Math is involved in every aspect of water and wastewater treatment. While many of the calculations are automated these days, it is still important to know how to use the formulas and perform calculations manually. Who has not been in the field and had to quickly calculate the flow rate to check a water leak or verify pump rates? Without being able to verify numbers how can we be sure that what the computer or SCADA system is displaying is correct? Last but not least, there are always the exams we need to pass to advance our certification levels. So, for one or another reason, it is important to understand the math used in the water field.

Our two-day “Math Review and Prep for Operator Level III & IV Certification Exam” class is perfect for operators who understand the principles of water and wastewater math and are interested in obtaining their Wastewater Treatment Operator level 3 or 4 certificate. In this workshop you will learn not to just plug numbers into formulas but what the formulas actually mean and how to apply them. The math exercises you will work through in this class are complex and reflect the type of questions commonly encountered in the level III and IV certification exams.

A basic understanding of math and common water math formulas is necessary to successful complete this class.

Although this workshop will cover advanced applied math for operators we will start with a brief refresher on basic math functions. Just like in a good exercise program you will first warm up those rusty brain cells by learning about fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios, unit conversions, area and volume measurements, unit analysis, and solving for the “unknown (x)”. Once you are comfortable with those concepts you’ll learn about flows, velocity, settling rate, detention time, loading rates, solids removal, and other calculations related to the treatment process. To make sure you understand how to properly select and troubleshoot pumps you will also explore formulas dealing with pump rates, pump capacity, static and dynamic head, horsepower, etc. And, of course, we will cover calculations related to disinfection such as dosage, demand, residual, and chlorine availability in gas, liquid, and solid feed systems.

Through out the workshop we will utilize real life scenarios to demonstrate how these formulas are used in your daily life as an operator. To help you better understand and become comfortable with how to use these formulas we will work through a variety of complex “word problems” reflecting situations you may encounter in the field, treatment plant, or laboratory. We will discuss the problems you may encounter and share tricks for how to master “operator math”.

This two-day “Math Review and Prep for Operator Level III & IV Certification Exam” workshop will provide you with essential math skills necessary to succeed in your career and obtain or maintain your water or wastewater operator certification.