Certified Water Specialist Qualifications

Water Information

What is a Certified Water Specialist?

A Certified Water Specialist (CWS) has been certified by the Water Quality Association in helping consumers identify individuals in the point-of-use/point-of-entry water quality improvement industry who have demonstrated a certified level of professional expertise and are dedicated to high professional standards.

To achieve any WQA-certified title (CWS, CI, CSR), a person must pass a lengthy exam, agree to abide by the WQA Code of Ethics for the Water Quality Improvement Industry and commit to ongoing education to maintain certification.

There are six levels to the CWS program, and the prior level must be completed before advancing to the next level.


Level Requirements/Issues:

CWS-I

  1. Water Treatment Fundamentals
  2. Water Processing for Residential, Commercial, & Light-Industrial Applications
  3. Legal Considerations
  4. Hazard Communications
  5. Water Chemistry Terms and Definitions
  6. Must Sign and Abide by the WQA Code of Ethics

CWS-II

  1. Water Filtration for Point-Of-Use (POU) Applications

CWS-III

  1. Reverse Osmosis for Point-Of-Use Applications
  2. Ultrafiltration for the Water Improvement Industry

CWS-IV

  1. Guidelines for Disinfection & Sanitation
  2. Study of Microorganisms
  3. Additional Water Processing for Residential, Commercial, & Light-Industrial Applications

CWS-V

  1. Ozonation Applications

CWS-VI

  1. Dionization Basics