Welcome!

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Welcome to the home page for the Mariana Islands Water Operator Association.  This web site provides information about upcoming continuing education training for water and waste water operators in the Northern Mariana Islands (click on "Training Calendar" to the left), and links to on-line training resources and exam study materials (click on "Links:).  To learn more about the benefits of becoming a member of the Mariana Islands Water Operator Association click on "Membership." To learn more about the water operator certification requirements in the Northern Mariana Islands click on "Certification."  Members of the Association are eligible to check out books from the Association "Lending Library".  Click on "Lending Library" at the left to see what titles are available.

COVID-19 Resources for Water Operators

We have created a webpage with links to COVID-19 resources for water and wastewater operators.  Click on "COVID-19 Resources" in the menu or the button below.

Two Continuing Education Classes in December 2020

We hope to have invitations for the first December continuing education class out by the first week of December, then the next invitation out the following week.  To get your email address added to the invitation list see the notice and form below.

Upcoming classes include:

Wednesday Dec 9, 2020 9:00 am via ZOOM - guest speaker Rick Zimmer from Eurofins

Wednesday Dec 16, 2020 9:00 am via ZOOM - guest speaker Dr. (candidate) Kaity Mattos, from Anchorage, Alaska

AWWA Hawaii Section Workshop Dec 3 & 4, 2020 8-11 am

Click on the image to go to the registration link, or click on the link in the text notice below.

Upcoming trainings/webinars offered by other organizations

AWWA from Hach (FREE)
Coagulation and Oxidation Innovations: Using Machine Learning and Online Technology to Improve Your Process
Wednesday December 2, 2020 4:00 am ChST
Registration: https://www.awwa.org/Events/AWWA-Events-Calendar/Meeting-Details?productId=86927517
Water Utility Resilience Forum (FREE)
Water Utility Resilience Virtual Forum
Wednesday December 2, 2020 5:00-7:00 am ChST &
Thursday December 3, 2020 5:00-7:00 am ChST
More info & registration: www.waterresilienceforum.org/
National Rural Water Association (FREE)
Case Study of BDM Rural Water: Water System Depreciation - a Capital Planning Tool for Long Term Financial Sustainability
Fri day December 4, 2020  6:00 am ChST
Register: nrwa.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cc63d0627a11c1224eac0b2d3&id=b96f7fa832&e=ce80a649b8
AWWA Hawaii Section (FREE)
Small System Workshop: Optimizing Performance and Accessing Funding to Improve Small Systems
December 3 & 4, 2020
8:00 am - 11:00 am ChST (GMT+10)
​3 hours each day for a total of 6 hours
Online via Go-To Webinar (must be logged in via Google Chrome)
RSVP by December 3, 2020
https://www.awwa.org/Events/AWWA-Events-Calendar/Meeting-Details/productId/86917683
U.S. EPA 
Creating the Water Workforce of the Future: Technology Adoption, It's All About the People (FREE)
December 10, 2020 2:00 am ChST
For more info: ​https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-water-infrastructure/water-sector-workforce
Flyer: https://watereuse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Water-Workforce-Webinar-Flyer-Dec-2020_Finalv2.pdf
To register: https://rossstrategic.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_KD9z55A1RbuBF1FAsTwZ7w
WWD Water and Wastes Digest - AdEdge
Manganese - A Not so Innocent Contaminant (FREE)
December 10, 2020 5:00 am ChST
Info & Register: www.workcast.com/register?cpak=8202530074137026
U.S EPA Office of Research and Development
Detection of SARS CoV-2 in Wastewater to Inform Public Health (FREE)
December 17, 2020 6:00 am ChST
info: ​www.epa.gov/research-states/epa-tools-and-resources-webinar-series
register: www.epa.gov/research-states/epa-tools-resources-webinar-detection-sars-cov-2-wastewater-inform-public-health-0
ABC (Association of Boards of Certification) 
Innovation in Certification virtual conference ($250 early bird / $350 regular price)
January 20-21, 2021
Innovation in Certification is the water environment industry's preeminent meeting of certifiers, regulators, and trainers. and includes two days designed to tackle current issues influencing certification and training.  Register by December 7, 2020 for early bird pricing.  Visit innovation.abcert.org for more details.
ABC is the volunteer organization that writes the water and wastewater operator exams.
AWWA Hawaii Section
2021 Pacific Water Conference ($45 member/$98 non-member)
February 2-4, 2021
For more info and to see the schedule go to: https://pheedloop.com/pwc2021/site/home
To Register click here: https://pheedloop.com/pwc2021/site/register

On-Demand Webinars

Pall Corporation
Reopening Hotels, Office Buildings And Healthcare Facilities After The COVID-19 Pandemic: Managing Legionella Risks In Building Water Systems (FREE)
https://www.pall.com/en/laboratory/webinars/covid-19-legionella-risks.html

Add your email to on-line class invitation list

If you are not already receiving training announcements from "Training@MarianasOperators.org" then complete the form below and click submit to get added to the email invitation list for the new on-line CEU classes.  If you have been receiving emails, then you are already on the email invitation list.  It won't hurt to fill it out again if you want.  I enter all these manually so I'll check to see if you are already on the list before I add you. It will take at least 24 hours for me to add you to the list because I only do this once a day at most.

