November 2008:ES&E Magazine
11/20/08
2:01 PM
Page 49
Treatment
Distribution
Total
Water Wastewater
$6 $14
$28 $24
$35 $38
Total
$20
$52
$72
Table 1. Ontario’s water and wastewater asset base in $2004 Billions (PIR, 2005).
forced the importance of operator training and certification in the province’s new Drinking Water Quality Management System, which explicitly requires municipalities to implement strategies to assure that operators are competent in their jobs, and that they are aware of the relevance and importance of their activities, and how they contribute to assuring quality. Training provides direct benefits to operators, and not only in the form of greater skills and knowledge. A well-trained operator engenders greater public confidence in their competency, demonstrates higher professionalism, and has the potential for better and more varied career opportunities. With respect to this latter, all provinces in Canada, except Québec, are members of the Association of Boards of Certification (ABC), as are more than 40 states in the United States. The ABC standardizes exams that member jurisdictions can use for certifying operators. As a result, operators typically do not have to re-write the tests if they move to another jurisdiction, thus promoting operator mobility. To further increase mobility within Canada, all provinces, except Québec, have signed the Canadian Reciprocity Agreement, indicating they will recognize the validity of the certificates issued by the provinces that signed the Agreement. For a number of years, operator training has been coordinated by the Ontario Environmental Training Consortium, which provides access to a training network of 25 colleges in 200 communities across Ontario. In anticipation of increased demand for operator training, the Ontario Government established the Walkerton Clean Water Centre to deliver training for operators of small drinking water systems. The Ontario Clean Water Agency, a government-owned, not-for-profit agency that historically operated a majority of water and wastewater treatment systems in the province, also offers training. And many municipalities provide in-house www.esemag.com
training, using their own experienced operations staff. The consulting engineering community has also responded to the increased demand for training. In 2006, XCG Consultants established a dedicated subsidiary, XCG Training and Operations which provides both classroom training and on-site training customized to municipal needs and delivered at the municipality’s own facilities. Additionally, and in recognition that time required for training can take operators away from their duties, XCG has experienced, certified operators on staff, who can step in to operate water and wastewater systems during emergency situations. According to the March 2008 issue of Public Works Financing, skilled operators
are in short supply. Two reasons may be higher expectations and new regulations, both of which have caused a shift in municipal hiring practices for new operators. According to the Ontario Water and Wastewater Human Resource Study, a report released by ECO Canada in 2006, most municipalities are now looking to hire entry level operators who have a postsecondary education, often with emphasis on environmental technology or water programs. The consulting engineering community understands that mandatory training requirements and the need for ongoing renewal of operator certificates will impose a burden on municipalities. Consulting engineers also recognize that highly qualified and knowledgeable operators provide a direct benefit to municipalities, in terms of efficient, secure, and cost-effective delivery of water and wastewater services, and long-term sustainability of infrastructure. Contact: georgez@xcg.com
Sustainable Environmental Solutions
Expertise converge AET Consultants forged a merger with EcoServices, Eco2 Systems and Integrated Green Building Concepts (IGBC) to form the AET Group. The merger completes the first step towards a collaborative effort to establish a solutions-based multi-discipilinary environmental consulting company and professional team recognized as a leading-expert in waste, ecology, building sciences, energy, and environmental management. This partnership allows the AET Group of companies to provide a diverse range of sustainable environmental solutions that will greatly enhance the resources and technical expertise available to our clients while maintaining the high quality service that they have come to expect from each of the member companies. More information about AET Consultants and the member companies (under the Affiliates web link) can be found at www.aet-group.com. This website will be updated in the near future to reflect the newly formed AET Group.
Ecoservices
IGBC
ECO2 SYSTEMS INC.
INTEGRATED GREEN BUILDING CONCEPTS
49 | November 2008