Survey Finds that Lack of Operator Certification Reciprocity Hinders the Staffing of Operations

Many companies and municipalities who operate water and wastewater facilities have reported difficulty in staffing operations with certified water, wastewater, and lab personnel. This limited hiring pool results in demand outstripping supply in many states. Although those responsible for staffing operations have shared anecdotal evidence of this problem, no quantitative information on the prevalence of the problem existed.The Water Partnership Council (WPC) conducted a survey of operation project managers in order to quantify if and where they are having difficulty with staffing operations. In all, 80 individuals responded to the survey. Since some individuals responded for multiple states, the number of responses for some questions exceeds 80. Collected data cover 34 states and two Canadian provinces.The paper presents the results of the survey.