Class D Water Operator License Exam TCEQ Questions & Answers

T/F: In Texas, about 75% of all water is used for commercial, industrial, or agricultural purposes. - ANSWERSTrue Water covers approximately ________ of Earth's surface. - ANSWERS71% Drought is an extended period when a region receives a deficiency in its ________ water supply. - ANSWERSatmospheric, ground, or surface T/F: Only about 1 gallon of tap water per person/day is used for drinking and cooking - ANSWERSTrue Excluding outside water use, the average household uses about _______ gallons of water per month for inside use - ANSWERS2,000 T/F: Only 3% of all the fresh water on earth can be easily accessed for use. - ANSWERSFalse (only 1%) T/F: In 1978, the Texas Department of Health (TDH) assumed primacy over the Safe Drinking Water Act from the EPA. - ANSWERSTrue T/F: PWS officials should be pro-active in their approach to terrorism. - ANSWERSTrue _________ permits the owner of a well to pump as much water as desired, even if the water is drained from beneath the land of others. - ANSWERSRule of Capture In Texas, agricultural water demand accounts for about ___% of the total water used. - ANSWERS57% T/F: An example of a non-transient non-community PWS is a rural school. - ANSWERSTrue Monitoring average and maximum daily water ______ enables us to plan ahead for growth. - ANSWERSDemand T/F: The Safe Drinking Water Act sets standards for drinking water including physical, chemical, bacteriological, and radiological characteristics. - ANSWERSTrue "Potable" means water is safe to drink and has a measurable chlorine ________. - ANSWERSResidual The plant operator is responsible for a sufficient supply of safe and ________ drinking water. - ANSWERSPalatable T/F: The Texas State Board of Fire Insurance requires utilities that provide fire protection to have a minimum amount of water available based on 30 gals per person per day. - ANSWERSFalse (130 gals per person per day) T/F: The primary state regulator of water utilities is the TCEQ. - ANSWERSTrue T/F: All community and non-transient non-community PWS, regardless of source of water, must be under the supervision of a licensed water works operator. - ANSWERSTrue Meter readers bring in operating revenue and profoundly impact _____ relations. - ANSWERSPublic The federal regulator of drinking water is the _____. - ANSWERSEPA T/F: Duties of distribution operator include repairing leaks, making taps, flushing mains, and taking radiological samples. - ANSWERSFalse (Repair leaks, Make taps, Flush mains, Operate pumps, Take *bacteriological* samples) A service area has 1000 service connections. What can we estimate the population of this service area to be? - ANSWERS3,000 (multiply connections x 3) T/F: The State must be notified after an existing facility is changed or after construction of a new facility. - ANSWERSFalse (must notify *before*) T/F: A Class "D" license is valid for 2 years at ground and purchase water systems with 250 connections or less. - ANSWERSFalse (3 years) T/F: The physical characteristics of water are color, taste, odor, temperature, and turbidity. - ANSWERSTrue An alkaline or basic solution has a pH greater than ____. - ANSWERS7 T/F: The terms mg/L and ppm are not interchangeable. - ANSWERSFalse (they are interchangeable) Suspended solids in water cannot be filtered out. - ANSWERSFalse (they can) Solids, water hardness, pH and gases are ____ characteristics. - ANSWERSChemical T/F: There are 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom in each water molecule. - ANSWERSTrue T/F: The State recommends a water pH of less than 7 to be maintained at all time. - ANSWERSFalse (The state recommends a pH slightly greater than 7 and for the water to be non-corrosive.) T/F: Taste and odor can come from organisms such as vegetation, bacteria, and algae, and from certain chemicals and metals. - ANSWERSTrue T/F: The deeper the well, the warmer the water. - ANSWERSTrue T/F: The threshold odor number (TON) relates to the number of dilutions needed for the water to be tasteless. - ANSWERSFalse (It reflects the number of dilutions needed for water sample to be *odorless*) One part per million or 1 mg/L means that for every ____ pounds of water there is one pound of material in it. - ANSWERS1 million The State requires filtered water to be equal to or less than ____ turbidity units in at least 95% of the monthly samples. - ANSWERS0.3 The State recommends a TON of ___ or less. - ANSWERS3 T/F: The State recommends 20 color units or less for a quality water. - ANSWERSFalse (The state recommends 15 units of color or less for drinking water.) T/F: Examples of inorganic matter found in water include rock, sand, metals, and minerals. - ANSWERSTrue T/F: The red color caused by iron is an example of suspended or apparent color and it can be removed by filtration. - ANSWERSTrue Excessive calcium and _____ are the primary cause of hardness in water. - ANSWERSMagnesium T/F: The State recommends a maximum total dissolved solids content of 500 mg/L - ANSWERSFalse (The state recommends that TDS not exceed 1000 mg/L) There are 3 common gases found in water: methane, carbon dioxide, and __________ ___________. - ANSWERShydrogen sulfide T/F: Turbidity must be limited because it shelters and nourishes bacteria and interferes with disinfection. - ANSWERSTrue