Nominations Request for the 2023 Tribal Operator of the Year

Attention Tribal Water and Wastewater Professionals:

Have you noticed a water/wastewater operator working in Indian Country…
• Going above and beyond their assigned job duties?
• Lending support to a co-worker or staff member?
• Providing assistance to another utility?
• Volunteering in the community?
• Going the extra mile in any form?

Here is your chance to acknowledge and celebrate their efforts and hard work. The Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc. (ITCA) is requesting nominations for the 2023 Tribal Water/Wastewater Operator of the Year Award.

Anyone is welcome to submit a nomination to show appreciation for the quality and integrity of the work done by an operator of a Tribal water or wastewater system that is located within the ITCA National Tribal Water & Wastewater Operator Certification Program service area, which includes USEPA Regions 5 through 10. Nominations should be submitted by those who have personally witnessed the great work of the operator being nominated.

A committee of volunteer Tribal water/wastewater operators will review the nominations and select the winner of the Tribal Operator of the Year 2023 Award. All nominees and the selected winner will be announced on September 14, 2023, during a virtual Awards Ceremony.

Nomination Deadline: July 12, 2023

How to Nominate an Operator
Complete the attached Nomination Form and return it to ITCA either by:
o Email: anisa.garcia@itcaonline.com
o Fax: (602) 258-4825, or
o Mail: Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc.
National Tribal Water Systems Programs
Attention: Anisa Garcia
2214 North Central Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona 85004

Click Here: 2023 Operator of the Year Nomination Packet

Click Here: USEPA Regional Map

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2023-2024 TWS Training Schedule

2023-2024 Training Schedule for Tribal Water and Wastewater Utilities Personnel

The ITCA National Tribal Water Systems Operator Certification Program is pleased to provide this schedule of free operator training and certification events (see below Table of Events). The table will be periodically updated as new training course are confirmed.

When a course is open for registration, its title is shown in the table with an active link.  Click on the active course title in the table for details and registration instructions. Events that have already occurred are shown in gray with a strike-through. Events that are not yet open for registration are shown in black and don’t have active links.

Some courses are offered more than once to provide operators with options. Instructors may vary from one course offering to another.

 

Types of Course Formats

  • Online Courses.  Some courses are offered in a 100% live online virtual format. (Note: certification exams are available year-round through computer-based testing.)
  • In-Person Courses.  Some short-duration, continuing education training events may be offered in a 100% in-person format. Some courses will include in-person certification exam sessions.
  • Blended Courses.  Comprehensive, certification preparation courses are offered in a Blended format, which consists of two sequential parts:
    (Part 1 uses live online virtual format) + (Part 2 uses in-person classroom format).

The in-person Part 2 picks up where the virtual Part 1 ends.  The in-person Part 2               will not spend any time reviewing curriculum content covered during the virtual Part 1.

For certification preparation courses that are in the blended format, the in-person               Part 2 includes in-person certification exam sessions.

Training Contact Hours
All ITCA Program training events provide opportunity for students to earn training contact hours based on participation and attendance.

The terms “lesson”, “class”, and “course” are defined in the ITCA Standards for Contact Hour Credit from Virtual Training Events document.

Click here: ITCA Standards for Online Training Contact Hours.

Certified Exams

  • Computer-Based Testing.  Certification exams are available year-round through computer-based testing (CBT) at over 300 nationwide testing center locations (See 2023 CBT announcement).
  • Paper-Booklet Testing.  In-person certification exam sessions using paper-booklet testing (PBT) are included during Blended certification preparation courses.  In addition, the ITCA Program may periodically offer stand-alone, in-person PBT exam sessions.

Travel Expense Reimbursement
Participant travel expense reimbursement stipends are available for participants of the in-person parts of ITCA Program training and certification events.  For more information, contact the ITCA Tribal Water Systems Program by phone at (602) 258-4822, or by email at TWSInfo@itcaonline.com.

*Specified Regional or Area Designations
Most of the online training courses are listed without any specified region or area and are therefore, open without restriction. However, some training courses are listed for certain regions or areas. Such training courses are made possible by funding agencies for the express purpose of serving certain geographic areas. When a course is listed for a specific region or area, two different registration options are available—Priority Registration, and General Admission Waiting List.

  • Priority Registration

If you work on Tribal lands in the region or area specified for that course, please use the “priority registration” option. Priority registration will be monitored and tracked based on the work address provided during registration.

  • General Admission Waiting List

Online training course size is limited to preserve the high quality of student-focused instruction. A general admission waiting list is available for personnel working on Tribal lands that are outside of the region or area specified for the particular course. Selection for the course will be first come, first served based on seats available after the priority registration seats are filled.

