Pennsylvania Code › Title 25 - ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION › Part II - State Board for Certification of Sewage Treatment Plant and Waterworks Operators › Chapter 302 - ADMINISTRATION OF THE WATER AND WASTEWATER SYSTEMS OPERATORS' CERTIFICATION PROGRAM › Subchapter A - GENERAL PROVISIONS › Section 302.101 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 28, July 13, 2024
The following words and terms, when used in this chapter,
					 have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
Accelerated certification
-A method of
					 upgrading a system's available operators' certificates to accommodate a change
					 in the system's capacity or treatment technology.
Act
-The Water and Wastewater Systems
					 Operators' Certification Act (63 P. S. §§
											1001-1015.1).
Activated carbon adsorption
-A water
					 treatment process designed to improve the quality of water being treated by
					 using activated granular or powdered carbon to remove specific organic chemical
					 compounds by adsorption.
Activated sludge
-The treatment technology
					 that mechanically introduces air into wastewater to achieve microbiological
					 suspended growth treatment such as extended aeration, sequential batch
					 reactors, contact stabilization, conventional, step feed or oxidation ditch.
Administrative hearing
-A meeting of the
					 Board, or Board-designated agent, held upon petition of the Department to
					 revoke, suspend, modify or reinstate an operator's certificate in accordance
					 with 2 Pa.C.S. Chapter 5, Subchapter A (relating to practice and procedure of
					 Commonwealth agencies).
Aeration
-A water treatment process
					 designed to improve the quality of water being treated by introducing air or
					 oxygen into water to remove undesirable dissolved gases, to remove volatile
					 organic compounds or to oxidize inorganic compounds so they can be removed as
					 particulates.
Applicant
-A person seeking certification
					 as a water or wastewater system operator.
Application for certification action
-A
					 written request for the Board to take a certification action using approved
					 Department forms.
Available operator
-A certified operator
					 who is onsite or able to be contacted as needed to make process control
					 decisions in a timely manner to protect public health and the
					 environment.
Bioperable operator
-A certified operator
					 who holds a valid certificate for both water and wastewater systems.
Bioperable training
-Department-approved
					 continuing education training that has content that is applicable to both water
					 and wastewater systems.
Board
-The State Board for Certification of
					 Water and Wastewater Systems Operators.
Board-designated agent
-A Board member,
					 Certification Program Advisory Committee member or Department staff person who
					 completes certain duties on behalf of the Board.
Board guidelines
-The guidelines
					 established to carry out the powers and duties of the Board.
Board Secretary
-A Department staff member
					 elected by the Board to implement administrative aspects of the Drinking Water
					 and Wastewater System Operators' Certification Program.
CHR-Criminal history record
-A report of
					 criminal history record issued by the Pennsylvania State Police under 18
					 Pa.C.S. Chapter 91 (relating to criminal history record information).
Cartridge
or
bag
					 filtration
-For drinking water, a process for the purpose of
					 substantial particulate removal by straining with bag or cartridge filters
					 manufactured of various materials and pore sizes.
Certificate program
-A Department-approved
					 curriculum or series of training courses leading to a certificate or diploma in
					 water or wastewater treatment.
Certification
-The process by which an
					 individual obtains a water or wastewater system operator's certificate.
Certification action
-Action taken by the
					 Board related to a certification examination or recertification or the issuance
					 of an initial certificate, certificate renewal or certificate through
					 reciprocity.
Certification Program Advisory
					 Committee
-The advisory committee created under the act.
Certified operator
-An operator who holds a
					 valid certificate in accordance with the act.
Chemical addition
-A water treatment
					 process designed to improve the quality of the water being treated through the
					 addition of chemicals such as lime, soda ash, caustic soda and
					 permanganate.
Circuit rider
-A management program in
					 which a certified operator may make process control decisions at more than one
					 system of different ownership.
Class
-An alphabetic letter assigned by the
					 Department to a water or wastewater system based upon the classification of a
					 system or an alphabetic letter assigned to an individual's certificate.
Classification
-The size or type of a water
					 or wastewater system.
Clean Streams Law
-The Clean Streams Law
					 (35
					 P. S. §§
											691.1-691.1001).
Client ID
-The unique data management
					 system generated identification number assigned to the operator used to track
					 the operator's certification records.
Collection system
-A system of pipelines or
					 conduits, pumping stations and force or gravity mains used for collecting and
					 conveying wastes to a point of treatment and disposal.
