Well Construction and Pump Installation Certification Program
Why Choose NGWA's Program?
Benefits of Becoming Certified
How Is the Program Governed?
Am I Eligible to Apply for Certification?
Where Do I Start?
Materials for Applicants for the Designation of Certified Ground Water Professional
Exam Procedures
How to Prepare for Exams
Exam Categories
Master Ground Water Contractor (MGWC)
Requirements for Taking the MGWC Exam
Exam Procedure for MGWC
Fees
The Certification Emblem -- Show it with Pride!
How Can I Maintain Certification?
Why Do I Have to Earn Continuing Education Points (CEPs)?
How Can I Earn Continuing Education Points?
Decertification
Certification as a Licensing Requirement
Information for Persons with Disabilities
Quick Checklist for Becoming and Staying Certified
Contact Us for More Information
Why Choose NGWA's Program?
The NGWA Well Construction and Pump Installation Certification Program, started in 1970, is the only national certification program for contractors and pump installers in the ground water industry. The program is designed and governed by your peers who understand your daily activities in the field. They have set realistic expectations and guidelines, but also high standards to ensure integrity. It is recognized as the leading program in the industry by numerous state agencies, which have adopted our tests for their own programs.It is designed to demonstrate pride in your job and to promote professionalism in the ground water industry. Your commitment to advancing knowledge and skill in the ground water industry, by participating in this program, is recognized by the public, regulatory officials, and the scientific community.
Benefits of Becoming Certified
- Promotes confidence to the consumers in your market
- Local, state, and national recognition
- Exemplifies your dedication to professionalism
- Continuing education keeps you current in the industry
- Gives you a competitive edge
- These are the same exams that many state agencies are using as a part of their licensing requirements.
How Is the Program Governed?
The NGWA Certification Committee, which is selected by the president of the Association and approved by the board of directors, establishes program rules and revises the exams. Once you're in the program you're encouraged to propose revisions and improvements to it. Administration and maintenance of files are handled at the NGWA headquarters in Westerville, Ohio.
Am I Eligible to Apply for Certification?
Yes, if you have two years of full-time experience in well construction or pump installation in an operational or supervisory capacity.You are required to submit written references from two professional contacts verifying your experience. You may submit these before or after you take the exams, but we must have them before your Certification will be processed. Send them to Certification Coordinator, NGWA Certification, 601 Dempsey Rd., Westerville, OH 43081
Where Do I Start?
Preregistration is not necessary. Contact NGWA, your state association, or look in a recent issue of the Water Well Journal for when and where upcoming Certification Exams are being held.
Certification exams are given in more than 20 locations annually -- at state, regional, and national conventions. When you arrive at the exam location an exam proctor will supply you with the application. You must show the proctor a photo I.D. card. You are also required to pay fees on-site, as we offer no billing system.
Materials for Applicants for the Designation of Certified Ground Water Professional
Exam Procedures
The exams are designed to test knowledge of specialized equipment and geologic formations. You may choose the exam that covers the geographic region in which you work and the equipment you use. Most exams consist of 50 questions; true/false and multiple choice.In order to become Certified, you must pass the General Exam and at least one other exam in a specialized category with scores of 70 percent or more. If an exam is failed, there is a 90-day waiting period before you may retest in that category. Both exams have to be passed within a 12-month period.
How to Prepare for the Exams
Study guides are designed to help the driller/pump installer cover the material used in past NGWA Contractor Certification examinations. While they do not identify the specific questions that could be asked on a current exam, the guides do provide an idea of what to expect. Call NGWA to order.
Exam Categories
The General Exam, which must be taken by all new applicants, tests your general knowledge of ground water and the ground water industry. You must pass this exam in addition to at least one exam in a specialized category to qualify for Certification.Certified Well Driller (CWD) categories:
- Cable tool drilling in unconsolidated material
- Cable tool drilling in rock material
- Air rotary drilling in unconsolidated material
- Air rotary drilling in rock material
- Mud rotary drilling in unconsolidated material
- Mud rotary drilling in rock material
- Reverse rotary drilling in unconsolidated material
- Jetting and driving wells in unconsolidated material
- Boring and augering in unconsolidated material
- Monitoring well construction
- Well servicing and maintenance
Certified Pump Installer (CPI) categories:
- Pump installation domestic I to 3 hp
- Pump installation domestic 3 to 20 hp
- Pump installation industrial and municipal, more than 20 hp
If you achieve the status of Certified Well Driller or Pump Installer, you must commit to annual continuing education. If you don't report your continuing education points and pay recertification fees, you won't be recognized as Certified.
Master Ground Water Contractor (MGWC)
The designation of Master Ground Water Contractor has been added to the Certification Program to recognize those who have proven exceptional knowledge and dedication in water well construction and pump installation.
Requirements for Taking the Master Ground Water Contractor (MGWC) Exam
The candidate must be Certified in all exam categories, except for monitoring well construction, and must have five years of full-time experience in well construction or pump installation in an operational or supervisory capacity.
Exam Procedure for Master Ground Water Contractor
Advance written notice is required for persons who wish to take this exam because eligibility must be
verified, and because it's a special exam that must be graded by a Committee. If you meet the requirements listed above and wish to take the exam for Master Ground Water Contractor, write to the NGWA Certification Coordinator.With advance notice, the exam can usually be given at any time the certification exams are offered. The exam consists of 50 questions, mostly essay and the rest multiple choice, covering aspects of business, management, and all types of drilling and pump installation. A minimum score of 70 percent is required to pass this exam. Due to the special handling of this exam, the fee is $30.
