2026 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 courses 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 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 2026 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: 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
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New MexicoM Thru Fall day
New MexicoM Thru Fall day
New MexicoM Thru Fall day
| Course ID# | Operator Training/Certification Event | Start & End Date | Days of Week | A.M./P.M. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #25000 | 2026 Computer Based Testing | 2026 year-around | ——— | ——— |
| Wastewater | ||||
| #26006(B) | Wastewater Treatment – Level 1 Operator Certification Training Course |
|||
| Part 1 – live on-line | (v) August 17–21, 2026 | M Thru F | A.M. | |
| Part 2 – in-person | (ip) August 24–28, 2026 Camp Verde, AZ |
M Thru F | all day | |
| #26008(B) | Wastewater Lagoons Operator Certification Training Course |
|||
| Part 1 – live on-line | (v) June 15–19, 2026 | M Thru F | A.M. | |
| Part 2 – in-person | (ip) June 22-26, 2026 Santa Ana Pueblo, NM |
M Thru F | all day | |
| #26021(B) | Wastewater Collection – Level 1 Operator Certification Training Course |
|||
| Part 1 – live on-line | (v) Sept 28–Oct 2, 2026 | M Thru F | A.M. | |
| Part 2 – in-person | (ip) Oct 5–9, 2026 Towaoc, CO |
M Thru F | all day | |
| Drinking Water | ||||
| #26001(B) | Water Treatment-Level 1 Operator Certification Training Course |
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| Part 1 – live on-line | (v) March 2-6, 2026 | M Thru F | A.M. | |
| Part 2 – in-person | (ip) March 9-13, 2026 Billings, MT |
M Thru F | all day | |
| #26002(B) | Water Distribution-Level 1 (FULL) Operator Certification Training Course |
|||
| Part 1 – live on-line | (v) March 30-April 3, 2026 | M Thru F | A.M. | |
| Part 2 – in-person | (ip) April 6-10, 2026 Flagstaff, AZ |
M Thru F | all day | |
| #26004(B) | Water Treatment – Level 1 Operator Certification Training Course |
|||
| Part 1 – live on-line | (v) May 4–8, 2026 | M Thru F | A.M. | |
| Part 2 – in-person | (ip) May 11–15, 2026 Yuma, AZ |
M Thru F | all day | |
| #26005(B) | Water Treatment – Level 2 & 3 Combo Operator Certification Training Course |
|||
| Part 1 – live on-line | (v) June 15–18, 2026 | M Thru Th | A.M. | |
| Part 2 – in-person | (ip) June 22–26, 2026 Billings, MT |
M Thru F | all day | |
| #26009(B) | Water Distribution – Level 1 Operator Certification Training Course |
|||
| Part 1 – live on-line | (v) July 6–10, 2026 | M Thru F | A.M. | |
| Part 2 – in-person | (ip) July 13-17, 2026 Flagstaff, AZ |
M Thru F | all day | |
| #26012(B) | Water Distribution – Level 1 Operator Certification Training Course |
|||
| Part 1 – live on-line | (v) August 10–14, 2026 | M Thru F | A.M. | |
| Part 2 – in-person | (ip) Aug 17-21, 2026 Eureka, CA |
M Thru F | all day | |
| #26013(B) | Water Distribution – Levels 2 & 3 Combo Operator Certification Training Course |
|||
| Part 1 – live on-line | (v) July 27–31, 2026 | M Thru F | A.M. | |
| Part 2 – in-person | (ip) August 3–7, 2026 New Mexico |
M Thru F | all day | |
| #26014(B) | SDWA Federal Regulations Training Course & Operator Certification Exam Sessions |
|||
| Part 1 – live on-line | (v) July 1 – 3, 2026 | W Thru F | A.M. | |
| Part 2 – in-person | (ip) July 6 – 10, 2026 New Mexico |
M Thru F | all day | |
| #26019(B) | SDWA Federal Regulations Training Course & Operator Certification Exam Sessions |
|||
| Part 1 – live on-line | (v) September 30 – October 2, 2026 | W Thru F | A.M. | |
| Part 2 – in-person | (ip) October 5 – 9, 2026 Parker, AZ |
M Thru F | all day | |
| #26020(B) | Water Treatment – Level 1 Operator Certification Training Course |
|||
| Part 1 – live on-line | (v) September 28 – October 2, 2026 | M Thru F | A.M. | |
| Part 2 – in-person | (ip) October 5 – 9, 2026 Portland, OR |
M Thru F | all day | |
| #26022 | Water Operator Math Online Training Course |
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| Part 1 – live on-line | (v) November 30 – December 11, 2026 | M Thru F | A.M. | |
| Tribal Utility Management | ||||
| #26003(B) | Tribal Utility Management Certification – Level 1 Professional Certification Training Course |
|||
| Part 1 – live on-line | (v) July 6–10, 2026 | M Thru F | A.M. | |
| Part 2 – in-person | (ip) July 13–17, 2026 Billings, MT |
M Thru F | all day | |
| Tribal Utility Managers Workgroup Forums | 2 sessions | After class | 2 hrs each | |
| Specialized Training | ||||
| #26010 | Backflow & Cross Connection Control Training Course & Operator Certification Exam Sessions |
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| In-person | June 22–26, 2026 | M Thru F | Phoenix, AZ | |
| #26011 | Asset Management and Utility Finance Training Course & Facility Management |
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| In-person | Aug. 11–13, 2026 | T Thru TH | Phoenix, AZ | |
| #26015 | Operator Workgroup Meeting Operator Training and Meeting Event In-Person |
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| In-person | Sept. 14–18, 2026 | M Thru F | Mesa, AZ | |
| #26016 | Resilience Training Seminar Operator Training and Meeting Event In-Person |
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| In-person, minimum 1 day | Sept. 14–18, 2026 | M Thru F | Mesa, AZ | |
| #26017 | Source Water Protection Training Seminar Operator Training and Meeting Event In-Person |
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| In-person, 2 hours | Sept. 14–18, 2026 | TBD | Mesa, AZ | |
| #26018 | Operator of the Year Award Award Ceremony Event In-Person |
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| In-person, minimum 1 day | Sept. 14–18, 2026 | Fri | Mesa, AZ | |
