Description: Effective wastewater utility management requires strong leadership, clear oversight, and a thorough understanding of regulatory compliance responsibilities. This training will provide wastewater utility board members, managers, supervisors, and operators with an overview of the roles and responsibilities necessary to support successful utility operations and compliance with environmental regulations.

Participants will explore key leadership and governance topics, including fiduciary responsibilities, board oversight, ethics, conflict-of-interest policies, financial accountability, strategic planning, meeting management, and organizational decision-making. The training will also examine how effective leadership contributes to the long-term technical, managerial, and financial capacity of wastewater utilities.

The session will further introduce the purpose and significance of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits and review common wastewater permit parameters, including flow, pH, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total suspended solids (TSS), nutrients, fecal coliform, and chlorine residual. Participants will learn how these parameters are monitored and reported, how inspections are conducted, and how operational practices influence permit compliance.

Through practical examples and discussion, attendees will gain a better understanding of how leadership decisions, operational oversight, and regulatory requirements work together to support wastewater system performance, environmental protection, and public health.

Learning Objectives: 

Upon completion of this training, participants should be able to:

• Describe the leadership, governance, and fiduciary responsibilities associated with managing a wastewater utility.
• Identify policies, procedures, and oversight practices that support transparency, accountability, and organizational effectiveness.
• Explain the importance of ethics, conflict-of-interest policies, and financial controls in utility management.
• Recognize the primary wastewater permit parameters used to evaluate treatment system performance and regulatory compliance.
• Understand the purpose of NPDES permits and common wastewater inspection processes.
• Identify common operational, reporting, and recordkeeping issues that may affect permit compliance.
• Apply management and oversight concepts to improve the technical, managerial, and financial capacity of wastewater utilities.

• Managers, owners, and operators of wastewater systems with an average daily flow of less than 1 million gallons
• Decision-makers for wastewater utilities, including mayors, finance officers, utility managers, public works directors, city councilors, board members, tribal council members, and clerks
• Consultants and technical assistance providers serving wastewater systems

Partner: