AWT5 Advanced Water Treatment Operator Practice Test

Administered by California-Nevada American Water Works Association (CA-NV AWWA) and California Water Environment Association (CWEA) — Advanced Water Treatment Operator (AWTO) program

AWT5 calls for advanced understanding of the regulations for each end use (recycled water, potable water, potable reuse); keeps regulator contact, ensures permit compliance and prepares regulatory reports.

For operators at advanced treatment facilities — reverse osmosis, advanced oxidation, and the potable reuse plants California is building out.

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AWT5 sample question

Regulations: pathogen log reduction credits · an original practice item written only from publicly available sources, not a real exam question

Suppose a potable reuse permit requires 10-log reduction of Cryptosporidium, credits no single process with more than 6-log, and requires at least three separate processes each credited with at least 1-log. Which proposed treatment train meets all three conditions?

  1. Microfiltration 4-log and ultraviolet advanced oxidation 6-log
  2. Ozone 2-log and ultraviolet advanced oxidation 8-log
  3. Microfiltration 4-log, reverse osmosis 1.5-log and ultraviolet advanced oxidation 6-log
  4. Microfiltration 4-log, reverse osmosis 0.5-log and ultraviolet advanced oxidation 6-log
Answer and working

C. Microfiltration 4-log, reverse osmosis 1.5-log and ultraviolet advanced oxidation 6-log

These three conditions match the Cryptosporidium requirements for groundwater replenishment projects in the California Code of Regulations (22 CCR 60320.208). Log credits add across barriers, so each train has to be checked against all three conditions, not just the total. Microfiltration, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet advanced oxidation give 4 + 1.5 + 6 = 11.5-log from three processes, each at 1-log or more and none above 6, so it passes. The ozone and ultraviolet train totals 10 but credits one process with 8-log and has only two processes. The microfiltration and ultraviolet train totals exactly 10 but has only two processes. The train with 0.5-log for reverse osmosis totals 10.5, but that process is below 1-log, leaving only two qualifying processes.

AWT5 questions answered

Who can sit the AWT5 exam?
Pass the AWT4 exam. 3 years of experience: 2 years on one advanced process plus 1 more year covering at least two processes.
What does the AWT5 level involve?
AWT5 calls for advanced understanding of the regulations for each end use (recycled water, potable water, potable reuse); keeps regulator contact, ensures permit compliance and prepares regulatory reports.
Who administers the AWT5 certification?
The California-Nevada Section, American Water Works Association (CA-NV AWWA) and California Water Environment Association (CWEA), through the joint AWTO program.

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Other grades in this track

AWT Grade 3 · AWT Grade 4 · All Advanced Water Treatment grades

Related exams

Water Treatment · Wastewater Treatment

Sources

Topic coverage follows Example AWTO Exam Topics (CA-NV American Water Works Association + California Water Environment Association). Practice questions are written only from publicly available sources (that outline and the regulations and references it cites); they are not real exam questions, which are confidential. Check current application requirements, fees and exam dates on the certifying body's own page: official certification page.

Questions, flashcards, and explanations are AI-written from publicly available sources only: the exam content outlines and candidate materials each certifying body publishes without restriction, and the regulations and technical references they cite. No confidential material is used, including actual exam questions, recollections of any exam sat by the author, or any handbook or document released under a confidentiality agreement. Content is then put through repeated review — regulatory values checked against primary sources, every calculation recomputed, and errors corrected — plus spot checks by the author, who holds California water operator certifications and a California civil engineering licence. Those spot checks are sampling, not a professional review: nothing here is stamped, sealed, or offered as engineering advice, and not every item has been individually verified, so mistakes can still slip through.