The MassDEP Drinking Water Program, in partnership with UMass-Amherst, Bristol Community College, and the Mass Rural Water Association, is offering a FREE self-paced Basic Distribution pre-requisite training class.
This class is approved by the Board of Certification for Operators of Drinking Water Supply Facilities and is designed to prepare students to take the D2 through D4 Drinking Water Distribution Exams. The class will run during the Spring semester (starting February 2026) at Bristol Community College. The course is approximately 40 hours long and will be offered to 25-30 students.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Topics include (but are not limited to) defining a public water system, proper operation, regulatory requirements, components, equipment and operation, water quality monitoring, storage facilities, cathodic protection, corrosion control, hydraulics, chemistry, formulas, flow, pressure, performance and transmission, cross connection, pumps, motors and operator ethics, safety and more.
TEACHING PROCEDURE
This is a self-paced, online class. The class will be taught on an eLearning platform, and all instructional content will be available on this platform. Additionally, textbooks will be provided for all students. Each week, there will be approximately 3 hours of lecture content and additional hours for reading the textbook and reviewing other required material. The class will take approximately 30-40 hours throughout the Spring semester. Students will earn approximately 30-40 TCHs upon successful completion of the class and will be eligible to sit for the D2-D4 Drinking Water Distribution exams.
If you are interested in taking this class, please send a letter or email expressing your interest, and/or a resume to Robert Rak of Bristol Community College at Robert.Rak@bristolcc.edu, Subject: Interested in Bristol Community College Basic Drinking Water Distribution Class. Or, you can contact the Drinking Water Program at program.director-dwp@mass.gov, Subject: Interested in Bristol Community College Basic Drinking Water Distribution Class. Minimum qualifications include, but are not limited to, an interest in a drinking water career, a high school diploma or GED (or close to completing), and 17 years or older. Interest emails from potential student will be reviewed and accepted in the order which they are received until all class spots are filled. There are approximately 25-30 available spots in class. Registration and sign up instructions will be sent after evaluating all inquiries. Please contact Robert Rak or the Drinking Water Program with any questions.