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Wednesday, September 24, 2025

PFAS Grant Program Over the Past 5 Years


Click here for more information about the PFAS Grant Program.

PFAS are man-made chemicals with unique properties that make them useful for many consumer and industrial uses (e.g., waterproofing, non-stick surfaces). But those properties also make them persistent in the environment. PFAS chemicals from firefighting foam, personal products, and other substances are toxic and may get into the groundwater and surface water, potentially contaminating Colorado’s drinking water supplies. There is evidence that exposure to PFAS can lead to adverse human health effects including low infant birth weights, cancer and negative effects on the immune system. 

The state continues to address PFAS issues through legislative-directed funding from Senate Bill 20-218. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Hazardous Substances Response Act (SB20-218) was signed into law on June 29, 2020 ( C.R.S. 8-20-206.5(7)). 

The act created fees on the transportation of fuel products, which will be collected between September 1, 2020, and September 30, 2031, when the available balance in the fund is less than nine million dollars. The collected fees are placed in the PFAS Cash Fund established by the legislative bill. The funding is managed by the Water Quality Control Division and can be used for the PFAS grant program, PFAS takeback program, and PFAS technical assistance to impacted communities.

The PFAS Grant Program provides funding opportunities to eligible entities through three (3) primary project categories: 

  1. Sampling - standard sampling and Independent Environmental Studies;
  2. Emergency Assistance - to communities and water systems affected by PFAS; and 
  3. Infrastructure -water system infrastructure for the treatment of PFAS and prevention strategies for upstream sources of PFAS.

The PFAS grant program has awarded over 19 million dollars in grant funds to help communities across Colorado identify and mitigate PFAS in water. Some current and past projects include:

  • Determining the impacts of firefighting foam, ski wax, and septic systems on source water. 
  • Piloting PFAS treatment for drinking water systems and landfill leachate.
  • Installation of filtered drinking water stations in schools.
  • Several fish tissue sampling efforts.
  • Over $3.5 million to identify and assess PFAS in drinking water, source water, and groundwater. 
  • ~$12 million used to implement PFAS treatment for clean drinking water.

A full list of awarded projects can be found on the PFAS Grant Summaries webpage.  In addition, our annual legislative reports on the program progress can be found on the PFAS Laws webpage.

Any questions may be directed towards the cdphe_wqcd_pfas_grant@state.co.us email. Please use the subject line “Grant Program Questions.”

➽ Sierra Mitchell, PFAS Program Coordinator


Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Equipping Operators with Skills to Manage and Overcome Testing Anxiety!


As coaches, one thing we often hear is that sitting for water and wastewater operator certification exams is a dreaded experience. While this apprehension is completely understandable, it is not insurmountable. We are re-publishing the below article that will help you understand where this anxiety comes from, steps you can take to overcome your testing anxiety, and tangible tools to help you succeed when you take your next operator certification exam. Thank you for all the work you do to protect the environment and public health of your communities. Keep calm and test on! 

➽ Kyra Gregory, Drinking Water Training Specialist 

Note: This article has been reposted with permission from the author, Tom Healy, Director of Certification Services for The Association of Boards of Certification. Original article published Summer 2021 Arkansas Drinking Water Update

                                                                                                                                         

We have all experienced it, that feeling of dread and foreboding before taking an exam; a myriad of scenarios running through your head outlining the worst possible outcomes.

These feelings of testing anxiety are very real and can have detrimental effects on an operator’s exam performance. In fact, a recent survey of operators conducted by the Ohio Water Environment Association found that nearly 30 percent of respondents cited testing anxiety as a main cause for not passing the exam.

To examine why testing anxiety is such a prevalent phenomenon, especially in high stakes vocational testing such as an operator certification exam, I spoke with Dr. Ian MacFarlane of Elizabethtown College. Dr. MacFarlane is an Assistant Professor of Psychology, as well as a clinical psychologist. With more than 1,000 hours of therapy work with college students and adults, he has helped countless individuals recognize and overcome testing anxiety.

Why do Operators worry?

