Newton Water Treatment Superintendent Todd Pierce has done something that few of his colleagues achieve. Newton Utilities Director Jody Rhone says Pierce has passed his Iowa DNR Grade IV Water Treatment Certification exam. According to Rhone, this level of certification requires many years of service in the water industry, hundreds of hours of continuing education and countless hours of studying. 

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources list of minimum education and experience requirements to be eligible to take the Grade IV exam include a High School Diploma or GED; four years of operational experience in water treatment; at least four years of Post High School Training, which could be a Bachelor’s degree or higher, a combination of an Associate of Arts degree and 90 Continuing Education Units, or 180 Continuing Education Units; and two years of direct responsible charge in a Grade 3 or higher plant.

The Iowa DNR says less than 5% of the nearly 5,000 licensed water professionals in Iowa ever obtain the Grade IV Water Treatment Certification.