NGWA Offers Certified Groundwater Professional Designation

The National Ground Water Association (NGWA) is now accepting applications for its new Certified Groundwater Professional designation, which signifies that the holder has a thorough background in groundwater subjects.

The new program, revamped from a previous version that started in 1986, requires both professional experience and continuing education. The following core competencies ensure that the applicant has a diverse background in groundwater and sufficient skills to earn the designation:

• Groundwater hydrogeology and hydraulics
• Groundwater geochemistry
• Groundwater modeling
• Groundwater remediation
• Geology and geomorphology
• Scientific writing and presentation
• Ethics

"This certification provides a solid credential to a groundwater professional because it attests to a depth and breadth of experience and knowledge regarding groundwater," says Kathy Butcher, NGWA director of Learning and Knowledge. "Also, it demonstrates the designee's commitment to ongoing learning.

"The CGWP designation provides an incentive for the professional to grow and an incentive to the client to do business with that professional," Butcher says.

The CGWP designation may be of particular interest to professionals who:

• Lack a Professional Engineer or Professional Geologist credential
• Have a BS or MS degree in the geosciences and desire to continue and expand their professional expertise
• Are regulatory personnel with geoscience backgrounds and training

About NGWA
NGWA, a nonprofit organization composed of U.S. and international groundwater professionals -- contractors, equipment manufacturers, suppliers, scientists, and engineers -- is dedicated to advancing groundwater knowledge. NGWA's vision is to be the leading groundwater association that advocates the responsible development, management, and use of water. For more information, visit www.ngwa.org/cgwp.