Taking a certification exam is different from a high school biology or chemistry final: the stakes are exponentially higher. Psychologically, operators may feel that taking an exam related to their everyday job duties raises a question about their professional competence. This spark of anxiety will be fanned further if a passing score on the exam is mandated for their current job or required for promotion potential.

When asked how test anxiety manifests, Dr. MacFarlane pointed to both cognitive and physical (or somatic) symptoms stating, “The most detrimental effects of anxiety are cognitive. The human brain is limited to a certain amount of processing power at one time. The more your brain is occupied with the anxiety of the exam, the less ability it has to process the exam content. It would be akin to going into a wrestling match with one hand tied behind your back. Anxiety is a ‘mental suck’ or leech draining your brain power and limiting your ability to recall information or facts that might be as familiar to you as the names of your parents.”

One particularly common manifestation of testing anxiety Dr. MacFarlane cited is detachment–an operator is likely to avoid the discomfort of test anxiety by simply not thinking about the exam. Just as your body will pass out instead of coping with a lack of oxygen, you are likely to avoid the discomfort of test anxiety by simply not thinking about the exam.  He noted, “This can be quite detrimental as this avoidance loop can cause you to disengage from exam preparatory practices which can seriously hinder performance on the exam.”

Other effects of anxiety can be seen as physiological symptoms such as nausea, stomach cramps, or lightheadedness. To explain this, Dr. MacFarlane offered, “Our bodies lack the ability to differentiate between real life and mental simulations. So, if we are extremely worried or anxious about something, our minds can create physiological manifestations that are directly associated with the negative mental simulations.”

Why do some operators who excel in their jobs perform poorly on the exam?

Even though the exam is measuring the knowledge and application of tasks that an operator performs daily, while in the testing environment, they lose the contextual cues that would normally assist them in everyday operations.

Without those additional sources of information, operators must work harder to draw parallels between the tasks on the exam and the tasks they perform in their job. In other words, because an operator is not being tested in the environment in which he/she normally performs a task (a water or wastewater system), it can be difficult to recognize and solve the same problem in a test environment.

What can operators do to help with testing anxiety?

1. Practice, Practice, Practice

There is no better way of reducing test anxiety than to spend an adequate amount of time preparing and practicing. Test-taking is a skill—one that must be practiced and honed. Dr. MacFarlane noted that in many cases, due to inefficient study techniques, people have a tendency to work on areas in which they are already proficient and to avoid areas that could use improvement. Operators should make better use of their study time by taking periodic practice tests to help gauge the areas they need to work on. As an added benefit, the practice tests will train them to work under the pressure of a time constraint. Because the time limit on most certification exams can create a state of panic, it is important that operators learn to perform under these stressors and to control the feelings of unease.

2. Don’t “cram”

Countless studies have been done over the years on the ineffectiveness of “cramming,” or waiting until the last available opportunity to study for an exam. Say an operator spends the last six hours before the exam reviewing material. It is easy for them to think that they have everything committed to memory; the material is “fresh” in their mind. The reality is that nothing could be further from the truth. Reviewing this way gives an operator a familiarity with the material, meaning he/she will be able to recognize it when they see it on paper. Unfortunately, the ability to recognize concepts is not the same as being able to recall it. The ability to recall or reconstruct information accurately when an operator needs it requires exposure to the information over a long period of time.

The best course of action is to build a study plan that spans the course of several weeks prior to the exam. The more time an operator spends reorganizing the material so it has a structure, the more likely they are to commit the information to long term memory. Operators should aim for 45-60 minutes per day with their study material for at least six weeks prior to the exam.

3. How can an operator cope with anxiety on test day?

Even the most prepared test-takers can feel anxiety on test day, but there are proven methods to counteract the effects. Operators should start with getting adequate sleep the night before. Studies have shown that people perform better on memory tasks when they are well-rested. Some people will suffer from interrupted sleep when particularly worried about something. To help with this, operators can try exercising for 30 minutes before bed. Doing so will help their bodies release excess cortisol (stress hormone) in their systems caused by anxiety and will allow them to sleep better.