    On-Line Class Invitation List Sign Up Form

PFAs Resources for Water Operators

Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council - PFAS Resources for Water Operators: ​https://pfas-1.itrcweb.org/

PFOS and PFOA Health Advisory

In 2015 CUC conducted two rounds of sampling for unregulated contaminants.  In May of 2016, USEPA announced a health advisory for two of the contaminants that were detected in the Saipan CUC water distribution system. CUC immediately removed one well from service that was known to contain high concentrations of the contaminants known as PFOS and began the process of collecting samples from other wells to determine the extent of the contamination.  In late July 2016 CUC received the results from the sampling and were able to determine which wells were contributing significant amounts of PFOS to the distribution system.  On July 29, 2016 - six additional wells were removed from service in order to reduce the contaminant concentration to below the health advisory level of 0.070 ug/l.  For more detailed information about PFOS and PFOA contamination on Saipan, health affects of PFOS and PFOA and to see a map of the water distribution areas on Saipan that were affected click here or click on the "PFOS - PFOA Health Advisory" link on the menu.

Information about the Revised Total Coliform Rule (RTCR)

The Revised Total Coliform Rule went into effect on April 1, 2016.  You may know that a water system is supposed to take some kind of action if they get a total coliform positive sample during their routine monthly sampling, but how many positive samples does it take before action has to be taken?  And then what action has to be taken?  We have created a page to remind water operators how this new rule works.  Click on RTCR Info on the left side menu or click here.

Information about Lead and Copper in CNMI's drinking water

The lead contamination crisis in the drinking water supply in Flint, Michigan became national news in late January 2016. This crisis has revealed to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the CNMI Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality the need to make the public more aware of the efforts made towards regulating lead and copper in the CNMI's drinking water as well as making sure that the drinking water is free from all harmful contaminants.  To further that need, the Mariana Islands Water Operator Association, in conjunction with BECQ, has created several web pages that describe the sampling protocols for lead and copper, guidnace for selection of sampling sites, materials inventories for public water systems in the CNMI, and lead and copper sampling results for most public water systems in the CNMI.  To go to the Lead and Copper Information pages click here.

BECQ Publishes Revised Drinking Water Regulations

The Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality (BECQ) Safe Drinking Water Program (SDWP) published the adoption of the final revised drinking water regulations in the December 28, 2015 edition of the Commonwealth Register.  These revised regulations adopt the new Revised Total Coliform Rule (Subpart Y of 40 CFR 141).  BECQ held a Public Water System Workshop on Tuesday January 26, 2016 where they introduced the new regulation to CNMI water systems.  The water operator Association plans on conducting further training for this new rule in March 2016.  Specifically the training will address how certified operators-in-charge of public water systems are to conduct level 1 assessments of their system if there is a positive total coliform detected in their distribution system.

To learn more about the Revised Total Coliform Rule visit U.S. EPA's website: http://www.epa.gov/dwreginfo/revised-total-coliform-rule-and-total-coliform-rule

You can find the official version of the CNMI Drinking Water Regulations on the CNMI Law Revision Commission website: http://www.cnmilaw.org or http://www.cnmilaw.org/mediawiki-1.21.2/index.php?title=65-20

Also, you can download a pdf copy of the "unofficial" version of the CNMI Drinking Water Regulations by clicking here.

Attendance certificates now on-line

Attendance certificates for classes are now available as downloadable pdf or tiff files from this website.  To find certificates for any class, click on the Training Calendar link at the left > then Past Events > then select the class from the list, like November 9, 2011> at the bottom of each page is a list of people that were at the class.  Click on the person's last name to download the certificate for that person for that class.  

Lending Library Materials

Our records about who has what book checked out are not up to date.  Some members have returned books and others have checked them out - but somehow the transaction did not get recorded.  If you have a lending library book out and your name is not on the list please let us know so we can record your name with the book.

Our Mission

The Mariana Islands Water Operator Association is a non-profit corporation whose mission is to provide and promote training and career development for operators and managers of environmental utilities in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 

Get Your 2020 membership!

Membership in the Mariana Islands Water Operator Association is ONLY $10 a year.  What a bargain.  Click on the membership link to the right to find out what the benefits are of being a member of the Association.

Contact Information

We don't have a physical office.  Our organization is managed by an unpaid board of directors that volunteer their time and energy.  The best way to contact us is via e-mail at the addresses listed below:

Board Members (positions yet to be determined)
  • Derek Chambers
  • Cecilio Raiukiulipiy
  • Mariano Iglecias
  • Larry Manacop
  • Gary Byrd
Postal address 
     P.O. Box 502512, Saipan, MP 96950 (USA) 
Electronic mail 
     General Information: info@marianasoperators.org
     Webmaster: webmaster@marianasoperators.org   
Send mail to webmaster@marianasoperators.org with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright (c) 2009 - 2020 Mariana Islands Water Operator Association
Last Modified: 11/22/2020