Median Pay by Area
- Ann Arbor
- $66,770 a year
- Lansing-East Lansing
- $63,260 a year
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn
- $61,760 a year
- Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood
- $60,770 a year
- Upper Peninsula (nonmetropolitan)
- $57,210 a year
Michigan wastewater operators
The steps from no certificate to a Michigan Class D municipal wastewater treatment plant operator certificate, how to apply for and pass EGLE's exam, how to move up a class, how to keep your certificate active and what operators earn. Every requirement links to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), Part 41 of Michigan's Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act or EGLE's Sewerage Systems rules.
EGLE makes the final eligibility determination. Check with EGLE before you apply.
Why it matters
Michigan law (Part 41 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act) says every sewage treatment works it covers must be under the supervision of a properly certified operator. It does not require one at a works that receives only wastes that are not potentially harmful to public health.
EGLE's rules say the owner of a treatment facility must name a superintendent in responsible charge of day-to-day operation and maintenance. The superintendent must hold a certificate equal to or higher than the facility's class.
EGLE's Water Resources Division certifies municipal wastewater treatment plant operators. Industrial wastewater and stormwater operators have their own EGLE certificates. A certificate belongs to you, not your employer, and stays with you when you change jobs.
Treatment plants are Class A, B, C or D by the population they serve: Class A serves 50,000 or more, Class B 10,000 to 50,000, Class C 2,000 to 10,000 and Class D fewer than 2,000. Class A is the highest. EGLE can place a plant in a higher class for special design features, harder operation, difficult sewage or stream conditions.
Lagoon plants are Class L2 (with aeration, chemical precipitation, disinfection or similar) or Class L1 (without them). L2 is higher than L1. Class SC covers plants that need little operation and serve fewer than 1,000 people, such as septic tank and tile fields and recirculating sand filters.
Rules in effect since April 29, 2026 add collection system (sewer) Classes C1 to C4 and a retention treatment basin (RTB) class. EGLE must classify those systems first, and expects the first classifications and exams no earlier than mid- to late 2028.
Step 1
Class D needs a high school diploma or equivalent and one year of full-time work (1,800 hours) at a Class D or higher treatment plant. You must be at least 18 to apply for an exam.
The year must be hands-on monitoring, operation and control in at least one of five areas: preliminary and primary treatment, secondary and advanced treatment, residuals processing and disposal, laboratory analysis or industrial pretreatment, and maintenance. Groundskeeping, building upkeep and janitorial work do not count as maintenance.
You need direct operating experience at a municipal wastewater treatment plant before you take the exam. If you are one month short, up to 160 overtime hours can count; attach written proof of the hours.
Work at a lagoon or small special plant leads to its own certificate instead: Class L1, L2 or SC each need a high school diploma or equivalent and one year of experience at that type of plant, and the lagoon classes include at least one seasonal discharge.
Step 2
EGLE's Board Policy lets graduates of three degree programs write the Class D exam, with the program's internship or co-op as the experience: Bay College's associate degree in Water Resources Management, Delta College's associate degree in Water and Wastewater Treatment Technology, and Michigan Technological University's bachelor's degree in Engineering with a Wastewater Minor. Each also completes the Class A and B education requirements.
A one-year certificate in Water Technology (wastewater track) from Bay College or Grand Rapids Community College lets you write the Class D exam and earn a provisional certificate valid for up to 18 months. After a year (1,800 hours) of work, EGLE verifies your experience and the provisional certificate becomes a Class D certificate.
EGLE may accept industrial wastewater plant experience, case by case, for the Class D exam only. To reach Class C you then need two years (3,600 hours) at a municipal plant.
EGLE says you can qualify for its wastewater exams even with a criminal record.
Step 3
Download the current Application for Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Certification (EQP3409) from EGLE's Exams page; EGLE says not to use an old copy. Send a separate application for each exam.
Email the signed application, all education transcripts and training certificates to EGLE-WRD-OpCert@Michigan.gov. List every job with your duties and your supervisor's contact details. Incomplete applications may be denied, so apply early in the window.
The exam fee is $70 for Class A, B, C or D and $45 for Class L1, L2 or SC. EGLE staff reply with payment instructions; you can pay by credit card, check or money order. Fees are not refunded, and a fee not paid within 90 days after the exam counts as a failed exam.
EGLE posts each exam's application window on its Exams page; for the November 5, 2026 exam it ran from June 22 to September 21, 2026. Late applications are denied. Your application must be approved before you can sit for the exam, and your letter, mailed 2 to 3 weeks before the exam, gives the location and time.
Class A to D exams are taken one at a time. Class L1 and SC exams stand alone, so you can take the C and SC exams at the same sitting. Passing the L2 exam also gives you L1.
Step 4
EGLE publishes a study guide for each exam: Class A, Class B, Classes C and D, Classes L1 and L2, and Class SC. Each lists the subjects and the kinds of math on the exam.
