Connecticut Administrative Code › Title 25 - Water Resources, Flood and Erosion Control › 32 - Qualifications of Operators of Water Treatment Plants › Certification of Water Treatment Plant Operators › Section 25-32-11a - Qualifications for small water system operators

Current through July 10, 2024
(a) Except as
				provided in subsection (e) and (f) of this section, every community water
				system and every non-transient non-community water system which meets the
				definition of small water system shall have at least one operator who is
				certified as a small water system, water treatment plant or water distribution
				system operator who shall be designated by the system as the chief operator. In
				the event that the chief operator is not available, the system shall make
				arrangements to ensure that another certified operator is available to serve in
				direct responsible charge in the interim. All operators in direct responsible
				charge and any operators making process control/system integrity decisions
				about water quality or quantity, that affect public health, shall be certified
				as an operator, conditional operator or provisional operator for that
				system.
(b) To become certified as
				a small water system operator, a person shall demonstrate the ability to
				responsibly operate a small water system by passing a written examination. To
				qualify to take the examination, a person shall submit an application to the
				department on a form provided by the department.
(c) Minimum education and experience
				requirements to qualify for the written examination:
Class
Education (yrs.)
Experience
Small water system
12 years
6 months
The minimum education requirement shall be met by either a
				  high school diploma or a high school equivalency diploma. Six (6) months
				  experience operating a small water system, water treatment plant or water
				  distribution system may be substituted for the education requirement. These six
				  (6) months of experience shall not also be used to meet the experience
				  requirement.
The experience requirement shall be met by operating a small
				  water system, water treatment plant or water distribution system. A minimum of
				  twenty (20) hours of training acceptable to the department may be substituted
				  for the experience requirement.
(d) Examination Requirement for Certification
				- A written examination administered by the department shall be given to
				qualifying operator candidates. The examination shall test the candidate's
				ability to operate a small water system. A passing score shall be required for
				certification.
(e) Conditional
				Operators - If an operator has had direct responsible charge of a small water
				system for at least the one year prior to the effective date of the most recent
				revisions of Sections
				25-32-7a
				to
				25-32-14,
				inclusive, of the regulations of Connecticut State Agencies and is not
				certified, the department may certify an operator as a conditional operator
				upon presentation of an application by the system within one year of the
				effective date of the most recent revisions of Sections
				25-32-7a
				to
				25-32-14,
				inclusive, of the regulations of Connecticut State Agencies. This certification
				is only granted for a specific system and cannot be transferred to another
				system, plant or individual. The conditional certification is no longer valid
				if the system classification changes to a higher level. A conditional operator
				shall meet all renewal requirements including training hour requirements for a
				small water system operator. The department may certify a maximum of two
				conditional operators per small water system.
(f) Provisional Operators - If a system does
				not have a qualified operator as outlined in section
				25-32-11a(a)
				and if the department determines that this is due to reasons beyond the
				system's control, the department may certify an operator as a provisional
				operator. The system shall submit a request in writing which indicates the
				reasons for not having a qualified operator and include an application. The
				provisional operator certificate shall only be granted for a given system and
				only be given to an operator who could qualify to take the appropriate class
				exam within 2 years.