Indiana Collection System Operator Certification: A Voluntary Credential
A Voluntary Program
Unlike Water Treatment, Distribution, and Wastewater Treatment, Indiana has no IDEM-mandated collection system operator license. Certification for collection system operators is instead offered voluntarily through the Indiana Water Environment Association (IWEA), a professional association rather than the state regulator.
Despite the voluntary nature of the credential itself, collection system operators still work under the same 327 IAC regulatory framework that governs sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) and infiltration/inflow (I&I) for the wastewater systems their pipes feed into.
Statewide Infrastructure Challenges
Indiana's older industrial cities — Indianapolis, Gary, Fort Wayne, and Evansville — carry significant aging combined and separate sewer infrastructure. Many opera