IHS Area Map, below
Click Here: IHS Area Map

Click Here: USEPA Regional Map

The Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc. is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Table of Events

Key to abbreviations:

“v” = virtual, live online

“B” = blend (part 1 is online, part 2 is in-person)

“ip” = in-person

 

Professional Certification Training Course, blended*Region 7 priority

Course ID# Operator Training/Certification Event Start & End Date Days of Week A.M./P.M.
——— 2023 Computer Based Testing Coming soon 2024 Computer Based Testing 2023 year-around2024 year-around  ——— ———
 Wastewater
#24013(v) Wastewater Math
Operator Training Course, virtual
(v) May 29-June 7
 daily A.M.
 #24016(B) Wastewater Collection-Level 1
Operator Certification Training Course, blended
 Part 1 – live on-line (v) June 17-21  M, T, Th, F  A.M.
 Part 2 – in-person (ip) June 24-28
location TBA
 M thru F  all day
#24039(ip) Wastewater Federal Regulations
Training Course, in-person
*Region 9 priority
(ip) August 6-8
location TBA
T, W, Th all day
 #24046(B) Wastewater Treatment-Level 1
Operator Certification Training Course, blended

*Region 9 priority
 Part 1 – live on-line (v) August 12-16  M, T, Th, F  A.M.
 Part 2 – in-person (ip) August 19-23
location TBA
 M thru F  all day
 #24047(B) Wastewater Treatment-Level 2
Operator Certification Training Course, blended

*Region 9 priority
 Part 1 – live on-line (v) August 12-16  M, T, Th, F  A.M.
 Part 2 – in-person (ip) August 19-23
location TBA
 M thru F  all day
#24071(v) Wastewater Math
Operator Training Course, virtual
(v) September 17-26 daily A.M.
 #24080(B) Wastewater Collection-Level 1
Operator Certification Training Course, blended
 Part 1 – live on-line (v) October 8-11  T, W, Th, F  A.M.
 Part 2 – in-person (ip) October 14-18
location TBA
 M thru F  all day
 #24081(B) Wastewater Lagoons
Operator Training Course, blended
 Part 1 – live on-line (v) October 29-31  T, W, Th  A.M.
 Part 2 – in-person (ip) November 4-7
location, TBA
 M thru Th  all day
 Drinking Water
#24005(B) SDWA Federal Regulations
Operator Certification Training Course, blended
Part 1 – live on-line (v) April 2-5 T,W,Th,F A.M.
Part 2 – in-person (ip) April 8-12
Parker, AZ
M thru F all day
#24004(B) Water Distribution-Level 1
Operator Certification Training Course, blended
*Region 9 priority
Part 1 – live on-line (v) April 15-18 M,T,W,TH A.M.
Part 2 – in-person (ip) April 22-26
Parker, AZ
M thru F all day
#24008(B) Water Treatment-Level 1
Operator Certification Training Course, blended
Part 1 – live on-line (v) April 22-26 M thru F A.M.
Part 2 – in-person (ip) April 29-May 3
Albuquerque, NM
M thru F all day
#24009(B) Water Treatment-Level 1
Operator Certification Training Course, blended
*Region 9 priority
Part 1 – live on-line (v) May 6-10 M thru F A.M.
Part 2 – in-person (ip) May 13-17
location TBA
M thru F all day
#24014(B) Water Distribution-Level 1
Operator Certification Training Course, blended
Part 1 – live on-line (v) June 3-7 M thru F A.M.
Part 2 – in-person (ip) June 10-14
California, TBA
M thru F all day
#24015(v) General Module & Very Small Water Systems
Operator Training Course, virtual
(v) June 4-14
 M thru F A.M.
#24018(B) Water Distribution-Level 2
Operator Certification Training Course, blended
*Region 9 priority
Part 1 – live on-line (v) July 8-12 M thru F A.M.
Part 2 – in-person (ip) July 15-19
location TBA
M thru F all day
#24020(B) General Module & Very Small Water Systems
Operator Certification / Credential Training Course, blended
*Region 8 priority
Part 1 – live on-line (v) July 10-12 W, Th, F A.M.
Part 2 – in-person (ip) July 15-19
location TBA
M thru F all day
#24036(ip) Water Treatment Federal Regulations
Operator Certification Training Course, in-person
*Region 9 priority
(ip) July 29-August 2
location TBA
 M thru F A.M.
#24038(B) Water Distribution-Level 1
Operator Certification Training Course, blended
*Region 10 priority
Part 1 – live on-line (v) August 5-16 M, W, F A.M.
Part 2 – in-person (ip) August 19-23
location TBA
M thru F all day
#24048(B) Water Treatment-Level 2
Operator Certification Training Course, blended
*Region 9 priority
Part 1 – live on-line (v) August 19-23 M thru F A.M.
Part 2 – in-person (ip) August 26-30
location TBA
M thru F all day
#24070(B) SDWA Federal Regulations
Operator Certification Training Course, blended
*Region 10 priority
Part 1 – live on-line (v) September 18-20 W, Th, F A.M.
Part 2 – in-person (ip) September 23-27
location TBA
M thru F all day
 Specialized Training
#24011(v) Professional Development Webinars
Topic 1: Building Standard Operating Procedures
Topic 2: Source Water Protection
(v) May 22  Wednesday A.M.
#24017(ip) Asset Management & Utility Finance
Operator Training Course, in-person
*Region 10 priority
(ip) June 25-27
location TBA
 T, W, Th All day
#24021(ip) Backflow Assembly Tester
Professional Certification Training Course, in-person
(ip) July 22-27,
Tempe, AZ
 M thru Sat All day
#24030(ip) Region 5 Tribal Water Utilities Summit
Operator Training and Meeting Event, in-person
(ip) July 23-25
location TBA
 T, W, Th All day
#24037(ip) Paper-Booklet Exam Sessions
for Operator / Professional Certification, in-person
*Region 9 priority
(ip) August 2
location TBA
 Friday All day
#24040(ip) Region 8 Tribal Water Utilities Summit
Operator Training and Meeting Event, in-person
(ip) August 6-8
location TBA
 T, W, Th All day
#24049(v) Professional Development Webinars
Topic 1: Building Standard Operating Procedures
Topic 2: Source Water Protection
(v) September 5 Thursday A.M.
#24060(ip) National Tribal Water Utilities Workgroup Meeting
Operator Training and Meeting Event, in-person
(ip) September 9-13
location TBA
 M thru F All day
#24068(ip) Paper-Booklet Exam Sessions
for Operator/Professional Certification, in-person
(ip) September 14
location TBA
 Saturday All day
 Tribal Utility Management
#24010(B) Tribal Utility Management
Professional Certification Training Course, blended
*Region 7 priority
Part 1 – live on-line (v) May 6-10 M thru F A.M.
Part 2 – in-person (ip) May 13-17
Horton, KS
M thru F all day
 I.H.S. EHSC Trainings
——— I.H.S. Trainings ———  ——— ———
 U.S. EPA Training
——— EPA Trainings ———  ——— ———

