Washington Administrative Code › Title 173 - Ecology, Department of (See also Titles 197, 317, 372, and 508) › Chapter 173-230 - Certification of operators of wastewater treatment plants › Section 173-230-250 - Education and experience requirements for Groups I through IV certifications

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
(1) Applicants must
			 meet the following education and experience requirements.
(2) Groups I through IV education, operating
			 experience requirements, and allowable substitutions include the following:
(a) Operating experience must be gained by
			 working under the direction or supervision of a fully certified
			 operator.
(b) Up to half of the
			 operating experience for Groups II through IV, listed below in Table 2, can be
			 substituted with relevant experience.
(c) Relevant experience is work that does not
			 meet the definition of operating experience, but can be used to substitute for
			 operating experience, and includes, but is not limited to:
(i) Wastewater collection system
			 operator;
(ii) Wastewater pump
			 station operator;
(iii) Water
			 distribution system operator and/or manager;
(iv) Water treatment plant
			 operator;
(v) Environmental or
			 operations consultant;
(vi)
			 Wastewater treatment plant designer and/or builder; or
(vii) Other relevant experience will be
			 considered on a case-by-case basis with a written description of the duties
			 performed on the job by the applicant.
(d) Education substituted for operating
			 experience must be in excess of the required education and cannot be used for
			 both the education requirement and substitutions.
Table 2 Operator Certification Requirements and
				Substitutions
Operator Certification Requirements and
						  Substitutions
Certification level
Required education
Substitutions allowed for
						  education
Required operating experience
Education substitutions allowed for operating
						  experience
Relevant experience substitutions allowed for
						  operating experience
Group I
High school diploma or GED
One year of relevant experience for each year of
						  education through twelfth grade
1 year
None
None
Group II
High school diploma or GED
One year of relevant experience for each year of
						  education through twelfth grade
3 years
Up to 67.5 relevant credits/CEUs
Up to 1 year and 6 months of relevant
						  experience
Group III
High school diploma or GED and 2 years of college (90
						  credits or CEUs)
Up to 4 years of excess operating experience:
*1 year of excess operating experience for the first
						  45 credits/CEUs
*3 years of excess operating experience for the last
						  45 credits/CEUs
4 years, with at least 2 years at a Class II or higher
						  plant
Up to 90 relevant credits/CEUs
Up to 2 years of relevant experience
Group IV
High school diploma or GED and 4 years of college (180
						  credits or CEUs)
Up to 8 years of excess operating experience:
*1 year of excess operating experience for each 45
						  credits/CEUs for the first 90 credits/CEUs
*3 years of excess operating experience for each 45
						  credits for the second 90 credits/CEUs
4 years, with at least 2 years at a Class III or
						  higher plant
Up to 90 relevant credits/CEUs
Up to 2 years of relevant experience