Spring Semester Begins for Future Water Operators
- 8 hours ago
- 3 min read
Despite the cold temperatures outside, it’s the start of spring—or at least the spring semester. As the semester gets underway, students enrolled in the Basic Drinking Water Treatment Training Course are beginning their coursework. Offered virtually through Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) in partnership with the Massachusetts Water Works Association (MWWA), the course participants include several scholarship recipients as part of the Commission’s Drinking Water Treatment Training Program.
During the course, students learn about the history of water treatment, source water, federal and state drinking water regulations, and the various filtration and treatment processes that make water clean and safe to drink. It is a prerequisite for sitting for the Treatment II (T2) state operator licensing exam in Massachusetts. The T2 license is required for employment at many water utilities across the state and is also a stepping stone toward more advanced licenses, including Treatment III and Treatment IV.
Building the Water Workforce of the Future
Drinking water is a heavily regulated industry, making operator training, licensure, and continuing education essential. There is strong demand for new drinking water treatment plant operators in Springfield and throughout Massachusetts. To help meet this need, in 2019 STCC and MWWA, in collaboration with the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission, launched a self-paced virtual drinking water treatment training course—making it easier for anyone interested in starting a career in the drinking water sector to get started.
To further support individuals entering the field, the Commission launched the Drinking Water Treatment Training Program in 2020 to provide scholarships to cover tuition and book costs. The competitive program requires an application, interview, and a demonstrated interest in the course and a future career in drinking water. Over the semesters, the Commission has awarded several scholarships, with at least seven recipients earning a drinking water license. Some scholarship recipients have even gone on to employment with the Commission. The scholarship program has also provided Pipeline Program participants an opportunity to further advance their career in water operations.
Providing scholarships is one of the Commission’s workforce development initiatives aimed at building the water workforce of the future. This work is particularly important as the Commission advances more than $550 million in infrastructure reinvestment through the Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Renewal Program (WWIRP), centered on the new West Parish Water Treatment Plant. Once completed, the plant will require operations staff to hold a T4 license to fully manage its advanced treatment processes, including the added treatment step, dissolved air flotation (DAF). The plant will also create new water operations career opportunities, making the scholarship program even more critical for recruiting and developing future staff.
Learn More
As the semester gets underway, we wish all students—and especially our scholarship recipients—success in their coursework.
Learn more about drinking water treatment training and licensure here: https://waterandsewer.org/training-and-licensure/More information on scholarship opportunities is available here: https://waterandsewer.org/scholarships/
Pictured left: Project Engineer Ben Robichau provides an overview of the filter media to a Basic Treatment student while Deputy Director of Water Operations Christina Jones explains the rapid sand filtration process during a spring 2025 tour. Pictured right: Basic Drinking Water Treatment Training students pose for a photo during a tour of West Parish Filters in spring 2025.
