The document discusses the need for investment in water infrastructure in the United States and the shortage of qualified water and wastewater operators and technicians. It notes that over a trillion dollars will need to be spent over the next 25 years to maintain aging water systems. Additionally, 33,000 operator jobs will need to be replaced in the coming years due to retirements. Bristol Community College received a grant to develop new training programs through its Blue Center for Water Technologies to address this need in the New England region and help create a pool of qualified drinking water and wastewater operators.

1. Robert S. Rak
Professor and Environmental Science and Technology Coordinator
Principal Investigator, NSF/ATE NEWTT Grant
Bristol Community College
Fall River, MA

2. “Water infrastructure is the lifeblood of our
economy”… “We must have reliable and resilient
water infrastructure systems to attract and retain
industry, business, and qualified workers”.
Water Environment Federation President Cordell Samuels
National Water infrastructure Summit: Reinvest, Rebuild,
and Revive April 16, 2013
Our water treatment and delivery systems provide public
health protection, fire protection, economic prosperity
and the high quality of life we enjoy.
Buried No Longer:
Confronting America’s Water
Infrastructure Challenge 2012

3. Statistics we usually hear about:
1.2 million miles of water supply pipes
155,693 public water systems in the US
700,000 to 800,000 miles of public sewer pipelines
14,780 public wastewater treatment facilities
Some of these pipelines are over 100 years old and
every mile of water pipeline suffers a break every 6
years and 1 out of 7 gallons of drinking water is lost to
leaks
We will have to spend over a trillion dollars in the
next 25 years to maintain these systems

4. Some statistics you don’t generally hear about:
There are currently 117,000 water and wastewater
operators and technicians Bureau of Labor Statistics
There is an expected 6% or 7000 job growth in the
next 10 years Bureau of Labor Statistics
There will be a need to replace 33,000 workers in
the coming years due to retirements Work for Water
25 to 50% of the 52,500 wastewater workers will
retire in the next 5 years 2013 NSF funded report
“Defining Water Management”

5. The Northeast region’s water workforce will be hit
harder than other regions because the water
quality workforce is older than the national
average. Also the average experience of those
retiring is 24 years, so there will be a great loss of
knowledge and experience.
Water Research Foundation and the American
Water Works Association 2010 report
There is a “critical need to expand and update
water and wastewater environmental programs at
the community college level to meet the demands
for water quality and conservation in the coming
years”. 2013 NSF funded report
“Defining Water Management”

6. In 2014 the Advanced Technology Environmental
and Energy Center(ATEEC) received funding from
the National Science Foundation to conduct a
series of “Water Conversations” in each region of
the country to discuss the current status of the
water industry
Bristol Community College hosted the New
England Water Conversation together with the
New England Interstate Water Pollution Control
Commission in May 2014.

7. Results of the New England Water Conversation:
Industry leaders confirmed the critical need for a
pipeline of operators. This need is likely to increase in the
next 5-10 years
The demand for clean water will continue to grow in
the coming years
New training programs are needed and program
curricula need to be aligned with business and industry
performance based functions
Infrastructure needs, surface and aquifer
contamination, and aquifer drawdown are major
concerns
Local, State and Federal funding is needed to promptly
address these critical issues

8. Bristol Community College has been providing water and
wastewater training for 20 years.
In 2014 Bristol Community College established the concept of the
Blue Center for Water Technologies under a Presidential Fellowship.
The mission of the Blue Center is to preserve our water resources
through education and community collaboration.
During the fellowship a National Science Foundation Advanced
Technology Education grant proposal was developed to respond to
the Water Industry needs. The project was titled “New England
Water Treatment Training (NEWTT)

9. The proposal was submitted to NSF in October
2015.
In the Spring of 2016 Bristol Community College
was awarded $602,000 for the
The major goals of the grant are:

10. Creation of Advisory Board
made up of representatives
from Industry, Academia,
and Regulatory Agencies

11. Conduct an Industry based
Modified DACUM
(Developing A Curriculum) to
begin course development

12. Develop Hybrid (online and face-to-
face) courses for the Drinking
Water and Wastewater Programs
Create Certificate Programs for Drinking
Water and Wastewater which meet Career
Center and Veteran funding requirements.
The Certificate courses feed into the
Engineering Technology/ Environmental
Option Associate of Science degree

13. Create a mechanism to
provide college credit
for state certifications and
selected non-credit training
conducted by qualified
training organizations

14. Enhance the Laboratory capabilities
and enhance our Lending Lab
equipment borrowing program for
Community Colleges who want to
develop Drinking Water and
Wastewater Programs

15. Training Facility Capabilities
- A functioning model convention-
al water treatment plant
- A functioning wastewater treat
ment plant providing clean water
for our aquaculture system
- A pond and groundwater monitoring well
on
campus
- Surface water and groundwater
sampling
- Solids testing
- BOD testing
- pH, conductivity, and ion testing
- Turbidity testing
- Groundwater simulators
- Pump operation and maintenance
training
- Process control training
- Wastewater treatment plant opera-
tion simulation software
- Valve training
- Spectrophotometers
- Safety training
- General Water Science
- Pipe and metal box location
- Renewable energy training
- top loading and analytical balances
- Jar testing
- Chlorine residual analysis
- Microscopic analysis

18. Develop internship
experiences with
industry partners

19. Implement NEWTT
programs in Community
Colleges throughout
New England

20. Conduct outreach to High
Schools and employment
agencies, and incorporate
recruitment strategies, to
encourage minorities, women,
Veterans, and other
non-traditional students to
enter the Water Industry

21. Create of Pool of Qualified
Drinking Water and
Wastewater Operators to
meet the growing needs of
the New England Region.