Are you planning to apply for a CWEA certification? Whether you are pursuing Collection System Maintenance, Environmental Compliance Inspector, Laboratory Analyst, Mechanical Technologist, or Electrical & Instrumentation certification, this free online orientation will help you understand the process and prepare for success.

This session is ideal for first-time applicants or anyone looking for a refresher on CWEA's certification programs.
 
What You Will Learn:
How to navigate the application process
An overview of eligibility requirements and exam windows
What to expect on test day at a Pearson VUE test center or through online proctoring
How to use the Candidate Handbooks to prepare
The steps to maintain and renew your certification
 
There will be time for live Q&A at the end of the session.

Speakers:
Lydia Guerra, ICE-CCP, Director of Certification, CWEA

The lab professional presentation will be hosted on 10/23. We have seven speakers presenting on different topics. The purpose of the presentation is to provide an overview of the lab professional industry and to invite young professionals (YPs) to enter the field.

We plan to cover the following items:

Introduce what a water/wastewater lab professional does
Differences between private and public labs
Career paths and certification
Who to contact and the value of attending lab committee meetings
CWEA Mentorship Program (pair up with lab professionals) 
How to apply (any platforms, or notified the openings) and insights of their journey (Did you ask anybody to check your application before submission?)
Promotion of CWEA’s mentorship program
Providing lab committee contact information in the webinar 

No Contact Hours Offered

Member fee: $25.00
Non-Member fee: $35.00

1.2 contact hours towards CWEA certifications; ALL

Trigger Temperatures (Indoor vs. Outdoor)
Identify the trigger temperatures that apply to indoor vs. outdoor work environments.
Explain why thresholds differ and how they impact employer responsibilities.

Written Program Requirements
Describe the required elements of a written heat illness prevention program.
Recognize how the program should be communicated and maintained within the workplace.

Training Requirements
List the specific training topics employees and supervisors must receive regarding heat illness prevention.
Demonstrate awareness of when refresher training or additional training is required.

Heat Illness Prevention Methods
Explain the importance of shade, water, rest, and cooling stations in preventing heat illness.
Identify employer responsibilities and worker rights related to these protective measures.

Emergency Procedures
Describe the required steps for responding to a heat illness emergency.
Demonstrate how to activate emergency services and provide immediate first response until help arrives.

Registrants who view the live webinar to see the slides and hear the audio and then enter the correct attention check code (directions below) will receive 1.2 contact hours towards CWEA's certifications; All

To receive your contact hours for viewing the live webinar, please note the two (2) different attention check codes that will be displayed at two different points during the webinar in the top left or right corner of the presentation for approximately 90 seconds.  Please enter these codes as 1st attention check code – 2nd attention check code (XXXX-XXXX) in the Attention Check Code component under the "Contents" tab.  

Please note, all user activity of CWEA certification holders on the Online Wastewater Education Network is subject to the CWEA Code of Ethics standards for professional conduct and ethics. Certification holders should receive credit for a training only once within the same contact hour period. Any attempt to undermine the certification process may be subject to ethics procedures and possible sanctions. It is not possible to receive contact hours for both attending the live webinar and viewing the recording.  

Once you have entered the correct attendance check codes, you will be able to create and download an electronic certificate of completion under the "Contents" tab.

Member fee: $0.00
Non-Member fee: $48.00

1.8 contact hours towards CWEA certifications; All

Intrinsic Connections: Communication, Safety, and Emergency Management explores the vital interplay between public communication, organizational safety culture, and emergency preparedness. Designed for professionals in external affairs, public relations, safety, and emergency management, this course emphasizes how strategic communication can enhance safety outcomes and build trust during crises.

Participants will examine the role of communication teams in supporting safety initiatives, managing reputational risk, and coordinating within emergency response frameworks. 

Through real-world case studies, message mapping techniques, and tips and tricks for meaningful communication, learners will gain practical tools to develop crisis communication plans, engage stakeholders proactively, and integrate safety messaging into organizational operations.

