Free Online Course

Introduction to Wastewater Collection Systems

Learn how sewers, manholes and lift stations carry wastewater to the plant, and how crews inspect, clean and repair them and keep themselves safe.

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Time
About 70 minutes
Certificate
1.0 hour of completion
Credit
Not yet approved for continuing education credit
Price
Free
Format
72 narrated pages, checks and a final
Built by
A working wastewater operator (Washington Group III)

Who It's For

New and future operators, and anyone who wants a clear introduction to the work. No experience needed.

What You'll Learn

  • Describe what collection operators do and why the system matters.
  • Follow wastewater from service laterals through gravity sewers, manholes and lift stations to treatment.
  • Recognize pipe materials, defects, slope and flow behavior, and why you locate before you dig.
  • Explain how lift station pumps, level controls, alarms and backup power work.
  • Describe inspection and cleaning methods such as camera inspection, smoke and dye testing, and jetting.
  • Recognize common problems, repairs and overflows, and the safety rules for confined spaces, traffic and trenches.

What's Inside

  1. The Work 8 pages
    • Welcome
    • Why It Matters
    • The Operator
    • A Full System
    • Around the Clock
    • Public Trust
    • The WPI View
    • Work Check
  2. Follow the Flow 8 pages
    • Where Flow Begins
    • Service Laterals
    • Gravity Sewers
    • Manholes
    • Separate Systems
    • Combined Systems
    • To Treatment
    • Flow Check
  3. Know the Network 9 pages
    • System Maps
    • Pipe Materials
    • Joints and Defects
    • Size and Shape
    • Slope and Grade
    • Flow Behavior
    • Odor and Corrosion
    • Locate First
    • Network Check
  4. Lift Stations 9 pages
    • Why They Pump
    • The Wet Well
    • Pumps
    • Level Control
    • Valves and Mains
    • Alarms and SCADA
    • Backup Power
    • Station Rounds
    • Station Check
  5. Inspect and Clean 9 pages
    • Routine Inspection
    • Camera Inspection
    • Flow and Samples
    • Smoke Testing
    • Dye Testing
    • Cleaning Choices
    • Jetting Safely
    • Vacuum Work
    • Inspection Check
  6. Problems and Repairs 9 pages
    • Blockages
    • Roots and Grease
    • Rags and Debris
    • I and I
    • Pipe Failure
    • Open-Cut Repair
    • New and Renewed
    • Overflows
    • Response Check
  7. Work Safely 10 pages
    • Safety Culture
    • Traffic Control
    • Confined Spaces
    • Test the Air
    • Vent and Rescue
    • Lockout Tagout
    • Tools and Pressure
    • Trenching
    • Hygiene and PPE
    • Safety Check
  8. Become the Operator 10 pages
    • Work Orders
    • Customer Calls
    • Rules and Reports
    • Security
    • Operator Math
    • Read the Trend
    • Certification
    • First-Year Habits
    • Career Paths
    • The Mission

Sample Page

Why It Matters

Wastewater can carry human waste, cleaning products, food waste, industrial materials, and many other pollutants. If it backs up into a building or spills from a manhole, people may be exposed and property may be damaged. If it reaches a creek or lake, it can harm water quality. Collection operators reduce those risks by keeping the system open, finding weak areas, maintaining equipment, and responding quickly when something fails. Much of this work is preventive. A cleaned trouble spot, a tested alarm, or a repaired pipe may stop an overflow that the public never sees. That quiet success is a major part of the job. The system is public infrastructure, but its purpose is personal: it protects the places where people live, work, learn, and spend time outdoors.

For example, cleaning a known grease location before a busy weekend may prevent a backup into a nearby restaurant.

What to remember: A working collection system protects people, property, and the environment.

Questions

Does This Course Count Toward My Renewal?

Not yet. A course counts toward your continuing education credit only after your state approves it, and this one is not approved yet. This page will say which states approve it once they do.

Do I Need an Account?

Yes, to take the course. Signing in lets us record your time and issue your certificate. This page, the topic pages and the practice questions need no account.

Can I Skip Ahead?

No. Each page has a minimum time before the next one opens, and your time is recorded.

What Do I Get When I Finish?

A certificate of completion from Operator Master for 1.0 hour, once you pass the final with 80% or better. Your operator certificate or license always comes from your state, not from Operator Master.

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