Median Pay by Area
- Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas
- $84,450 a year
- Reno
- $79,770 a year
- Rest of Nevada (non-metro)
- $75,760 a year
Nevada wastewater operators
The steps from no certificate to a Nevada Grade I wastewater treatment plant operator certificate, how to apply for and take the exam, how to keep your certificate active and what operators earn. Every requirement links to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP), the Nevada Administrative Code, or the Nevada Water Environment Association (NWEA), which runs the program for NDEP.
NDEP makes the final eligibility determination. Check with NDEP before you apply.
Why it matters
Nevada rules require a person responsible for the operation and maintenance of a plant for sewage treatment to be certified as a wastewater treatment plant operator.
Any operator who is not the supervisor or assistant supervisor must hold at least a Grade I certificate, or earn one within 1 year of starting work as an operator at the plant.
These rules do not apply to package plants of 5,000 gallons a day or less, or to other plants, including septic systems, of 10,000 gallons a day or less.
Nevada wastewater treatment plant operator certificates run from Grade I (lowest) to Grade IV (highest). NWEA also offers voluntary certificates for collection system operators, industrial waste operators and inspectors, wastewater quality analysts and plant maintenance technologists.
Plants are classified I to IV by treatment process: for example, ponds and lagoons are Class I, and activated sludge over 10 million gallons a day is Class IV. The supervisor must hold a grade equal to the plant's class. The assistant supervisor needs Grade I at Class I and II plants, Grade II at Class III and Grade III at Class IV.
Exams must be taken in order, starting with Grade I.
Step 1
Every full certificate needs you to be at least 18 years old with a high school diploma, GED or equivalent.
Grade I also needs 50 contact hours of education related to wastewater treatment and 1 year of experience operating a Class I plant or higher. Experience means being actively engaged in the operation and maintenance of a sewage treatment plant.
Grades III and IV also need college-level (postsecondary) courses related to wastewater treatment. Each course must be at least 36 hours of instruction.
NWEA says you cannot be certified at a grade higher than the classification of the plant where you work.
Step 2
If you do not yet meet the requirements for a full certificate, you can apply for a restricted certificate. Restricted Grade I needs a high school diploma, GED or equivalent, and a passing Grade I exam.
A restricted certificate does not let you be in direct responsible charge of a plant at that grade.
Once you meet the experience requirement, you can convert it to a full certificate. NWEA's upgrade form must be signed by your supervisor.
Step 3
Nevada's wastewater exams are WPI (formerly ABC) standardized exams. NWEA links WPI's Need-to-Know Criteria, formula tables and exam references for study.
NWEA's study list for wastewater treatment operators includes Operation of Wastewater Treatment Plants, Volumes I and II, from the Sacramento State Office of Water Programs, and WEF's Wastewater Treatment Fundamentals I and II.
WPI says to check with your state's certifying authority about which study materials fit your exam and exam date.
Step 4
Send the Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator application to NDEP with the $140 non-refundable fee, and send your education records to the NWEA Program Administrator. On the application, choose a computer or written exam.
Applications must be postmarked at least 30 days before the exam date. Incomplete applications are forfeited after 90 days.
You can pay NDEP online through its e-payment portal by e-check (free) or credit card (2.5% service fee), under Water Pollution Control, Wastewater Operator Certification Program.
Step 5
Written (paper and pencil) exams are given on dates NWEA posts on its exam schedule. Once approved, you are scheduled for the next written exam.
For a computer exam, you get a 90-day window after approval. Schedule with PSI online or at 833-256-1420 and pay PSI's separate fee when you book. If you miss the window, you forfeit your fees.
At PSI, bring two forms of ID; the main one must be a current government photo ID. Only a silent, non-programmable calculator without an alphabetic keypad is allowed.
Step 6
Certificates are valid for 2 years. Renew before the expiration date with proof of continuing education and the $110 renewal fee.
Each 2-year period needs 5 contact hours for Grade I, 10 for Grade II, 15 for Grade III and 20 for Grade IV. Up to 20% can be safety classes.
Courses must be approved by NDEP or its designee and relevant to wastewater. NWEA keeps a list of approved courses; NWEA says courses that are not pre-approved may be considered but might not be accepted.
If you miss the expiration date, your certificate is suspended; you can reinstate it within 6 months with an $80 reinstatement fee. After 6 months you are decertified and must pass the exam again.
Exam day
NDEP offers a separate exam for each of the four grades. NWEA gives WPI standardized exams, on paper or by computer through PSI.
Nevada's wastewater treatment exam has 110 questions: 100 scored and 10 unscored trial questions mixed in. Nevada allows three hours.
The WPI Formula/Conversion Table, with the formulas and common abbreviations that may appear on the exam, is provided with WPI standardized exams.
If you fail a computer exam, you can retake it after 30 days with a new application and fees. After three failed attempts in a row, you need 5 more contact hours of approved technical training before trying again.
Operator Master has free practice questions with an explanation after every answer, a timed full-length practice exam and step-by-step math help built on the WPI formula table. It is an independent study tool, not the official exam.
Pay
The median pay for water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators in Nevada was $81,440 a year ($39.15 an hour) in 2025, compared with $60,020 nationally. One in ten earned $56,110 or less, and one in ten earned $101,820 or more.
These federal figures cover drinking water and wastewater operators together, at every grade. Pay for a new operator is usually nearer the low end.
Moving up
These are Nevada's wastewater treatment plant operator grades. Each also needs a high school diploma or equivalent, age 18 or older and a passing exam. Education hours carry forward to the next grade.
From another state
If you hold a full certificate from another state, territory or country whose requirements are not lower than Nevada's, and you passed an equivalent written exam, NDEP can issue a Nevada certificate without the exam, case by case.
Apply with proof of your education, experience and continuing education, your current certificate and the $150 fee. Expired certificates are not considered, and a certificate you got by reciprocity elsewhere cannot be used. NDEP answers in writing within 60 days.