Publications for Operators

Access Water

Access Water provides 24/7/365 unparalleled access to the Water Environment Federation's most relevant, sought-after, and dependable digital resources. Access Operator Fact Sheets, Manuals of Practice, Operator Essentials from WE&T, and more. 

Books

WEF offers more than 30 books and training manuals for operators.

Recent and top selling operations titles include:

• Standards for Operation of Water Resource Recovery Facilities, WEF 11
• Water and Wastewater Laboratory Techniques
• Wastewater Biology: The Microlife
• Activated Sludge and Nutrient Removal, MOP OM-9
• Standards for the Operation of Nutrient Removal Facilities, WEF 37-24

Visit ShopWEF to browse our publications.

Operator Essentials

WE&T’s Operator Essentials column presents easily accessible and digestible fundamental information. Published since 2010, it is intended to share “what every operator should know” about each topic covered.

WEF Members get access to all installments of Operator Essentials on Access Water, and nonmembers can download for a fee. The following seven sample installments are presented open-access to show the what Operator Essentials has to offer.

Chemically Enhanced Primary Treatment - June 2023
Giving Public Tours - April 2023
Leadership and People Management - December 2023
Operational Technology Cybersecurity - September 2023
Workforce Development - May 2024

Read Operator Essentials

Maintenance Essentials 

Maintenance Essentials is a column in WE&T outlining the underlying principles of equipment functionality to aid in better decision making regarding time and resources for preventive and predictive maintenance activities. Additionally, it supports troubleshooting problems and brainstorming potential solutions.

WEF Members get access to all past Maintenance Essentials on Access Water. Non-Members may download for a fee. 

Read Maintenance Essentials

Study Guides

WEF Study Guides are designed for today’s professional operators. Our guides cover a wide range of facility operations, including biosolids, collection systems, laboratory testing, and wastewater operations. Several of our guides are written in conjunction with ABC and C₂EP to help operators prepare for the certification examinations. To browse our Study Guides, please visit ShopWEF. 

Our most popular Study Guides include:

• The Wastewater Operator's Guide to Preparing for the Certification Examination
• WEF/ABC/C₂EP Collection Systems Operators’ Guide to Preparing for the Certification Examination
• WEF/ABC Wastewater Laboratory Analysts' Guide to Preparing for the Certification Examination
• Wastewater Collection System Operator Certification Studybook

Wastewater Treatment Fundamentals

WEF’s line of operator training, Wastewater Treatment Fundamentals, helps operators prepare for the first three levels of certification examinations and qualify for continuing education credits.

The training includes a print manual, online course, and final exam to address different learning styles as well as align with most state CEU requirements.

Please visit www.wef.org/wwtf to order or find out more. 

WE&T Magazine

As the flagship publication of the Water Environment Federation, it's no accident that Water Environment & Technology magazine includes the tagline: Operations & Engineering.

Each month WE&T, publishes features articles that are labeled with the subject tag 'Operations' as well as several recrurring columns that provide operators with up-to-date information and celebrate your achievements.