Wastewater Operator Class 3 Definitions
2024/2025 Exam Questions Marking
Scheme New Update | A+ Rated
1977 primary legislation concerning water pollution and its regulation. It
establishes the NPDES permit system that prohibits point sources from
discharging pollutants into waters of the United States. - 🧠 ANSWER
✔✔Clean Water Act
Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government
of the United States charged with protecting human health and the
environment by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by
Congress - 🧠 ANSWER ✔✔EPA
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System is a permit issued by state
or federal government regulating amount of pollutants wastewater
treatment plants can discharge - 🧠 ANSWER ✔✔NPDES
Code of Federal Regulations is the codification of the general and
permanent rules and regulations published in the 'Federal Register' by the
COPYRIGHT©NINJANERD 2025/2026. YEAR PUBLISHED 2025. COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 619652435. TERMS OF USE. PRIVACY
1
STATEMENT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
,executive departments and agencies (like EPA) of the Federal Government
of the United States - 🧠 ANSWER ✔✔CFR
The spent water of a community from homes, businesses, and industries -
🧠 ANSWER ✔✔Wastewater
Wastewater from homes and businesses with little to no industrial
components - 🧠 ANSWER ✔✔Domestic Wastewater
temperature, color (gray), odor (musty), turbidity - 🧠 ANSWER
✔✔Wastewater Physical Characteristics
Local ordinance that addresses what is prohibited from being discharged
and sets limits for particular pollutants - 🧠 ANSWER ✔✔Sewer Use
Ordinance
Publicly Owned Treatment Works. A treatment works, as defined by
Section 212 of the CWA, that is owned by the state or municipality.
Includes the treatment plant and the collection system. - 🧠 ANSWER
✔✔POTW
A program run by a permitting authority requiring industries to pretreat
wastes and establishing discharge limits for the water sent to the POTW -
🧠 ANSWER ✔✔Industrial Pretreatment Program
COPYRIGHT©NINJANERD 2025/2026. YEAR PUBLISHED 2025. COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 619652435. TERMS OF USE. PRIVACY
2
STATEMENT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
,Sewer system that transports spent water from homes, business, and
industries to the wastewater treatment plant - 🧠 ANSWER ✔✔Sanitary
Sewer
Sanitary Sewer Overflow. Untreated of partiality treated sewage overflows
from a sanitary sewer collection system - 🧠 ANSWER ✔✔SSO
Sewer system that transports stormwater runoff to a water body - 🧠
ANSWER ✔✔Storm Sewer
A sewer system that transports both sanitary sewage and stormwater
typically found in older municipalities - 🧠 ANSWER ✔✔Combined Sewer
System
Combined Sewer Overflow. A discharge of untreated wastewater from a
combined sewer system at a point prior to the headworks of a POTW.
CSOs generally occur during wet weather (rainfall or snowmelt) - 🧠
ANSWER ✔✔CSO
Pipe that collects the wastewater from the system laterals and branch
sewers and conveys it to larger trunk sewers - 🧠 ANSWER ✔✔Sewer Main
The main arteries of a collections system that convey water to treatment
plants or interceptors - 🧠 ANSWER ✔✔Trunk Sewers
COPYRIGHT©NINJANERD 2025/2026. YEAR PUBLISHED 2025. COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 619652435. TERMS OF USE. PRIVACY
3
STATEMENT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
, Opening to a sewer line for the purpose of permitting operators or
equipment to enter or leave a sewer - 🧠 ANSWER ✔✔Manhole
A wastewater pumping station that lifts the wastewater to a higher
elevation; usually the next gravity sewer or the treatment plant - 🧠
ANSWER ✔✔Lift Station
A network of pipes equipment, and appurtenances that collect, pump, and
transport wastewater to the wastewater treatment plant - 🧠 ANSWER
✔✔The Collection System
The ratio of the vertical distance over the horizontal distance. Rise over run
- 🧠 ANSWER ✔✔Slope
Ratio of distance over time (miles per hour) Minimum 2 ft/sec prevents
solids from dropping out. Maximum 10 ft/sec because more than that
causes scouring - 🧠 ANSWER ✔✔Velocity
Related to the roughness of the interior of a pipe. Manning's formula.