2023 Computer-Based Testing, January 2023 – December 2023 (Year-Round)

2023 Computer-Based Testing, (Year-Round)
January 2023 – December 2023

Attached is an event announcement and certification application booklets.  The registration and certification application process is conducted manually by phone, mail, email or fax.

For more information or assistance with registration or assistance with applying for tribal certification, please contact the Tribal Water Department at (602) 258-4822.

Click Here: 2023 Announcement and Registration

Click Here: Application for Water Operator Certification

Click Here: Application for Wastewater Operator Certification

Click Here: Application for Tribal Utility Management

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Water Distribution-Level 1 Operator Certification Training Course, in Parker, Arizona, April 15-26, 2024, (Event ID #24004-blended), Region 9 Priority

Water Distribution-Level 1 Operator Certification Training Course, in Parker, Arizona, April 15-26, 2024, (Event ID #24004-blended), Region 9 Priority

 

Part 1 meets:  Monday through Thursday (on-line)
Dates:  April 15-18, 2024
Time:  8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time
Location: Zoom

 

Part 2 meets:  Monday through Friday (in-person)
Dates:  April 22-26, 2024
Time:  8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Local Time
Location: Parker, Arizona

 

Click here: Brochure & Registration Forms

Click here: Electronic Registration

Click here: Application for Water Operator Certification

Click here: Need to Know for Exam 1: Federal Regulations Exam Module for Water Distribution

Click here: Need to Know for Exam 2: Water Distribution Operator Class I

 

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Water Treatment-Level 1 Operator Certification Training Course, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, April 22-May 3, 2024, (Event ID #24008-blended)

Water Treatment-Level 1 Operator Certification Training Course, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, April 22-May 3, 2024, (Event ID #24008-blended)

 

Part 1 meets:  Monday through Friday (on-line)

Dates:  April 22-26, 2024

Time:  8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (Mountain Daylight Time)

 

Part 2 meets:  Monday through Friday (in-person)

Dates:  April 29-May 3, 2024

Time:  8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Local Time)

 

Click here: Brochure & Registration Forms

Click here:  Electronic Registration

Click here: Application for Water Certification

Click here: Need to Know for Exam 1: Federal Regulations Exam Module for Water Treatment

Click here:  Need to Know for Exam 2: Water Treatment Operator Class I

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Technical Assistance to Tribal Communities

The Inter Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA) Tribal Water System Program is dedicated to providing technical assistance to tribes in order to develop technical, managerial, and financial capacity (TMF), as well as water & wastewater utility sustainability through education, access to resources, training, and technical assistance. The program partners with federal agencies and other organizations to ensure these services are available to Tribal Water Utility operators and managers.

