Believer in Certification
To the editor:
I enjoyed reading “Thoughts on Certification” (From the Editor, MSW, February 2010). I am an advocate for certification in the water and wastewater industry. I personally hold wastewater treatment certifications in Maryland (5A) and through ABC (Level 4). In my present position as director of maintenance with the District of Columbia Water & Sewer Authority, I am no longer required to hold certifications, but I actively maintain them.
Our wastewater treatment operators are required to hold certifications from Maryland, Virginia, or ABC because the District of Columbia doesn’t have a certifying body. On the maintenance side, I am involved in pushing maintenance certifications.
Our instrumentation technicians are required to be certified ISA, and high-voltage technicians require AVO certification. I started implementing a general maintenance certification program with certification provided through International Maintenance Institute.
I agree with the others quoted in the column. I have found that even on the maintenance side, our technicians are more knowledgeable, more committed, more productive, and more motivated when they are certified.
The problem I have run into is funding. In the past year the economy has taken a toll on the continuation of voluntary certifications.
Thank you for the focus on certification. It is a topic that needs to be pushed in the statehouses across the country in those states that do not require certification for water and wastewater professionals.
R. Wayne Raither
Department of Maintenance Services
District of Columbia Water & Sewer Authority