Roughness coefficient "n" The higher the value, the rougher the pipe - 🧠
ANSWER ✔✔Roughness Coefficient
Devices used to stop or modify the flow of water in a pipe - 🧠 ANSWER
✔✔Valves
COPYRIGHT©NINJANERD 2025/2026. YEAR PUBLISHED 2025. COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 619652435. TERMS OF USE. PRIVACY
4
STATEMENT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
2024/2025 Exam Questions Marking
Scheme New Update | A+ Rated
1977 primary legislation concerning water pollution and its regulation. It
establishes the NPDES permit system that prohibits point sources from
discharging pollutants into waters of the United States. - 🧠 ANSWER
✔✔Clean Water Act
Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government
of the United States charged with protecting human health and the
environment by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by
Congress - 🧠 ANSWER ✔✔EPA
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System is a permit issued by state
or federal government regulating amount of pollutants wastewater
treatment plants can discharge - 🧠 ANSWER ✔✔NPDES
Code of Federal Regulations is the codification of the general and
permanent rules and regulations published in the 'Federal Register' by the
COPYRIGHT©NINJANERD 2025/2026. YEAR PUBLISHED 2025. COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 619652435. TERMS OF USE. PRIVACY
1
STATEMENT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
,executive departments and agencies (like EPA) of the Federal Government
of the United States - 🧠 ANSWER ✔✔CFR
The spent water of a community from homes, businesses, and industries -
🧠 ANSWER ✔✔Wastewater
Wastewater from homes and businesses with little to no industrial
components - 🧠 ANSWER ✔✔Domestic Wastewater
temperature, color (gray), odor (musty), turbidity - 🧠 ANSWER
✔✔Wastewater Physical Characteristics
Local ordinance that addresses what is prohibited from being discharged
and sets limits for particular pollutants - 🧠 ANSWER ✔✔Sewer Use
Ordinance
Publicly Owned Treatment Works. A treatment works, as defined by
Section 212 of the CWA, that is owned by the state or municipality.
Includes the treatment plant and the collection system. - 🧠 ANSWER
✔✔POTW
A program run by a permitting authority requiring industries to pretreat
wastes and establishing discharge limits for the water sent to the POTW -
🧠 ANSWER ✔✔Industrial Pretreatment Program
COPYRIGHT©NINJANERD 2025/2026. YEAR PUBLISHED 2025. COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 619652435. TERMS OF USE. PRIVACY
2
STATEMENT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
,Sewer system that transports spent water from homes, business, and
industries to the wastewater treatment plant - 🧠 ANSWER ✔✔Sanitary
Sewer
Sanitary Sewer Overflow. Untreated of partiality treated sewage overflows
from a sanitary sewer collection system - 🧠 ANSWER ✔✔SSO
Sewer system that transports stormwater runoff to a water body - 🧠
ANSWER ✔✔Storm Sewer
A sewer system that transports both sanitary sewage and stormwater
typically found in older municipalities - 🧠 ANSWER ✔✔Combined Sewer
System
Combined Sewer Overflow. A discharge of untreated wastewater from a
combined sewer system at a point prior to the headworks of a POTW.
CSOs generally occur during wet weather (rainfall or snowmelt) - 🧠
ANSWER ✔✔CSO
Pipe that collects the wastewater from the system laterals and branch
sewers and conveys it to larger trunk sewers - 🧠 ANSWER ✔✔Sewer Main
The main arteries of a collections system that convey water to treatment
plants or interceptors - 🧠 ANSWER ✔✔Trunk Sewers
COPYRIGHT©NINJANERD 2025/2026. YEAR PUBLISHED 2025. COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 619652435. TERMS OF USE. PRIVACY
3
STATEMENT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
, Opening to a sewer line for the purpose of permitting operators or
equipment to enter or leave a sewer - 🧠 ANSWER ✔✔Manhole
A wastewater pumping station that lifts the wastewater to a higher
elevation; usually the next gravity sewer or the treatment plant - 🧠
ANSWER ✔✔Lift Station
A network of pipes equipment, and appurtenances that collect, pump, and
transport wastewater to the wastewater treatment plant - 🧠 ANSWER
✔✔The Collection System
The ratio of the vertical distance over the horizontal distance. Rise over run
- 🧠 ANSWER ✔✔Slope
Ratio of distance over time (miles per hour) Minimum 2 ft/sec prevents
solids from dropping out. Maximum 10 ft/sec because more than that
causes scouring - 🧠 ANSWER ✔✔Velocity
Related to the roughness of the interior of a pipe. Manning's formula.
Roughness coefficient "n" The higher the value, the rougher the pipe - 🧠
ANSWER ✔✔Roughness Coefficient
Devices used to stop or modify the flow of water in a pipe - 🧠 ANSWER
✔✔Valves
COPYRIGHT©NINJANERD 2025/2026. YEAR PUBLISHED 2025. COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 619652435. TERMS OF USE. PRIVACY
4
STATEMENT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