Want to Learn more? CLICK HERE

Local Air Quality News

 

Navajo Nation Witnesses Changing Landscape: Growing Sand Dunes

 

U.S. requires Arizona and New Mexico plant owners to reduce emissions at Four Corners Power Plant on Navajo Nation

 

Revised Air Pollution Plan for an Arizona Coal-Fired Plant Spurs Debate

 

‘Polluted Parks’ Analysis Finds Southwestern National Parks Among Worst in Air Quality

 

Report: Valley’s air quality suffers, drought blamed

 

Valley Fever: What In The Haboob Am I Talking About?

 

American Lung Association State of the Air 2015 – Arizona

 

EPA awards $1.2 million brownfields grants to three Arizona communities

 

Phoenix Ranks 11th on EPA’s Energy Star Top Cities List

National Air Quality News

 

FACT SHEET: White House Launches American Business Act on Climate Pledge

 

The Administration Takes a Big Step in Addressing Climate-Damaging HFCs

 

In Perspective: the Supreme Court’s Mercury and Air Toxics Rule Decision

 

EPA: Launching a New Era of State, Tribal, Local and International Partnerships

 

EPA announces availability of $1 million for tribes to upgrade diesel engines

 

Air Quality Publications

Dusty the Asthma Goldfish          Get To Know CO Alarms Comic

Carbon Monoxide Deaths Fact Sheet          Effects of Common Air Pollutants

Basic Radon Facts          Asthma Prevention

Asthma Fact Sheet          10 Steps to Making Your Home Asthma-Friendly

Get Rid of Mold          Asthma and Outdoor Air Pollution

Asthma & Allergies          Age Healthier Breathe Easier

What If We Kept Our Cars Parked          What If We Drove Our Most Efficient Car

Healthy Homes Brochure          Healthy Homes Action Card

The Plain English Guide to the Clean Air Act

Wet Wood is a Waste

Cleaning to Controll Allergies & Asthma

Carbon Monoxide the Invisible Killer

Charcoal Grill Safety Tips

 

EPA Office of Air and Radiation Tribal Air

http://www.epa.gov/air/tribal/index.html

EPA Region 9 Tribal Program

http://www.epa.gov/region9/tribal/

Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP)

http://www4.nau.edu/itep/

National Tribal Air Association (NTAA)

http://www.ntaatribalair.org/

MODULE I AND III PRESENTATION NOTES

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES AND PUBLICATIONS

Download the following electronic copies and store the items on work computers/thumb drives for class and future reference:

Federal Rule (40 CFR Part 280): http://www.epa.gov/oust/fedlaws/cfr.htm

USEPA Publications: http://www.epa.gov/oust/pubs/index.htm
• Closing Underground Storage Tanks – Brief Facts
• Automatic Tank Gauging Systems for Release Detection – Reference Manual for UST
Inspectors
• Operating and Maintaining UST Systems
• UST Systems: Inspecting and Maintaining Sumps and Spill Buckets
• Overfill Prevention: Best Management Practices for Your Underground Storage Tank
• Financial Responsibility: Best Management Practices for Your Underground Storage
Tank
• Spill Buckets: Best Management Practices for Your Underground Storage Tank

Legacy of the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona

Legacy of ITCA

Legacy of ITCA Project
The ‘Legacy of the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona’ Project (hereinafter referred to as “Project”) is analyzing the role of ITCA in the development of national Indian policy from the critical era following World War II to the present.  The Project is exploring the role of Tribes in Arizona and ITCA in the development of federal self-determination policy and practices focusing on the perspectives of tribal leaders who founded and led the Association. The Project is also documenting the evolution of ITCA, including interviews with executive staff, identifying the goals and activities from its earliest years, as well as the strategies and tactics used by ITCA’s leadership in accomplishing collective goals over time.

Read More: Click Here

Arizona Tribal Solid Waste Listserv

The Tribal Solid Waste Program oversees the Tribal Solid Waste listserv in order to provide tribes with education, outreach, technical assistance and dissemination of solid and hazardous waste information. ITCA invites you to participate in this listserv to coordinate efforts for the betterment of tribal solid and hazardous waste programs.  For more information on the listserv, please see the link below:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aztribal_waste/

Western Sustainability and Pollution Prevention Network

http://wsppn.org/

Tribal Pollution Prevention

http://tribalp2.org/

Recycling Location Search Engines

http://www.earth911.com
http://1800recycling.com/

Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals – Waste Management

http://www4.nau.edu/itep/waste/tsweap.asp

Keep America Beautiful

http://www.kab.org

America Recycles Day

http://americarecyclesday.org/

Arizona Recycling Coalition

http://arizonarecyclingcoalition.com/

EPA Groundwater and Drinking Water, Tribal Programs—Drinking Water

EPA Enforcement & Compliance History Online (ECHO)