maryland water distribution or water operator certificate.
The hours you need
During each three-year renewal period, you’ll need a specific number of training units to be eligible to renew your certificate. Each unit equals one hour of training. So if you need 16 units, get 16 CE hours. Or if you need 30 units, get 30 hours.
Here’s a quick list of the training requirements by certificate type:
Water distribution
- Operator: 16 units
- Superintendent: 7 units
- Grandparented and temporary: 24 units
Water treatment 1
- Operator: 16 units
- Superintendent: 7 units
- Grandparented and temporary: 24 units
Water treatment 2
- Operator: 16 units
- Superintendent: 7 units
- Grandparented and temporary: 24 units
Water treatment 3
- Operator: 30 units
- Superintendent: 7 units
- Grandparented and temporary: 45 units
Water treatment 4
- Operator: 30 units
- Superintendent: 7 units
- Grandparented and temporary: 45 units
Water treatment 5
As a site-specific operator, your training requirements get set directly by the Board.
Multiple certificate holders
If you have multiple certificates, you can apply your training to multiple classifications, provided it’s Board-approved.
Finding hours that count toward MD water operator certificate renewal
Per the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) 26.06.01.13, your training hours need to be pre approved by the Board. That makes it worth double-checking that any CE provider you’re considering has the appropriate approvals from the State. If you’re wondering what that looks like, you can scroll to the bottom of our Maryland water operator training page to see our approval letters from the Board Secretary.
The good news for all Maryland water operators is that the Board greenlit some education providers to offer their training units online. That way, you can get the hours you need at your own pace from any location you want.
Submitting your renewal
Once you get your training units completed, you’re eligible for renewal. If you need to request a renewal application, you can do so by reaching out to the Board at wwso.board@maryland.gov or (410) 537-3167. Include your certification number in the email or have it handy when you call.
Then, make sure you’re ready to pay the renewal fee, too. It’s $50 for each certification category, with a cap of $100 if you’re renewing multiple certificates at the same time.
Because you only need to renew every three years, completing the required training and getting your renewal in shouldn’t be a major hassle. Just make sure you keep an eye on your expiration date so you can get your certificate renewal to-dos knocked out in time.