This course is ideal for those seeking to strengthen their agency’s preparedness, improve public trust, and ensure seamless communication during emergencies.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the Role of External Affairs in Safety and Emergency Management
   1. Describe how communication teams support safety initiatives across agencies.
   2. Identify key responsibilities of an External Affairs/Communication team in crisis and emergency contexts.
2. Integrate Safety Communication into Organizational Planning
   1. Recognize the importance of safety communication in operational planning.
   2. Understand how proactive communication can mitigate reputational risks during emergencies.
   3. Explore methods for effective media relations and community engagement.
   4. Evaluate how communication strategies can support emergency preparedness and response. 
3. Develop and Apply Crisis Communication Strategies
   1. Learn the components of a comprehensive crisis communication plan.
   2. Distinguish between crisis communication and emergency management structures (e.g., ICS).
   3. Apply message mapping tools and stakeholder identification techniques during a crisis.

**There will be a CWEA Safety Committee Meeting after the webinar presentation. 

Registrants who view the live webinar to see the slides and hear the audio and then enter the correct attention check code (directions below) will receive 1.8 contact hours towards CWEA's certifications; All 

To receive your contact hours for viewing the live webinar, please note the two (2) different attention check codes that will be displayed at two different points during the webinar in the top left or right corner of the presentation for approximately 90 seconds.  Please enter these codes as 1st attention check code – 2nd attention check code (XXXX-XXXX) in the Attention Check Code component under the "Contents" tab.  

Please note, all user activity of CWEA certification holders on the Online Wastewater Education Network is subject to the CWEA Code of Ethics standards for professional conduct and ethics. Certification holders should receive credit for a training only once within the same contact hour period. Any attempt to undermine the certification process may be subject to ethics procedures and possible sanctions. It is not possible to receive contact hours for both attending the live webinar and viewing the recording.  

Once you have entered the correct attendance check codes, you will be able to create and download an electronic certificate of completion under the "Contents" tab.

In this complimentary webinar learn how two engineering disciplines – Electrical (E) and Instrumentation (I) work together with other engineering disciplines (e.g., Civil, Mechanical, Structural, etc.). Learn about E&I deliverables, code requirements, project lifecycles, and career development. This presentation will share lessons learned from recent projects and give valuable insight to those considering pursuing or sticking with the E&I engineering path. This presentation will also give good general knowledge for non-EE/I&C engineers looking to round out their understanding of their cross-discipline counterparts.

Learning Objectives/Attendee Takeaways:

Learn how to get involved in the E&I industry
Identify common E&I deliverable drawings, calculations, and supporting documentations
Identify best practices and strategies for cross-discipline coordination
Discuss advice for young professional career growth and development

No Contact Hours Offered

Operators, Maintenance Staff, Planners, Engineers, and others with little to no formal controls training who want to learn a layperson’s structured approach to the basics of Instrumentation and Controls (I&C), how such work is represented on a Piping and Instrumentation Diagram (P&ID), and how combining a P&ID with a corresponding Control Narrative provides a more comprehensive description of a process system.

Learning Objectives/Attendee Takeaways:

1. Be able to identify instruments represented on a P&ID
2. Be able to discern whether a represented instrument is intended to indicate measurement value(s) locally, remotely, or at all
3. Be able to read/comprehend a simple control narrative and find related instruments and measurement indications/actions represented on a P&ID. 

             . 

CWEA Members: $35.00
Non-Members $45.00
CWEA Contact Hours: 1.0 contact hours towards CWEA Certifications: AWT

Presentation Description: Water reclamation facilities are facing a variety of new challenges, including the move toward potable reuse and new regulations to limit nitrogen discharges. This presentation explores the interactions between secondary effluent quality, potable reuse, and nitrogen removal.