An operator should ensure their body is well nourished the day of the exam. This means do not skip breakfast and eat healthy foods such as grains or fruit and avoid foods with high fat content. The goal here is to eliminate as many distractors as possible so an operator can dedicate all their attention to the exam. If an operator is tired or his/her body does not have enough fuel, it can drastically hinder their performance.

4. Breathing – The 5-5-7 Method

During the exam, it can be extremely beneficial to stop at regular intervals (perhaps every five questions) and take deep breaths. The 5-5-7 is a breathing exercise performed by inhaling for five seconds, holding your breath for another five seconds, then exhaling for seven seconds. Dr. MacFarlane suggested that completing this exercise at regular intervals during a test session can physiologically stimulate the central nervous system, which can heighten an operator’s awareness and push anxiety from their mind. He also stressed the importance of practicing this technique for several weeks prior to the exam during their preparation, saying “The more practiced you are in this technique, the more effective it will be during exam time. Your body and mind will have a Pavlovian response to the exercise which increases its effectiveness.”

5. Muscle Relaxation

Another proven technique outlined during our discussion was progressive muscle relaxation, or PMR. This is done by deliberately applying tension (by clenching) to certain muscle groups and then releasing the induced tension. During this process, all of an operator’s attention should be focused on how their muscles feel as the tension is released. As operators learn to distinguish the feelings of a tense muscle as compared to a completely relaxed one, they are able to recognize the physical effects anxiety has on their bodies and can quickly alleviate it with this technique. Operators should be encouraged to practice PMR both when preparing for the exam and on the day of testing. They should spend 15-20 minutes at a time performing this technique on their major muscle groups (feet, legs, hands, arms, neck, and shoulders) and it will help mitigate anxiety.

The Bottom Line

While these methods have been shown to help with anxiety, they may not work for everyone. There are many more techniques that may offer relief, and operators can use these tips as a starting point to find what works best for them. Above all, operators should make sure they spend adequate time studying and reviewing the material. The better command they have of the content, the less anxious they will be about the exam, and the better they will perform.

➽ Tom Healy, Director of Certification Services for The Association of Boards of Certification


Thursday, September 4, 2025

REMINDER - Walter A. Weers Outstanding Achievement Award

In the past, the Water and Wastewater Facility Operators Certification Board (board) annually issued the Walter A. Weers Outstanding Achievement Award to honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the Colorado Water and Wastewater Facility Operators Certification Program (program) and to the water professionals operating facilities under the program.     

The award is named after Walter A. Weers, who devoted a half-century of outstanding volunteer service to the advancement of the certification of professionals in the Colorado water and wastewater industry. The award is intended to honor truly exceptional contributions and may not be presented each year or may be awarded to more than one recipient per year (at the discretion of the board). The award was last presented in 2019, and the program would like to raise awareness of this award in hopes of honoring an individual in 2026. 

This outstanding achievement award recognizes those individuals who:

  • Have given their time unselfishly to educate operators,
  • Have provided their expertise to the examination of operators, or
  • Have used their creativity and tenacity to build Colorado’s certification program into one of the premier programs in the country. 

Anyone who has had a direct impact on the program and the water professionals operating Colorado facilities under this program can be nominated for this award. Nominations must be submitted before October 15th of each year to be considered and acted on by the board at its November meeting. If the board decides to honor an individual, the award will be presented in conjunction with the Colorado Rural Water Association (CRWA) annual conference in March of the following year. 

Consider taking a few minutes of your time to submit an award nomination that can inspire others to continue providing outstanding service to the program and to highlight the importance of the profession and its impact on Colorado communities. Anyone can submit a nomination form, and nominations can be as short as one to two paragraphs. You never know what great acts of service and kindness you may inspire!   

You can find more information about this award on the board’s website, as well as a link to the nomination form, submission instructions, and previous recipients. 

If you have any questions about this award or the nomination process, feel free to contact Jessica Morgan cdphe.facilityoperator@state.co.us.

➽Jessica Morgan, Liaison to the Water & Wastewater Facility Operators Certification Board