The Water Cycle and Source Water
Where drinking water comes from, how it moves through the water cycle, what can get into it, and what operators can do to protect it.
CEUs not yet approved, for learning only
Who it is for
New and experienced water operators, dual licensed operators, and anyone who wants the big picture of where drinking water comes from.
Format
Online, self-paced. Take it when it suits your shift.
Length and price
2 hours, $60.
What you will learn
10 modules. Worked examples use fictional drinking water systems.
- The Hydrologic CycleEvaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, runoff and storage, where the Earth's water is, and why the cycle matters to operators.
- Precipitation, Runoff and InfiltrationWhat decides whether rain runs off or soaks in, rainfall volume math, a simple water budget, and what storms do to source water.
- Groundwater and AquifersUnsaturated and saturated zones, water table, unconfined, confined, artesian and perched aquifers, porosity and permeability, recharge, and groundwater travel time.
- Rivers, Lakes and ReservoirsHow rivers change with flow, lake and reservoir stratification and turnover, low oxygen bottom water and manganese, algae, and what each means for treatment.
- WatershedsWhat a watershed is, drawing watershed boundaries, land use and water quality, point and nonpoint sources, and upstream wastewater discharges.
- Water Quantity and DemandPer capita use, daily and seasonal demand patterns, drought, and how source capacity, treatment and storage work together.
- Contaminants in Source WaterMicrobial, inorganic, organic, radiological and disinfection byproduct precursor contaminants, cyanotoxins and PFAS, and where each comes from.
- Source Water Assessment and ProtectionThe 1986 wellhead protection and 1996 source water assessment programs, delineation, contaminant inventory, susceptibility, management tools and contingency planning.
- Harmful Algal Blooms and SpillsRecognizing a harmful algal bloom, cyanotoxin monitoring and treatment concepts, upstream spill notification, intake closure and early warning.
- Protecting Your Source: The Operator RoleDay to day source protection by operators: observation, records, sanitary surveys, working with neighbors and the wastewater plant, and reporting.
What operators take away
- The water cycle in plain words and why it matters to treatment.
- How aquifers, rivers and lakes behave, and why water quality changes with season.
- The main groups of source water contaminants and where they come from.
- How source water assessment and wellhead protection work, and the operator role.
- A certification quiz for paid students, and a certificate of completion from Wastewater Academy™ when you pass it. The certificate does not carry CEU credit.
- A student manual to download (comes with the class).
Look inside
A few sample pages from the student manual. Tap a page to open it full size.
These are sample pages only. The full student manual comes with the class.
Register
2 hours, $60.
CEUs for this class are not yet approved in any state. If you need CEU credit, please wait; we'll announce approval here. Purchase is for learning only.
Need CEU credit? Ask us to tell you when CEUs are approved (tell us your state and this class), or email help@ActivatedSludge.com.
Registration is open for learning only. At checkout you confirm that you understand this class has no CEU credit yet.
After you pay, you are taken to a page where you download the student manual. The class includes a certification quiz, which opens for you after you pay, and a certificate of completion from Wastewater Academy™ when you pass it. Online access, including the manual, quiz, and certificate, lasts 90 days from purchase.
Before you buy, read our refund policy, terms of use and privacy notice.