Successful potable reuse requires high-quality, consistent secondary effluent. The first part of this presentation will discuss typical advanced treatment trains for potable reuse and identify the critical design parameters impacted by the secondary treatment processes. Key differences between secondary treatment types will be quantified. The evaluation documents higher concentrations and higher variability in non-nitrifying facilities for several key parameters for potable reuse design, including total organic carbon (TOC), ammonia, and nitrite. For non-nitrifying plants, average TOCs ranged from 14 to 27 mg-N/L; nitrifying plants averaged 10 mg-N/L or less. Some non-nitrifying plants routinely reported nitrite concentrations above 2 mg-N/L, and even the fully nitrified facilities occasionally reported nitrite concentrations above 1 mg-N/L and ammonia concentrations above 2 mg-N/L. Plants considering potable reuse should begin monitoring TOC and nitrite to provide data for advanced treatment design. Optimization or upgrades to secondary treatment may be necessary, depending on the advanced treatment goals and requirements. The presentation will help planners and designers understand the suitability and challenges of their secondary effluent for potable reuse.

Plants with new nitrogen limits are considering multi-benefit solutions incorporating recycled water and potable reuse to reduce nitrogen discharges. The second part of this presentation will discuss the impact of potable reuse on nitrogen discharges. A variety of upgrade scenarios for a conventional BOD-removal only plant upgrading to potable reuse will be considered, and the impact on nitrogen removal will be quantified. Scenarios considered include different secondary treatment types (conventional BOD-removal like trickling filter solids contact and nitrification/denitrification in activated sludge), different management of reverse osmosis concentrate (discharge of concentrate, return of concentrate to the plant influent, and separate treatment of concentrate), and a range of potable reuse flows. Although each plant situation is unique, the results will help planners and designers understand the feasibility of using potable reuse to reduce nitrogen discharges and the key factors that impact nitrogen discharges.

Learning Objectives:
Upon completion, participants will be able to list three secondary effluent quality parameters key to potable reuse design.
Upon completion, participants will be able to describe the suitability and challenges of their secondary effluent for potable reuse.
Upon completion, participants will be able to understand the key potable reuse design decisions that impact nitrogen discharges."

Registrants who view the live webinar to see the slides and hear the audio and then enter the correct attention check code (directions below)1.0  contact hours towards CWEA's Contact Hours. AWT

To receive your contact hours for viewing the live webinar, please note the one (1) attention check code that will be displayed during the webinar in the top left or right corner of the presentation for approximately 90 seconds.  Please enter this code in the Attention Check Code component under the "Contents" tab.  

Please note, all user activity of CWEA certification holders on the Online Wastewater Education Network is subject to the CWEA Code of Ethics standards for professional conduct and ethics. Certification holders should receive credit for a training only once within the same contact hour period. Any attempt to undermine the certification process may be subject to ethics procedures and possible sanctions. It is not possible to receive contact hours for both attending the live webinar and viewing the recording.  

Once you have entered the correct attendance check code, you will be able to create and download an electronic "Certificate of Completion" under the "Contents" tab.

CWEA Members: $35.00
Non-Members $45.00
CWEA Contact Hours: 1.0 contact hours towards CWEA Certifications: AWT

Presentation Description: California DPR Regulations require ozone and biological active carbon (BAC) filtration ahead of full advanced treatment consisting of reverse osmosis (RO) and advanced oxidation process (AOP). The main purpose of ozone and BAC is to address low molecular weight organic compounds some of which such as acetone, formaldehyde cannot be effectively removed by the full advanced treatment. The other purpose of ozone-BAC is to provide an additional barrier for chemical peak “averaging”. 

While Ozone-BAC can provide an effective barrier for low molecular weight compounds that are poorly removed by full advanced treatment, the capabilities of ozone-BAC is limited to relatively small chemical peaking based on North City chemical spike studies. However, one critical area has not come to closer attention of State Water Board. That is the secondary treatment. In this presentation, we will explain inevitable role of secondary treatment in a DPR train. First, an activated sludge based secondary treatment can provide excellent removal for slowly biodegradable organic compounds such as acetone, formaldehyde and all other low molecular alcohols and ketones that are poorly removed by full advanced treatment. Second, a secondary treatment can provide nitrogen control which is critical to meet nitrite and nitrate nitrogen primary MCLs of 1 and 10 mg/L, respectively. These limits may not be reliably met in RO-based full advanced treatment if no nitrogen control is provided in the upstream wastewater treatment plant (e.g., Hyperion WRP). 