Community water system
-A public water
					 system which serves at least 15 service connections used by year-round
					 residents or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents.
Consecutive system
-
(i) A public water system that obtains all of
				  its water from another public water system and resells the water to a person,
				  provides treatment to meet a primary maximum contaminant level or provides
				  drinking water to an interstate carrier.
(ii) The term does not include bottled water
				  and bulk water systems as defined in §
										109.1 (relating to definitions).
Contact hour
-The standard unit of measure
					 assigned by the Department for participation in a Department-approved training
					 event based on the amount of instruction time received.
Continuing education
-Approved activities
					 to include training, outreach programs, contact hours, meetings, presentations
					 and other activities designed to increase the knowledge, skills and abilities
					 of system operators.
Conventional filtration
-For drinking
					 water, the series of processes for the purpose of substantial particulate
					 removal consisting of coagulation, flocculation, clarification and granular
					 media filtration. The clarification step must be a solid/liquid separation
					 process where accumulated solids are removed during this separate component of
					 the treatment system.
Corrosion control and sequestering
-A water
					 treatment process designed to mitigate the adverse effects of corrosion in
					 drinking water.
Department
-The Department of Environmental
					 Protection of the Commonwealth.
Diatomaceous earth filtration
-For drinking
					 water, a process for the purpose of substantial particulate removal, in which a
					 precoat cake of diatomaceous earth filter media is deposited on a support
					 membrane (septum) and, while the water is filtered by passing through the cake
					 on the septum, additional filter media, known as body feed, is continuously
					 added to the feed water, to maintain the permeability of the filter
					 cake.
Direct filtration
-For drinking water, a
					 series of processes implemented for the purpose of substantial particulate
					 removal consisting of coagulation and filtration. The term includes
					 flocculation after coagulation, but does not include sedimentation.
Distribution system
-Pipelines,
					 appurtenances, devices and facilities that convey potable water under pressure
					 to customers.
Drinking water environmental laboratory
					 supervisor
-An individual having the knowledge, skills and abilities
					 necessary to supervise laboratory procedures and the reporting of analytical
					 data for an environmental laboratory operated by a drinking water system in
					 accordance with industry, State and Federal standards.
Environmental Hearing Board
-The board
					 established under the Environmental Hearing Board Act (35 P. S.
					 §§
											7511-7516).
Environmental laboratory
-A facility
					 engaged in the testing or analysis of environmental samples.
Environmental Quality Board
-The board
					 established under section 1920-A of The Administrative Code of 1929
					 (71
					 P. S. §§
											510-20).
Environmental sample
-A solid, liquid, gas
					 or other specimen taken for the purpose of testing or analysis as required by
					 an environmental statute.
Environmental statute
-A statute
					 administered by the Department or the EPA relating to the protection of the
					 environment or protection of public health, safety and welfare.
Examination
-A test module or grouping of
					 test modules administered by the Board or its designated agent used in part to
					 determine the competency of applicants for certification or
					 recertification.
Fee
-A nonrefundable cost assigned to cover
					 the expenses of the program.
Fixed film treatment
-A wastewater
					 treatment technology that uses a fixed contact media to achieve treatment such
					 as trickling filters and rotating biological contactors.
GED
-General equivalency diploma.
Gaseous chlorine disinfection
-A water
					 treatment process designed to inactivate pathogenic organisms from water being
					 treated utilizing gaseous chlorine.
Grandparented
-The temporary exemption for
					 an existing operator of an existing system, as of February 21, 2002, from the
					 initial educational and examination requirements for certification where a
					 system was not required by prior law to have a certified operator. A
					 grandparented operator may be the operator in responsible charge.
Groundwater
-Water that is located within
					 the saturated zone below the water table and is available to supply wells and
					 springs.
Hydraulic design capacity
-The maximum
					 monthly design flow at which a drinking water or wastewater system is expected
					 to consistently provide the required treatment or at which a distribution or
					 collection system is expected to properly function without creating a backup,
					 surcharge or overflow.
Industrial wastewater treatment system
-Any
					 system that treats industrial waste or pollution, but not sewage, as those
					 terms are defined in section 1 of The Clean Streams Law (35 P. S. §
											691.1).
Investigation
-A detailed inquiry as to the
					 nature, circumstances and official records regarding an applicant or certified
					 operator's criminal conviction as identified in a criminal history
					 record.
