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 25-32-11 - Qualifications for certified distribution system operators

Current through July 10, 2024
(a)
				Except as provided in subsections (f) and (g) of this section, every community
				water and every non-transient non-community water distribution system which
				serves 1,000 or more persons shall have at least one operator who is certified
				at the distribution system's class or higher and who shall be designated by the
				system as the chief operator. The chief operator shall have direct responsible
				charge of the distribution system. In the event that the chief operator is not
				available, the system shall place an operator, who is certified at the
				distribution system's class or higher, in direct responsible charge to serve in
				the interim. Except as provided in subsections (f) and (g), 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 at the distribution system's class or higher or certified as
				a conditional or provisional operator.
(b) To become certified as a distribution
				system operator a person must demonstrate the ability to responsibly operate a
				distribution system of the given classification applied for (I, II, III) 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 requirement to qualify for the written examination:
Class
Education (yrs.)
Experience (yrs.)
I
12
1
II
12
2
III
12
4
Each year of education beyond high school (12 years)in A
				  field applicable to water distribution may serve to satisfy one year of the
				  experience requirement to qualify for the written examination. The minimum
				  education requirements shall be met by either a high school diploma or a high
				  school equivalency diploma. A minimum of one year of experience in operating a
				  distribution system is required for all classes.
(d)
Examination requirement for
				certification
- A written examination administered by the Department
				will be given to qualifying system operator candidates. The examination will
				test the candidate's ability to responsibly operate a distribution system of
				the given classification applied for (I, II, III). A passing score shall be
				required for certification.
(e)
				Every public water system which is required to have testable backflow
				prevention devices in its system, pursuant to section
				19-13-B38a
				of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies, shall have those devices
				tested by a person who has completed and passed a course on the testing of
				backflow preventers administered or approved by the Department.
(f)
Existing operators
- If an
				operator having direct responsible charge of a distribution system as of
				February 9, 1989 is not certified, the Department may certify that operator as
				a limited operator upon presentation of an application by the system by
				February 9, 1990. This certification is only granted for a specific
				distribution system and cannot be transferred to another distribution system. A
				limited operator cannot be designated as a chief operator but can serve in
				direct responsible charge.
If an operator has had direct responsible charge of a
				  non-transient non-community water system distribution system, which serves
				  1,000 or more persons, 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 that 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 distribution system and cannot be transferred to
				  another system, plant, or individual. The conditional certification is no
				  longer valid if the distribution system classification changes to a higher
				  level. A conditional operator shall meet all renewal requirements including
				  training hour requirements for the operator class equal to the classification
				  of the specific distribution system. The Department may certify a maximum of
				  two conditional operators per distribution system.
(g)
Provisional operators
- If a
				system does not have a qualified operator as outlined in Section
				25-32-11(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 must submit a request in writing which indicates
				  the reasons for not having a qualified operator and include an application. The
				  provisional operator certificate would only be granted for a given distribution
				  system and only be given to an operator who could qualify to take the
				  appropriate class exam within 2 years.
(h) Every public water system which has
				consumer premises required to be inspected for cross connections, pursuant to
				section
				19-13-B102(f)
				of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies, shall have those premises
				inspected by a person who has completed and passed a course on cross connection
				inspections administered or approved by the Department.
(i)
Operator-in-Training -
A
				person who has received either a certificate of achievement in water management
				from a Connecticut Community-Technical College, or an equivalent as determined
				by the Department, may apply to take any class examination for a certified
				distribution system operator. After successful completion of the examination,
				the person will be an operator-in-training. After the operator-in-training has
				completed the education and experience requirements of the appropriate class,
				he may apply to become a certified operator.