Third, a good nitrogen control is essential to minimize secondary effluent nitrite concentration which creates very high ozone demand during ozonation. Last but not least, a well-designed and operated secondary treatment can provide a high-quality effluent with reduced suspended solids, phosphate and metals which can create operational challenges at downstream advanced water purification facility (AWPF).

In summary, how a robust secondary treatment along with performance requirements make DPR possible and case study examples will be presented to demonstrate how secondary process performance affects & defines AWPF design, performance & operation in a DPR train. It will provide an unmatched value for public and regulatory agencies to explore how secondary treatment that makes DPR projects more robust and resilient.
Learning Objectives:
To understand capabilities and limitations of ozone and BAC for chemical control in DPR projects
To understand role and superior benefits of activated sludge based secondary treatment in DPR
To understand how we can configure secondary treatment to make DPR projects more robust and resilient"

Registrants who view the live webinar to see the slides and hear the audio and then enter the correct attention check code (directions below)1.0  contact hours towards CWEA's Contact Hours. AWT

To receive your contact hours for viewing the live webinar, please note the one (1) attention check code that will be displayed during the webinar in the top left or right corner of the presentation for approximately 90 seconds.  Please enter this code in the Attention Check Code component under the "Contents" tab.  

Please note, all user activity of CWEA certification holders on the Online Wastewater Education Network is subject to the CWEA Code of Ethics standards for professional conduct and ethics. Certification holders should receive credit for a training only once within the same contact hour period. Any attempt to undermine the certification process may be subject to ethics procedures and possible sanctions. It is not possible to receive contact hours for both attending the live webinar and viewing the recording.  

Once you have entered the correct attendance check code, you will be able to create and download an electronic "Certificate of Completion" under the "Contents" tab.

CWEA Members: $35.00
Non-Members $45.00
CWEA Contact Hours: 1.0 contact hours towards CWEA Certifications: AWT

Pathogen control and monitoring in water reuse applications is critical to public health protection and gaining public trust. As more utilities and water agencies consider implementing water reuse programs, obtaining credit for log reduction values (LRV) achieved through secondary and tertiary wastewater treatment processes will be an important consideration. While many utilities exploring reuse options are currently focused on membrane processes to achieve additional virus log removal credits, questions remain regarding LRV achieved through various conventional treatment trains. In addition, while molecular assays exist for the detection of viruses, the majority of these methods provide no information on culturability or infectivity thus making extrapolation of end-user exposure risk and identification of suitable applications challenging. The objective of this study was to assess the removal of human infective viruses throughout the stages of wastewater treatment in a full-scale, tertiary municipal wastewater treatment plant in Canada. 

The plant resells 20% of its secondary effluent to an industrial partner after additional treatment by membrane filtration and chlorination. The remaining 80% of the secondary effluent undergoes UV disinfection prior to release into the environment. The partnership between the plant and the industrial partner produces 15 million liters of high-quality water for processing each day, which are used in the refinery cooling tower, boiler and hydrogen plant. Virus concentrations and infectivity were analysed using real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) and integrated cell culture (ICC) to identify infective human viruses. Seven viruses including Norovirus (NoV), Rotavirus (RV), Sapovirus (SaV), Astrovirus (AsV), Adenovirus (AdV), Enterovirus (EV) and JC virus (JCV) were detected in 16 primary effluent samples in which infective viruses were present. Different treatment steps showed various efficiencies in infective virus removal, with membrane filtration exhibiting the highest at 4.6–7.0 log reductions. 

