Water Purification Technology (Code 650)
Associate in Applied Science
Academic Department: Manufacturing
This program is operated in cooperation with
Bay de Noc Community College, Escanaba, Michigan.
The Associate in Applied Science Degree is awarded by
Bay de Noc Community College.
Students in Water Purification Technology take their first year of college classes at GRCC and their second year at Bay de Noc Community College in Escanaba, Michigan. (The second half of the last semester, however, is spent at a cooperative education work site as close to the student's home as practical.)
Increasingly stringent regulations on water quality and treatment have increased the need for trained technicians in this field. Water and wastewater treatment operators control processes and equipment for removing solid materials, chemicals, and organisms from the water or rendering them harmless. By operating and maintaining the pumps, pipes, valves, and processing equipment of the treatment facility, operators move the water through the various treatment processes.
Operators read and interpret meters and gauges to make sure plant equipment and processes are working properly and adjust controls as needed. They operate chemical feeding devices, take samples and perform chemical and biological analysis, and test and adjust the level of chlorine in the water.
Graduates of this program have gone to work in municipal and industrial treatment plants, engineering firms, laboratories, hazardous waste treatment facilities, regulatory agencies and related facilities. Upon completion of this program, students are eligible for immediate state operator certification in municipal water and wastewater treatment plants, and then can progress to the highest level of certification without any further educational requirements.
One hundred percent of the graduates of this program have been placed in jobs since the program's inception in 1969. Entry level salaries currently average about $24,000 per year.
Bay de Noc Community College can make on-campus apartment housing available for students. Housing is also available in the town of Escanaba. More information on housing can be obtained from Bay de Noc's Housing Director at (906) 786-5802, Ext.179.
Students should file applications for admission with both Bay de Noc Community College and GRCC before the start of the freshman year. Application materials and additional information can be obtained from the Student Services Department at Bay de Noc Community College, telephone, (906) 786-5802, Ext. 148.
Upon acceptance by Bay de Noc, a place in the sophomore Water Purification Technology class will be reserved for the new student, so that he/she is guaranteed a place in the second year of the program. The only entrance requirement is high school graduation (or GED). High school transcripts, as well as transcripts of prior college work.
Click HERE to go to the catalog page that pertains to the Water Purification Technology program to review the suggested course sequence.