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Course Details
Course Name: Advanced Water Operations Licensing Prep
Course Code: EO0903WA23
Date of Most Recent Offering: January 10 – April 4, 2023; Tuesday and Thursday evenings
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, which are included in the course registration fee. 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 using Zoom. However, the first class meeting will be in person in New Brunswick as a “meet and greet” and for textbook pickup. Additionally, during the course of the class, there will be two in-person site visits to drinking water treatment and distribution facilities.
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)
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.