The overall treatment virus LRV ranged from 1.1 (RV) to 2.8 (EV) for UV-treated final effluent and from 4.6 (EV) to 7.0 (AdV) when membrane filtration and chlorination were applied. The LRV for the six viruses (except for EV) by membrane filtration were significantly greater than that obtained by UV. EV had the highest inactivation by UV but the lowest by membrane filtration.

Learning Objectives:
After the presentation, participants will be able to articulate the benefits and limitations of different viral testing methods and the potential value that coliphage testing might add.
After the presentation, particpants will be able to compare the removal of viruses after various treatment steps.
After the presentation, particpants will have more data to highlight the value and potential virus log removal credits that can be achieved by ultrafiltration (6–7 LRV)."

Registrants who view the live webinar to see the slides and hear the audio and then enter the correct attention check code (directions below)1.0  contact hours towards CWEA's Contact Hours. AWT

To receive your contact hours for viewing the live webinar, please note the one (1) attention check code that will be displayed during the webinar in the top left or right corner of the presentation for approximately 90 seconds.  Please enter this code in the Attention Check Code component under the "Contents" tab.  

Please note, all user activity of CWEA certification holders on the Online Wastewater Education Network is subject to the CWEA Code of Ethics standards for professional conduct and ethics. Certification holders should receive credit for a training only once within the same contact hour period. Any attempt to undermine the certification process may be subject to ethics procedures and possible sanctions. It is not possible to receive contact hours for both attending the live webinar and viewing the recording.  

Once you have entered the correct attendance check code, you will be able to create and download an electronic "Certificate of Completion" under the "Contents" tab.

CWEA Members: $35.00
Non-Members $45.00

The aerobic granular sludge activated sludge process using batch reactors has received attention for the potential it offers to intensify activated sludge. Intensification allows WRRFs to improve effluent quality with a smaller footprint. Alternate technologies like hydrocyclones have become commercially available, which help to retain faster settling particles while the slower-settling particles are wasted out of the system. This type of technology can be more easily incorporated into plug flow reactors. At some plug flow facilities that have both hydrocyclones and unaerated high food-to-microorganism (F/M) selector zones, a relatively high fraction of the activated sludge can become granules producing a “densified sludge”.

In 2020, the City of Wichita installed a four-cyclone skid (180 gpm of return activated sludge [RAS]) on one of six nitrifying activated sludge trains at the Plant 2 WRRF (rated 54 million gallons per day [mgd]). The benefits to settleability through reductions in the sludge volume index (SVI) of the mixed liquor and improved water clarity in the test basin was observed. The SVI in the main basins averaged 120 mL/g compared to 91 mL/g in the hydrocyclone pilot basin. The City has started sampling E. coli in its secondary effluent prior to ultraviolet (UV) disinfection. Initial sampling has indicated about a 0.5-log reduction in E. coli counts in the hydrocyclone train compared to the non-cyclone trains.

Current biological nutrient removal (BNR) improvements project at the Plant 2 will incorporate a full-scale hydrocyclone system. This presentation will present the design criteria and layout of the new hydrocyclone facility and BNR facilities, a 5-stage Bardenpho process with high F/M selector zones and 19 cyclones for sludge wasting. Design considerations for the ancillary support facilities will also be presented, including a cyclone feed sludge (RAS) pumping, discharge of the cyclone underflow into the selector zones of the BNR process, and overflow as waste activated sludge (WAS).

With many utilities in California facing addition of nutrient limits in their discharge permit, the approach provided in this presentation will help these utilities save capital dollars on their improvement projects.
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion, participants will have a good understanding of densified sludge and the benefits it provides for wastewater plant operations.
Upon completion, participants will learn the key elements to consider when designing a full-scale hydrocyclone based system to provide densification in a plug flow reactor.
Upon completion, participants will learn about the latest research associated with hydrocylones, which indicates that they can potentially reduce disinfection dose at WRRFs, in addition to process benefits .