Code of Vermont Rules › Agency 12 - AGENCY OF NATURAL RESOURCES › Sub-Agency 034 - PUBLIC FACILITIES DIVISION › Chapter 002 - WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY OPERATOR CERTIFICATION RULE › Section 12 034 002 - WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY OPERATOR CERTIFICATION RULE

Current through June,
				2024
Section 1
				Authority, Purpose, and Applicability
Sections
				  1263
				  and
				  1265
				  of Title 10 of the Vermont Statutes (
				  10 V.S.A. §§
											1263 and
				  1265
				  ) provide that any permit for the discharge of waste into the waters of the
				  State shall require proper operation and maintenance of the wastewater
				  treatment facility in the treatment or processing of waste by qualified
				  personnel in accordance with standards established by the Secretary. The
				  Secretary has delegated this responsibility to the Commissioner of
				  Environmental Conservation. This Rule is established to provide minimum
				  standards of experience and knowledge required of chief operators, assistant
				  chief operators, and operators of wastewater treatment facilities. A certified
				  operator shall be present at a treatment facility when any operational activity
				  is being undertaken. This Rule is applicable to any state agency regulating
				  activity which requires a certified wastewater treatment facility
				  operator.
Section 2
				Definitions
Advisory Board means a group of individuals appointed by the
				  Commissioner to advise the Commissioner on addressing wastewater operator
				  certification issues including regulatory and policy revisions, training
				  requirements, determinations of training contact hours, application and
				  examination reviews, and reciprocities.
Assistant chief operator means the person who performs
				  operations duties under the supervision of the chief operator and makes
				  operational decisions in the absence of the chief operator.
Biological wastewater treatment means the process by which
				  metabolic activities of bacteria and other microorganisms break down complex
				  organic materials into simple, more stable substances.
Certificate means an official document issued by the
				  Commissioner or delegated authority, stating the operator named therein has met
				  the minimum requirements for the classification of wastewater treatment
				  facility specified therein.
Chief operator means an individual designated by the owner
				  to be the certified operator who makes the process control decisions that
				  directly impact the quality or quantity, or both, of wastewater.
Commissioner means the Commissioner of the Department of
				  Environmental Conservation.
Continuing Education Unit (CEU) means a certain number of
				  training contact hours. Some seminars, workshops, training courses, and college
				  courses have official CEU values. 1.0 CEU = 10 Training Contact Hours
				  (TCH).
Contract operations means the operation, management, and/or
				  maintenance of a wastewater treatment facility by someone under contract or
				  agreement other than the owner of the facility.
Department means the Vermont Department of Environmental
				  Conservation.
Design flow means the design capacity of the wastewater
				  treatment facility.
Direct responsible charge for a chief operator means
				  experience as an on-site daily supervisor of the operation of a wastewater
				  treatment facility. The person has responsibility for, without limitation, all
				  process and control direction. Operation of individual process units alone does
				  not constitute direct responsible charge experience.
Domestic wastewater means wastewater discharges from
				  residences or from employee or public washrooms in institutions, businesses, or
				  industrial establishments.
Educational substitution (in place of wastewater experience)
				  means college level courses resulting in a degree relating to wastewater
				  treatment.
General Equivalency Diploma (GED) means a diploma obtained
				  by passing a general educational development test or its equivalent as
				  recognized by the issuing state board of education.
In the field means employment at a wastewater treatment
				  facility or employment which is directly related to the operation of a
				  wastewater treatment facility.
Inactive means the status of a certificate due to operator
				  retirement or certificate expiration.
Industrial wastewater means wastewater, other than domestic,
				  discharged from institutions, businesses, or industrial establishments that is
				  amenable to treatment by means of biological, mechanical, or chemical
				  wastewater treatment.
Operational activity means an activity which directly
				  affects the operations of the wastewater treatment facility (e.g. adjusting
				  valves, performing process control tests, increasing aeration rates,
				  etc.)
Operator means a person whose principal function (greater
				  than 50% of working time) is operating process equipment/valves, etc., at a
				  facility or performing laboratory testing and who is not a chief operator or
				  assistant chief operator. An operator works under the direct supervision of a
				  chief operator or assistant chief operator. Persons whose principal duty is
				  maintenance or truck driving are not operators.
Owner means the discharge permit holder who is legally
				  responsible for the operation of the wastewater treatment facility.
Reciprocity means the certification of an individual who has
				  successfully complied with wastewater operator certification requirements in
				  another state which are equivalent to certification standards in Vermont, as
				  determined by the Commissioner or delegated authority.
Satisfactory evidence means certified copies of official
				  transcripts, diplomas, course descriptions, or other documentation acceptable
				  to the Commissioner or delegated authority.
Training Contact Hour (TCH) means one hour of instruction,
				  approved by the Commissioner or delegated authority, on a topic related to
				  wastewater treatment facility operation. 10 TCHs = 1.0 CEU.
Wastewater treatment facility means a pollution abatement
				  facility permitted by the Department for the purpose of treating domestic
				  sewage or industrial wastewaters, or both.
Section 3 General Policy and Requirements for
				Owners of Wastewater Treatment Facilities
(a)
				Owners of wastewater treatment facilities that have discharge permits issued
				pursuant to
				10 VSA §§
											1263 or
				1265
				or a permit or certificate of compliance issued pursuant to
				10 VSA §
											1973 [1 ], when such a permit or certificate
				requires facility operation by certified operators, shall employ chief
				operators, assistant chief operators, and/or operators who hold valid
				certifications of the grade and/or industrial type as required herein Chief
				operators of wastewater treatment facilities are required to hold a certificate
				in the numerical grade and/or industrial type equal to the numerical class of
				the facility at which they are employed Assistant chief operators of wastewater
				facilities are required to hold a certificate not more than two grades and/or
				industrial types below the numerical class of the facility at which they are
				employed Employees of businesses that provide contract operations services
				shall be certified in accordance with this Rule.
[1] The permitting requirements of
				18 V.S.A. §§
												1218 and 1303 were transferred to
				10 V.S.A. §
												1973. Facilities covered by such permits,
				which require facility operation by certified operators, must also comply with
				this Rule.