Program Overview

Water Technology Program

The Water Technology program is an award-winning, up-to-date technical training opportunity that will open doors to a career anywhere in the United States. Graduates of this program have found work in New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Arizona, California, Vermont, New Hampshire, Iraq, and Puerto Rico. More than 400 graduates have begun careers in the water field, working in such diverse areas as the semiconductor industry, the food processing industry, aerospace industry, electrical power industry, city water and wastewater departments, municipal or contract analytical laboratories, water reuse or recycling plants, metal plating companies, engineering consulting firms, and state planning offices.

Program Overview

While jobs are widely available, training programs like this one are rare. As the treatment of water becomes more technical, municipalities and industries rely on training programs to fill their needs. Students in this program learn how to clean water to make it safe for drinking and how to purify water to a high quality for use in computer chip manufacturing, food processing, or steam generation. They will also learn how to treat wastewater so it can be safely returned to the environment or reclaimed for beneficial use.

Instruction and Curriculum

Instruction includes maintaining equipment such as pumps, motors, valves, and chemical feeders; laboratory testing and analysis; water and wastewater chemistry and microbiology; applied math; and some basics of supervising and managing a water utility, including budgets, preventive maintenance schemes, and billing. Various course assignments requiring laboratory data sheets, simple process control spreadsheets, and term papers enable students to sharpen their computer and writing skills. General studies in basic algebra, speech, and technical writing round out the curriculum.

Physical Requirements

Depending on where they find employment, graduates may be required to:

• work in inclement weather
• lift up to 50 pounds from the ground
• work safely around hazardous chemicals using appropriate safety equipment such as a self-contained breathing apparatus
• work safely in confined spaces
• ascend and descend stairs and ladders to reach equipment
• work safely around heavy equipment
• work safely and effectively on uneven surfaces
• stand for long periods of time on concrete floors.

Certification and Licensing

Some positions in the field require certification, and the licensing agency may not provide special testing accommodations.

Training and Internship

Opportunities for students to gain new knowledge and skills in operations, maintenance, and laboratory areas are provided through classroom training, hands-on laboratories, field trips, guest lectures, and training on the program's own water and wastewater plants. Before graduating, students will spend a minimum of 180 hours at an internship site with a municipality or industry.

Financial Aid

Financial aid beyond loans, grants, work-study monies, and DACC scholarships include nine private scholarships specifically for Water Technology students.

Degrees and Certificates

• Water Technology: Associate of Applied Science
• Water Technology: Certificate of Completion

Notable Courses and Requirements

• Introduction to Water Systems, Systems Maintenance, Water Chemistry
• Requirements: C- or above is required in all relative courses to graduate
• Duration: 5 semesters
• Applied Water and Wastewater Math I, Water Chemistry Analysis, Water and Wastewater Microbiology
• Requirements: C- or above is required in all relative courses to graduate
• Duration: 2 semesters