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Water treatment operator training in Illinois

2 water and wastewater programs with results and funding that can make them free

2 schools offer these water treatment programs, and Illinois has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows how past students did; Illinois files no usable prices.

Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators run the machines that move and treat water. They typically need at least a high school diploma and long-term training on the job, and a state license is usually required; licenses have several levels, and employers may prefer applicants with a certificate or degree in a field such as water treatment technology.1 Under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, every state must run a certification program for the operators of community water systems, or lose a fifth of its federal drinking water grant; the state sets the levels and exams.2

In Illinois, 1 of the 2 programs takes students without a high school diploma and 1 asks for a diploma or equivalent.

By kind, the 2 programs here are water or wastewater operator certificate (1 program) and water or wastewater apprenticeship (1 program).

See the 2 programs

How much does water treatment operator training cost in Illinois?

Not reported

Illinois files no usable prices, so none can be shown.

These two programs

Finished the program
Not reported
Neither program reports it
Working 6 months later
Not reported
Neither program reports it
Earned a year, estimated
Not reported
Neither program reports it
Length
48 to 115 weeks

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in Illinois may also offer water treatment operator training. How these figures are made

Is there free water treatment operator training in Illinois?

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: financial aid, grants and the GI Bill

All 2 water and wastewater programs in Illinois approved for WIOA funding

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2 programs

  • Water or wastewater operator certificateIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Water Quality Control Operations

    Environmental Resources Training Center

    Edwardsville

    Accredited school

    High school diploma or equivalent

    Environmental Resources Training Center, EdwardsvilleWater or wastewater operator certificate · Accredited schoolIn person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
    Program website, Water Quality Control Operations at Environmental Resources Training Center
    More details about Water Quality Control Operations at Environmental Resources Training Center
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    48 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    Left out
    Program website, Water Quality Control Operations at Environmental Resources Training Center

  • Water or wastewater apprenticeshipHybridNo diploma needed

    Water and Wastewater Operation Specialist

    Illinois Rural Water Association (IRWA)

    Taylorville

    No diploma needed

    Illinois Rural Water Association (IRWA), TaylorvilleWater or wastewater apprenticeshipHybrid · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
    More details about Water and Wastewater Operation Specialist at Illinois Rural Water Association (IRWA)
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    115 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    Left out

How to pay for water treatment operator training in Illinois

WIOA funding can pay for water treatment operator training in Illinois

Every program on this page is approved for it. Whether you qualify, how much your local area pays and how to apply are on our page Does WIOA pay for job training?

Financial aid and grants for water treatment operator training

Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.78

GI Bill for water treatment operator training

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.9

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Water treatment operator training in St. Louis, Taylorville and other Illinois cities

Choosing an area filters the program list above.

Other training in Illinois

How water treatment operator training compares with the rest of skilled trades: Trade school programs in Illinois

Where the Illinois water treatment program numbers come from

Which Illinois water treatment programs are on this list?

These are the water treatment programs Illinois approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).10 The list here covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what Illinois offers.

How the prices and results of Illinois water treatment programs are measured

Prices are tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported them; check the current price with the school. Results describe students who left each program in recent years, so they are no guarantee, and the yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. A program without a "Trained with WIOA funding" line may still take WIOA students. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported", and "Left out" where a figure was filed but failed one of our checks; nothing is estimated to fill a gap. Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.

How reliable are the Illinois figures?

The US Department of Labor's own results site lists Illinois among the states with "known data quality concerns".11 We leave out the share who finished for Illinois: only a few programs report it, and those at a typical 11%. We leave out prices for Illinois: the state files a code in place of each price, so no price can be shown.

Sources for the facts about water treatment operator training in Illinois

Show the 11 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators
  2. US Code: 42 U.S.C. 300g-8, operator certification
  3. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
  4. US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
  5. Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, part 680, sections 680.220, 680.230 and 680.310: career services before training, other grants such as Pell Grants first, and limits on Individual Training Accounts (GovInfo, 2024 edition)
  6. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  7. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
  8. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Don't Miss Out on Federal Pell Grants
  9. US Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs
  10. US Department of Labor, Training and Employment Guidance Letter 8-19, Attachment I: Requirements for Training Providers, Program Eligibility, and the State Eligible Training Provider (ETP) List
  11. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: search page, note on states with known data quality concerns