Resources for Wastewater Operators

EPA’s Office of Compliance has developed several resources for waste water operators:

• Two “tip sheets” help operators of small mechanical wastewater plans and treatment lagoons avoid common mistakes that trigger non-compliance. These tip sheets include several fields that should be completed (like permit dates and state/EPA hotline phone numbers) before they are printed and used by operators.
  • Small Mechanical Plants – Wastewater Tip Sheet (pdf) (341.24 KB, July 2024, 305F24003)
  • Treatment Lagoons – Wastewater Tip Sheet (pdf) (346.63 KB, July 2024, 305F24002)
     
• A  Wastewater Influent Monitoring Factsheet (pdf) (390.87 KB, July 2026)  that describes practices to help operators avoid common mistakes that trigger noncompliance when monitoring wastewater influent.
   
• Two operator rounds checklists for lagoons and mechanical wastewater treatment plants. These checklists are in Microsoft Word so operators can customize them with the names of specific assets at the facility. The operator will then print them out and use the checklists during their daily rounds. 
  • Operator Rounds Checklist for Wastewater Treatment Lagoons (docx) (354.92 KB, June 2026)
  • Operator Rounds Checklist for Small Mechanical Wastewater Plants (docx) (210.97 KB, June 2026)

The following resources are intended to help wastewater operators maintain compliance with their NPDES permit requirements:

• ABC Formula Table for Wastewater Treatment, operational math formulas - commonly used formulas, abbreviations, and conversion factors for wastewater treatment
• EPA Compliance Advisory - Compliance Tips for Small, Mechanical Wastewater Treatment Plants (pdf) (448.77 KB, March 2022)
  5-page PDF Compliance Advisory to help small mechanical WWTPs comply with their NPDES permits.
• Webinar: Discharge Monitoring Reports-Avoiding Common Mistakes - 90-minute recorded EPA webinar on how to avoid common DMR reporting mistakes.
• Ammonia Removal Best Practices Tool (xltm) (2.91 MB)
  Excel-based best management practice tool to evaluate elevated wastewater treatment plant ammonia effluent levels.
• Algae’s Influence on the BOD5 Test (pdf) (807.27 KB)
  describes how algae impacts the measurement of DO and BOD5
• Webinar: The Microbiology of Wastewater Treatment - 90-minute recorded EPA webinar that discusses microorganisms in activated sludge
• Principles of Design and Operations of Wastewater Treatment Pond Systems for Plant Operators, Engineers, and Managers (pdf) (10.86 MB, August 2011, EPA 600-R-11-088)
  • See Chapter 6 (Nutrient removal), Chapter 7 Alternatives for control and removal of algae-derived TSS), and Chapter 9 (Operation and maintenance troubleshooting)
• Technical Assistance Webinars: Improving CWA-NPDES Permit Compliance - EPA’s webinar series covering a wide variety of technical topics for NPDES permittees.
• Videos Providing Process Control Technical Assistance to Small Mechanical WWTPs Series
  • Part 1: Introduction - provides and introduction and overview of the training material.
  • Part 2: Wastewater Treatment Plant Walkthrough - provides background and an overview of WWTP process units such as the equalization basin, aeration tank, clarifier, and more.
  • Part 3: Tools and Equipment - focuses on the tools and equipment used to diagnose and troubleshoot WWTP operation issues.
  • Part 4: Troubleshooting - focuses on sampling, measurement, and analysis techniques that can be used to troubleshoot WWTP issues.
• Troubleshooting Manual for Small, Facultative, Partial-Mix Aerated, and Complete-Mix Aerated Wastewater Lagoons (pdf) (1.57 MB)
  Intended for use by operators at small wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) lagoons, also called wastewater stabilization ponds. The Manual is designed to help lagoon operators identify causes of lagoon upset conditions and the corresponding troubleshooting steps.