Ion exchange and greensand
-A water
					 treatment process such as greensand filtration, ion exchange or activated
					 alumina designed to improve the quality of water being treated by removal of
					 inorganic constituents.
Master certificate
-A certificate
					 authorizing an operator to make process control decisions at any water or
					 wastewater system of a specific size, regardless of the treatment technology
					 subclassifications used by that system.
Membrane filtration
-For drinking
					 water:
(i) A pressure or vacuum driven
				  separation process in which particulate matter larger than 1 micrometer is
				  rejected by an engineered barrier, primarily through a size-exclusion
				  mechanism, and which has a measurable removal efficiency of a target organism
				  that can be verified through the application of a direct integrity
				  test.
(ii) The term includes the
				  common membrane technologies of microfiltration, ultrafiltration,
				  nanofiltration and reverse osmosis.
NPDES
-The National Pollutant Discharge
					 Elimination System as authorized under section 402 of the Federal Clean Water
					 Act (33 U.S.C.A. §
											1342).
Noncommunity water system
-A public water
					 system which is not a community water system.
Nongaseous chemical disinfection
-A water
					 treatment process designed to inactivate pathogenic organisms from water being
					 treated utilizing nongaseous chemical elements or compounds.
Nontransient noncommunity water system
-A
					 noncommunity water system that regularly serves at least 25 of the same persons
					 over 6 months per year.
Operator
-
(i) An individual who works with water or
				  wastewater system processes or portions thereof.
(ii) The term includes, but is not limited
				  to, an individual who may be gaining experience to obtain certification in
				  appropriate subclassifications within classifications of certification. These
				  individuals will have a working knowledge of system operation.
Operator-in-responsible-charge
-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 water.
Operator-in-training
-An applicant for
					 certification who has passed the certification examination but does not meet
					 the experience requirements.
Order of the Department
-An order of the
					 Department issued under section 4(b)(2) of the act (63 P. S. §
											1004(b)(2)) and orders of
					 the Department issued under section 4(b)(1.1) of the act.
Owner
-A person who owns or is the holder
					 of an applicable permit for the operation of a water or wastewater system.
Ozonation
-The water treatment process
					 designed to inactivate pathogenic organisms from water being treated utilizing
					 ozone.
PLC-Programmable logic controls
-A small
					 computer used for automated control of machinery used for water and wastewater
					 treatment. The PLC replaces the many timers, relays and other devices used to
					 control start/stop, run time and level controls of this machinery.
Permitted average daily discharge flow
-The
					 permitted annual average daily discharge flow, as stated in the NPDES or Water
					 Quality Management (WQM) permit.
Person
-
(i) An individual, company, corporation,
				  municipality, municipal authority, partnership, firm, association, trust,
				  estate, public or private institution, or any agency of Federal or State
				  government.
(ii) The term also
				  includes the officers, directors, employees and agents of any partnership,
				  firm, association, company, corporation, municipality, municipal authority,
				  public or private institution or any agency of Federal or State
				  government.
Petition
-A written request from the
					 Department to the Board to take an action to modify, suspend, revoke or
					 reinstate a certified operator's certificate.
Post-presentation credit
-Contact hours for
					 precertification or continuing education credit for a training course not
					 previously approved by the Department. An operator may obtain post-presentation
					 credit upon application to the Department.
Process control decision
-A decision that
					 maintains or changes the water quality or quantity of a water system or
					 wastewater system in a manner that may affect the public health or
					 environment.
Process control plan
-A plan developed by
					 an operator in responsible charge that outlines the facilities, methods,
					 activities and treatment alternatives necessary to meet permit requirements and
					 provide long term and reliable system operations.
Professional engineer
-An engineer
					 registered under the Engineer, Land Surveyor and Geologist Registration Law
					 (63
					 P. S. §§
											148-158.2), who has been
					 examined in civil, sanitary or environmental engineering and determined
					 proficient.
Psychometrics
-The analytical methodology
					 and design of tests to evaluate and measure psychological variables such as
					 intelligence and aptitude.
Public water system
-
(i) A system which provides water to the
				  public for human consumption which has at least 15 service connections or
				  regularly serves an average of at least 25 individuals daily at least 60 days
				  out of the year. The term includes collection, treatment, storage and
				  distribution facilities under control of the operator of the system and used in
				  connection with the system.
(ii)
				  The term includes collection or pretreatment storage facilities not under
				  control of the operator which are used in connection with the system.