Fees
Exam Fees:NGWA member: $35/general exam
$20 for each exam in a specialized category
Nonmember: $275/general exam and first exam in a specialized category
$20/additional exams in a specialized category
Annual Recertification Fees:
NGWA member: $25
Nonmember: $275
Recertification fees must be paid within 90 days of your expiration date or you will lose your Certification status and you will have to pass the exams again before being requalified. The costs of the Certification Program are underwritten by the NGWA membership dues.
The Certification Emblem -- Show It with Pride!
If you become Certified, you are entitled to use the Certification Emblem to increase public awareness of your professional competence as signified by your successful participation in this program. The emblem is available for use in advertising, on stationery, equipment, and uniforms.This distinctive logo is available in various sizes and forms. Camera-ready logos are available for the categories in which you are Certified (CWD, CPI, CWD/PI, Monitoring, or MGWC). You will receive a logo sheet of the emblems in your packet when you become Certified. This logo remains the property of the NGWA and must be surrendered upon demand, because NGWA certification requires annual renewal. We encourage Certified contractors and pump installers to use the appropriate initials following their name so the public and potential customers will recognize their professional achievements.
The Association actively promotes the benefits of hiring Certified professionals to the public -- your potential customers. The use of the emblems and Certification initials by Certified contractors and pump installers reinforces the public's awareness of our industry's professionalism.
NGWA headquarters receives many requests from consumers, businesses, and government agencies throughout the nation who are seeking Certified professionals for contracts and projects. The names of Certified contractors and pump installers are automatically added to a database housed in the National Ground Water Information Center, which is accessible to anyone looking for a contractor or pump installer in a specific state.
How Can I Maintain Certification?
1. Pay the annual recertification fee as described previously.2. Complete seven hours of annual continuing education. These seven points (hours) must be reported to NGWA by February I for the previous year.
3. Maintain a high standard of work as agreed to in the "Certification Agreement" you sign when you took the exams.
4. Sign an affidavit each year verifying that you have no pending legal action against you for failure to properly construct wells or install pumps, and that you have maintained the qualified licenses to operate in your state.
Why Do I Have to Earn Continuing Education Points (CEPs)?
Because of the constantly changing technology and equipment in today's world, every person in the work force must continually learn about the new products, techniques, rules and regulations, and ideas relative to their own job -- or the world, and the customers, will pass them by.To maintain the high standards of the Contractor Certification Program participants are required to earn and report a minimum of seven hours of committee-approved education in the ground water industry each calendar year.
How Can I Earn Continuing Education Points (CEPs)?
1. Attend meetings, conventions, seminars, or courses where you can learn something new about the ground water industry. State, regional, and NGWA conventions are just a few of the potential learning places; for example, many manufacturers and suppliers operate training schools or product-specific classes for drillers and pump installers.2. Speak or give instruction at the same type of meetings listed above.
3. Conduct a safety program for your company. Instructors of company safety programs will receive one point for each program they conduct, provided they submit the program to the Certification Committee in written form.
4. Complete correspondence courses relating to the ground water industry or general business practices.
5. Present slide shows, demonstrations, or talks to educate community service groups, schools, etc., about the ground water industry.
If you participate in an activity that you feel is equivalent to one of the above, contact the NGWA Well Construction and Pump Installation Certification Program to have it evaluated for credit. Newly Certified people must report Continuing Education Points beginning the first calendar year following their initial Certification. An official CEP report form will be sent each year.
Continuing Education Points must be reported on the official report forms. Contact NGWA if you need a form.
Decertification - Understand that you can lose your Certification
Decertification is automatic if the annual recertification fee is not paid every year or if you do not submit the necessary CEP report each year.If decertification is made on evidence presented to the Certification Committee, the person being notified of decertification has 10 days to comply with all the requirements. There are no refunds of recertification fees if you fail to comply with all requirements.
Certification as a Licensing Requirement
NGWA's Certification exams are used by several state and local government agencies as a requirement for licensing. In these states, passing grades for licensing are decided upon by the agency.
If you wish to be Certified by the NGWA at the same time you take an exam for licensing, you must earn at least 70 percent on the General Exam and one special category exam, and meet all the other requirements for NGWA Certification. To find out which states and local agencies are currently using the NGWA exams, contact Certification Coordinator at (800) 551-7379.
Information for Persons with Disabilities
If you have a disability and may require some accommodation for taking the exams, contact the Certification Coordinator at NGWA and ask for a "Request for Accommodation" form. If accommodation is not requested in advance, we cannot guarantee the availability of accommodation on-site.
Quick Checklist for Becoming and Staying Certified
- Make sure you meet the requirements.
- Send NGWA two written professional references.
- Find out when and where the next exams will take place.
- Pay annual recertification dues.
- Study for the exams.
- Take and pass the exams.
- Report your annual CEPS.
If you have any further questions about the program, please contact Certification Coordinator at (800) 551-7379, ext. 568.
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Last Updated February 17, 1998
601 Dempsey Road • Westerville • OH • 43081
(614) 898-7791 • Toll Free (800) 551-7379 • Fax (614) 898-7786
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