Connecticut Administrative Code › Title 22a - Environmental Protection › 416 - Wastewater Treatment Facility Operator Certification › Section 22a-416-1 - General

Current through July 10, 2024
(a) Sections 22a-416-1 to
			 22a-416-10,
			 inclusive, of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies shall be known as
			 the Wastewater Treatment Operator Regulations.
(b)
Definitions
For purposes of Sections 22a-416-1 to
				22a-416-10,
				inclusive of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies:
(1) "Advisory committee" means the advisory
			 committee appointed under section
			 22a-416-10 of
			 the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies;
(2) "Applicant" means an individual who files
			 an application;
(3) "Application"
			 means an application for operator certification under the Wastewater Treatment
			 Operator Regulations;
(4)
			 "Biological wastewater treatment process" means the process by which metabolic
			 activities of bacteria and other microorganisms break down complex organic
			 materials into simple, more stable substances;
(5) "BOD5" means the
			 amount of oxygen utilized by bacteria in the biochemical oxidation of organic
			 matter over five days;
(6)
			 "Certificate" means a certificate issued by the commissioner stating that the
			 operator named therein has met the minimum requirements for the operator
			 classification specified in such certificate;
(7) "Certification" means the issuance of a
			 certificate;
(8) "Class" and
			 "Classification" are interchangeable;
(9) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of
			 Environmental Protection as defined in subsection (b) of section
			 22a-2
			 of the general statutes;
(10)
			 "Chief Operator" means the operator who has ultimate supervisory responsibility
			 for the operation and maintenance of a wastewater treatment facility, is
			 responsible for signing the discharge monitoring reports and is responsible for
			 the daily on-site supervision, process control direction and overall
			 performance of such facility;
(11)
			 "Contact hour" means one hour of instruction on a topic determined by the
			 commissioner to be related to wastewater treatment facility
			 operation;
(12) "Continuing
			 education unit" (CEU) means ten contact hours of participation in an organized
			 higher education rogram approved by the commissioner for wastewater treatment
			 operators;
(13) "Day" means
			 calendar day;
(14) "Department"
			 means the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection;
(15) "Direct responsible charge experience"
			 for a chief operator or shift operator means experience as an on-site daily
			 supervisor of the operation of a wastewater treatment facility with
			 responsibility for, without limitation, process control direction. Operation of
			 individual process units alone does not constitute direct responsible charge
			 experience. "Direct responsible charge experience" for a process control
			 operator means experience as on-site daily responsibility for process control
			 direction of a wastewater treatment facility;
(16) "Discharge monitoring report" means the
			 monthly report required by subsection (j) of section
			 22a-430-3
			 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies;
(17) "Domestic wastewater" means wastewater
			 discharged from residences or from employee or public washrooms in
			 institutions, businesses, or industrial establishments;
(18) "Domestic wastewater process" means any
			 process of treating any volume of wastewater consisting wholly or partially of
			 domestic wastewater;
(19)
			 "Examination" means an examination for operator certification under subsection
			 (b) of section
			 22a-416-5
			 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies;
(20) "Foreign certificate" means a
			 certificate issued by a state, territory or possession of the United States
			 other than Connecticut, stating that the holder thereof has met the minimum
			 qualifications for a wastewater treatment facility operator required by such
			 state, territory, or possession;
(21) "G.E.D." means a general equivalency
			 diploma obtained by passing a general educational development test or its
			 equivalent as recognized by the issuing state board of education;
(22) "Higher education" means post-high
			 school education or training, including but not limited to training courses,
			 seminars, workshops, conferences, and college level courses, related, in the
			 commissioner's sole judgement, to wastewater treatment facility
			 operation;
(23) "Industrial
			 wastewater" means wastewater other than domestic wastewater, discharged from
			 institutions, businesses, or industrial establishments that is amenable to
			 treatment by means of biological wastewater treatment;
(24) "In the field" refers to employment at a
			 wastewater treatment facility or employment which, in the commissioner's sole
			 judgement, is related to the operation of a wastewater treatment facility;
			 examples of such employment include start-up services, technical assistance,
			 operator training or the administration of a wastewater treatment
			 facility;
(25) "MGD" means million
			 gallons per day;
(26) "Misconduct"
			 means behavior by an applicant in the course of an operator certification
			 examination which conduct interferes with administration of such examination
			 including but not limited to, talking or otherwise making noise during
			 examination, cheating, and use of unauthorized material;
(27) "Monthly operating report" means the
			 monthly report required by subsection (j) of section
			 22a-430-3
			 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies;
(28) "Operator" means any individual who
			 operates, is contracted to operate, or is employed by an entity or contractor
			 to operate equipment at a wastewater treatment facility so as to affect
			 treatment processes;
(29) "Operator
			 experience" means an individual's experience of satisfactorily performing the
			 duties of an operator at a wastewater treatment facility while employed at any
			 such facility;
(30)
			 "Operator-in-training" means an applicant who has satisfied all of the
			 requirements for certification under the wastewater treatment operator
			 regulations except for the minimum experience requirements of subdivision
			 (c)(5) of section
			 22a-416-4
			 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies;
(31) "Operating shift" means a regular period
			 of time at a wastewater treatment facility when operators are present and make
			 process control changes;
(32)
			 "Owner" means the owner in fee simple of a wastewater treatment facility,
			 provided that if the owner contracts with another person to operate such
			 facility, the contractor shall be deemed the owner for the purposes of the
			 wastewater treatment operator regulations;
(33) "Population equivalent" means the
			 estimated population that contributes or will contribute a given amount of BOD5
			 or suspended solids to wastewater. For the purpose of determining a population
			 equivalent, estimated population shall be calculated assuming 0.17 pounds of
			 BOD5 per capita per day or 0.20 pounds of suspended solids per capita per
			 day;
(34) "Process control
			 direction" means direction of the operation of the biological wastewater
			 treatment process at a wastewater treatment facility;
(35) "Process control operator" means the
			 operator who, subject to the authority of the chief operator, is responsible
			 for process control direction;
(36)
			 "Reciprocal certificate" means a certificate issued pursuant to subdivision
			 (c)(5) of section
			 22a-416-5
			 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies;
(37) "Satisfactory evidence" means certified
			 copies of official transcripts, diplomas, course descriptions, foreign
			 certificates, or other documents acceptable to the commissioner;
(38) "Shift operator" means the operator,
			 subject to the authority of the chief operator, who has supervisory
			 responsibility for the operation and maintenance of a wastewater treatment
			 facility during any operating shift;
(39) "Supervisory responsibility" means daily
			 routine responsibility for managing personnel and operations at a wastewater
			 treatment facility;
(40)
			 "Wastewater" means domestic or industrial wastewater;
(41) "Wastewater treatment facility" means an
			 arrangement of structures and equipment, including solids handling equipment,
			 whose purpose is to treat domestic wastewater or industrial wastewater by means
			 of a biological wastewater treatment process. A domestic wastewater disposal
			 system for a category I or II discharge as defined in subparagraphs (b)(2)(A)
			 and (b)(2)(B) of section
			 22a-430-1
			 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies is not a wastewater treatment
			 facility; and
(42) "Watchman shift"
			 means a regular period of time at a wastewater treatment facility during which
			 one or more operators are present but do not make any independent process
			 control changes or conduct any other independent activities which could affect
			 the quality of air, solids, or liquids discharged from the facility.