(iii) The term also includes a system which
				  provides water for bottling or bulk hauling for human consumption. Water for
				  human consumption includes water that is used for drinking, bathing and
				  showering, cooking, dishwashing or maintaining oral hygiene.
Recertification
-The process by which an
					 individual previously certified under the act, obtains a new certificate
					 following expiration, suspension or revocation of the previous
					 certificate.
Renewal of certification
-The process by
					 which an individual extends for another period of time an existing, valid water
					 system or wastewater system operator's certificate under the act.
SCADA-Supervisory control and data acquisition
					 system
-A specialized computer system designed to monitor and control
					 many of the processes and operations for water and wastewater treatment. A
					 SCADA system controls equipment based on predetermined criteria, monitors the
					 status of treatment processes and equipment and initiates commands
					 automatically based on conditions or thresholds defined by the available
					 operator. The available operator can also initiate process control changes from
					 a workstation connected to the SCADA system.
Satellite collection system
-A wastewater
					 system consisting only of collection facilities with at least one pump station,
					 which is designed to convey in excess of 2,000 gallons per day of untreated
					 wastewater to a wastewater system owned by a different entity.
Serving an average
-The hydraulic design
					 capacity of a water system.
Single entity collection system
-A
					 wastewater system consisting only of collection facilities with at least one
					 pump station which is designed to convey in excess of 2,000 gallons per day of
					 untreated wastewater to a wastewater treatment system owned by the owner of the
					 collection system.
Slow sand filtration
-For drinking water, a
					 process for the purpose of substantial particulate removal by physical and
					 biological mechanisms during the passage of raw water through a bed of sand at
					 low velocity, generally less than 0.4 meter per hour.
Subclassification
-A number assigned by the
					 Department to a water or wastewater system based upon the treatment process
					 used by that system or the number assigned to an operator's certificate based
					 upon meeting the certification requirements for a specific treatment process.
System
-A water or wastewater
					 system.
Track
-A combination of approved education
					 and experience requirements necessary to qualify for operator
					 certification.
Training approval process
					 guidelines
-Department guidelines authorized by the act that set
					 standards for training sponsors, courses, course content, training approval
					 criteria and training provider approval criteria.
Training provider
-A person who designs or
					 delivers any type of education or training activities, courses or
					 programs.
Training sponsor
-A training provider
					 approved by the Department to provide training to water and wastewater system
					 operators in this Commonwealth in accordance with the Department's training
					 approval process guidelines.
Treatment
-The physical, chemical or
					 biological process necessary to change, modify or maintain the chemical or
					 biological nature of water.
Treatment ponds and lagoons
-A wastewater
					 treatment technology that utilizes a pond, lagoon or wetlands with anaerobic or
					 facultative biological processes for the treatment of wastewater and meets the
					 following criteria:
(i) A design
				  hydraulic detention time in the treatment process of 15 days or
				  greater.
(ii) A biological
				  treatment process that does not have any return activated sludge
				  system.
(iii) A biological
				  treatment process that is impacted by diurnal fluctuations as a result of
				  photosynthesis.
Trigger parameter
-A set-point for a
					 designated biological, chemical or physical parameter that requires a response
					 by the operator in responsible charge.
Ultraviolet disinfection
-A water treatment
					 process that inactivates pathogenic organisms using light with a wavelength
					 range of 1,000 to 4,000 angstroms.
Upgrade
-The certification process an
					 existing certified operator follows to increase the operator's ability to make
					 process control decisions at a system with a higher flow or additional
					 treatment technologies.
Wastewater
-A substance that contains the
					 waste products or excrement or other discharge from the bodies of human beings
					 or animals and noxious or deleterious substances being harmful or inimical to
					 the public health, or to animal or aquatic life, or to the use of water for
					 domestic water supply or for recreation, or which constitutes pollution under
					 The Clean Streams Law.
Wastewater environmental laboratory
					 supervisor
-An individual having the necessary knowledge, skills and
					 abilities necessary to supervise laboratory procedures and reporting of
					 analytical data for an environmental laboratory operated by a wastewater or
					 industrial waste system in accordance with industry, State and Federal
					 standards.
Wastewater system
-A structure designed to
					 collect, convey or treat wastewater and from which effluent in excess of 2,000
					 gallons per day is discharged into waters of this Commonwealth.
Water system
-A community water system or a
					 nontransient noncommunity water system as those terms are defined in section 3
					 of the Pennsylvania Safe Drinking Water Act (35 P. S. §
											721.3).