EGLE also posts a Wastewater Operator Certification Formula Sheet (revised June 2026), training slide shows on treatment processes and lab math, and a Laboratory Training Manual for Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators. It suggests the Activated Sludge Process Control Manual and the Wastewater Stabilization Lagoon Training Manual, depending on your exam.
The Class C and D study guide also points to approved college programs, California State University, Sacramento wastewater courses and manuals, and training and prep courses from the Michigan Rural Water Association and the Michigan Water Environment Association.
Step 5
You must hold the next lower certificate before you can write the Class C, B or A exam: Class D for C, Class C for B and Class B for A. You cannot retake an exam for a class you already hold.
Classes A and B also need college credit in three categories: science (such as chemistry or biology), engineering (such as hydraulics or electricity) and administrative (such as technical writing or supervision). Class B needs at least 3 semester hours in each and Class A at least 9 in each.
Without college, you can earn those credits through Board-approved Semester Hour Equivalent (SHE) courses. Each is at least 10 hours of instruction with full attendance and ends with an exam you must pass with 70%.
Class A and B applications are not complete until EGLE receives your college transcripts or proof you finished each training course.
Step 6
Certificates run on a 3-year cycle and expire on a quarterly date: January 15, April 15, July 15 or October 15. Submit the renewal form (EQP3400), proof of your continuing education credits (CECs) and the $95 renewal fee no sooner than 3 months before your certificate expires. You must renew even if you do not get a notice.
Class A and B operators need at least 2.4 CECs (24 hours) each cycle, including at least 0.6 technical and 0.6 managerial. Class C, D, L2 and L1 operators need 1.2 CECs (12 hours); for Class C, no more than 0.6 can be in the other category. Class SC alone has no continuing education requirement. If you hold more than one certificate, meet the highest requirement.
Courses must be approved by EGLE's Board of Certification, so check the approved course list before you sign up. One CEC equals 10 contact hours, and repeating the same course in the same renewal cycle earns no credit. Keep your own training records.
Once your certificate expires, you can still work at a plant but cannot be its certified operator. EGLE can reinstate it within one year if you complete extra, prorated CECs; after that you must retest.
A Class A or B operator short on continuing education can ask for a Class C or D certificate instead, if they have met its requirement.
Exam day
EGLE prepares the exams with review by its Board of Certification, and gives them in person twice a year, in May and November, at six locations: Gaylord, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Marquette, Midland/Saginaw and Southeast Michigan.
The Class C, D, L1 and L2 exams have 50 one-point and 25 two-point multiple-choice questions, with 5 hours to finish. The Class SC exam has about 30 multiple-choice questions, also with 5 hours. EGLE says the number and style of questions may change without notice.
The Class A and B exams are essay style, with short-answer, fill-in-the-blank, math and essay questions in two sections: 2.5 hours for 40% of the score and 5 hours for 60%. How clearly you organize your answers counts.
You need 70% or higher to pass.
EGLE's Class A, B and SC study guides say programmable calculators, data storage and communication devices, reference books and formula lists are not allowed, and that you should know common formulas such as area and volume. No page EGLE lists says whether its posted formula sheet is handed out at the exam, so ask EGLE before exam day.
The Board meets about a month after the exam before results are released, and results usually arrive by mail 6 to 8 weeks after the exam. If you scored above 50%, you can email EGLE for feedback. To retake, apply again for a later exam.
EGLE writes and gives Michigan's municipal wastewater exams, and its Class A and B exams are essay style. EGLE publishes its own study guides and formula sheet. Operator Master's free practice questions, timed practice exam and math help are built on the WPI exam format and the WPI formula table, so they cover general wastewater knowledge and math, not Michigan's exam questions, format or formula sheet. Use EGLE's study guides as your main guide. Operator Master is an independent study tool, not the official exam.
Pay
The median pay for water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators in Michigan was $59,270 a year ($28.49 an hour) in 2025, compared with $60,020 nationally. One in ten earned $46,710 or less, and one in ten earned $75,910 or more.
These federal figures cover drinking water and wastewater operators together, at every class. Pay for a new operator is usually nearer the low end.
Moving up
These are EGLE's minimum paths with a high school diploma or equivalent. A year means full-time work (1,800 hours). Class C needs at least one month (160 hours) in secondary treatment and one month in each of two other areas; Classes B and A need three months (480 hours) in each. Classes B and A also need college credit or SHE courses in science, engineering and administrative subjects. With one year of college, Class B needs 4 years; with a four-year degree, Class A needs 4 years, and with two years of college, 6. EGLE, with the Board's advice, may accept other education or experience.
From another state
EGLE says Michigan honors certification reciprocity with any state or nation that allows reciprocity for Michigan operators. Email EGLE-WRD-OpCert@Michigan.gov to ask for a reciprocity application.
Under EGLE's rules, if your state's requirements are comparable, EGLE may issue a certificate in a comparable class without an exam. Otherwise it may issue a temporary certificate for up to 18 months until you get results from Michigan's next equivalent exam. If you fail that exam, you cannot get another temporary certificate.