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Course Details
Course Name: Advanced Water Operations Licensing Prep
Course Code: EO0903WA24
Date: January 9 – April 4, 2024; Tuesday and Thursday evenings
Time: 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm EST/EDT
Location: Online
Format: Live, instructor-led
Registration Fee: $1,775 per person
Registration Closes: January 5, 2024 at 3:00 pm
Paying with a check, money order, or purchase order?
Payments should be made out to: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Checks and money orders should be mailed to: Office of Continuing Professional Education, Attn: Registration Dept., 102 Ryders Ln, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8519
Purchase Orders can be mailed to the address above or electronically sent to registration@njaes.rutgers.edu.
Course Overview
Advanced Water Operations Parts I & II is the course required by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) for individuals seeking Level 2 (or higher) operational drinking water (T / W) licenses in New Jersey. It will explore the operation of water treatment and distribution systems in New Jersey through lectures, discussions, and facility tours.
Reading assignments for each class date will be taken from the NJDEP required textbooks published by the California State University at Sacramento. Additional handouts, data sheets, PowerPoint presentations, and work sheets will be distributed throughout the term of the class; note taking is strongly encouraged. Regularly scheduled tests and quizzes are included in the agenda.
The class will be held online in the Canvas Learning Management system using Zoom.
Featured Topics
- Sources and Characteristics of Water
- Federal and State Rules, Regulations, and Standards
- Water Analysis and Laboratory Methods
- Characteristics of Surface and Groundwater Supplies
- Water Treatment Processes
- Mathematical Formulas and Calculations for Drinking Water Operations
- Corrosion, Taste, and Odor Control
Who Should Attend?
This course is intended for individuals seeking Level 2 – 4 “T” (drinking water treatment) or “W” (drinking water distribution system) licenses. Past participants have included:
- Production Superintendents
- Utilities Supervisors
- Water Quality Technicians
- Water Treatment Operators
- Well Operators
Meet Your Instructor
Daniel “Rick” Pfleiderer

Rick retired as a Director of Water Resources. He was responsible for a DAF and conventional WTP, lab, reservoirs, watershed, and distribution system. He has a BS in Environmental Science and a MBA in Technology Management.
His career started as an intern at Six Flags NJ and then he worked at a municipal owned WTP. He accepted a job at a privately owned utility with tertiary treatment, collection system, and a distribution system supplied by wells. He then became a Project Manager for one of the largest contract operations in NJ and was responsible for customer service, water treatment, distribution, wastewater treatment, and collection systems. He was promoted several times and became a Division Director responsible for several systems throughout NJ managing union and non-union work forces for municipal and private companies.
He maintains the highest level licenses for water treatment and distribution for New Jersey, South Carolina, Texas, and the Association of Boards of Certification and the second highest for wastewater treatment in New Jersey, South Carolina, and the Association of Boards of Certification. He holds the highest level NJ license for wastewater collection, the second highest level for industrial wastewater treatment, and is also certified in Incident Command Systems (ICS) levels 100, 200, and 700. Rick has been teaching classes at Florida Gateway College as an adjunct professor since 2016 in their Water Resources program and been teaching licensing and CEU classes for the University of Florida TREEO program since 2020.
Student Reviews
“I feel this course is a good prep for state licensing exam.”
– Past Participant
“If you are an operator, course provides very useful information to perform your job.”
– Past Participant
“I will use everything that I learned in my job.”
– Past Participant
Continuing Education Credits
The most recent offering of Advanced Water Operations Licensing Prep was approved for 9.0 Rutgers CEUs, as well as the following credits from professional organizations. We will reapply for similar credits the next time the course runs, but we cannot guarantee credit approval for future offerings.
New Jersey
NJ Drinking Water Operators ONLY: 90 TCHs (Approval #01-041101-10)
Course Requirements and Policies
Required Textbooks
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection requires all course registrants to have access to the current versions of the following textbooks published by the Water Program Division of the California State University at Sacramento (https://www.owp.csus.edu/courses/catalog.php):
- Water Treatment Plant Operation Volume 1; 7th edition
- Water Treatment Plant Operation Volume 2; 7th edition
- Water Distribution System Operations and Maintenance; 7th edition
- Utility Management; 3rd edition
The textbooks are NOT included in the registration fee for the course.
Instructions to order books:
- Go to https://www.owp.csus.edu/
- Click on “Operator Training”
- Scroll down to “Correspondence Courses and Manuals”
- Click on “Drinking Water Course”
- Select your books (always pick “Manual” when purchasing your books)
- Hit “Continue”
- Once you have selected all your books, go to your “Shopping Cart”
- Hit “Next”
- Follow the instructions from there to complete your purchase (you may have to create a new account)
Technology Requirements
This online course will be delivered via Rutgers Canvas learning management system and Zoom.
Equipment you will need to access this training:
- Laptop or desktop computers are required for this class.
- Speakers and microphone are not necessary as a call-in option is available.
Once you register with OCPE, you will receive an email from “Rutgers University Canvas” saying, “Click here to finish the registration process,” to create your new account in the Canvas Virtual Platform. If you do not see this message in your inbox, please check your junk/spam folder. The course shell will not open until a week before the start date of class. You will receive an email from Claudine Oleskin with directions and more details for the class.
Email Requirement
A unique email address is required for each registrant to register and access our courses.
- If this is your first time registering with us, please provide your own unique email address when registering; do not provide an email address that you share with co-workers.
- If you have previously taken classes with us and have used an email address that you share with your co-workers or supervisor, your account must be updated with a unique email address. To do this, please send an email to us at registration@njaes.rutgers.edu stating that your email address needs to be changed and include:
- Your full name
- The shared email address that needs to be changed
- Your unique email address
- A phone number where you can be reached if we have any questions
Photo ID Requirement
Each registrant will be asked provide a photo of him/herself holding their government-issued photo ID. This is required by credit boards so that you may receive credits for participating in this online course.
- You will receive a reminder email prior to the start of the class with further instructions. Wait to receive these instructions before you attempt to upload your ID.
- The photo must be clear enough that we can read your name and verify that the person pictured on the ID is in fact the person holding it.
- After an OCPE staff member reviews the picture and verifies your identity, you will have access to participate in the course when it begins.
Cancellations and Substitutions
A $100 cancellation fee applies for this course. Substitutions are permitted. View our cancellation policy.
Program Questions? We’re Here to Help!
If you have any questions about Advanced Water Operations Licensing Prep, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Assistant Director: Carol Broccoli
848-932-7207
carolbr@njaes.rutgers.edu

Administrative Assistant: Claudine Oleskin
848-932-7204
coleskin@njaes.rutgers.edu
For registration assistance, please contact our Registration Department at 848-932-9271, option 2 or email registration@njaes.rutgers.edu.