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 173-230-200 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
"Activated sludge process" means a biological wastewater
				treatment process in which a mixture of wastewater and activated sludge is
				agitated and aerated. The activated sludge is subsequently separated from the
				treated wastewater by sedimentation or filtration and wasted or returned to the
				process as needed.
"Biennium" means a two-year period from July 1st of each odd
				year through June 30th of the next odd year.
"Biofiltration" means the process of passing a liquid through a
				biological filter that contains fixed media on surfaces which develop zoogleal
				films that absorb and adsorb fine suspended, colloidal, and dissolved solids
				and release end products of biochemical action.
"Certificate" means the certificate of competency issued by the
				director stating that an individual has met the requirements for a specific
				classification in the wastewater treatment plant operator certification
				program.
"Certificate holder" means the individual to whom a certificate
				is issued.
"CEU" means continuing education unit that is a nationally
				recognized unit of measurement similar to a college credit. One CEU is awarded
				for every ten contact hours of participation in an organized continuing
				education experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction, and
				qualified instruction. Forty-five CEUs is equivalent to one year of
				education.
"College credits" means credits earned toward a college degree
				or in course work that is relevant to the operation of a wastewater treatment
				plant. One year of college is equivalent to forty-five quarter credits or
				thirty semester credits.
"Department" means the Washington state department of
				ecology.
"Director" means the director of the department of ecology or
				the director's designee.
"Effective date of a revocation order" means the date a
				revocation period ends.
"Extended aeration" means a modification of the activated
				sludge process that uses long aeration periods and long mean cell residence
				times for aerobic digestion of the biological mass by endogenous respiration
				and promotes the growth of nitrifying organisms.
"Exam" means a test recognized by the department to determine
				the competency of operators for each certification level.
"Exam cycle" means a five-year period from the time a new exam
				is released.
"Full certification" means holding a Group I, II, III, or IV
				wastewater treatment plant operator certification issued by the department.
				Full certification does not include operator in training certifications.
"GED" means a general education development certificate issued
				by a recognized education institution. A GED is equivalent to a high school
				diploma.
"Group" and "class" for the purpose of operator certification
				and wastewater treatment plant classification are the same.
"Lagoon" means any large lined holding or detention pond,
				usually with earthen dikes, that is used to contain wastewater while
				sedimentation and biological stabilization occurs.
"Lead operator of a shift" means the individual onsite at a
				wastewater treatment plant whose primary responsibility is to operate and
				maintain the wastewater treatment plant on a regularly run shift. The lead
				operator of a shift is subordinate to the operator in responsible charge. An
				OIT may not be the lead operator of a shift.
"MBR (membrane bioreactor)" means an activated sludge process
				that combines a suspended growth biological reactor with solids removal via
				filtration in a single unit.
"Operating experience" means the routine performance of duties,
				onsite at a wastewater treatment plant, that affect plant performance or
				effluent quality.
"Operating shift" means a designated period of time in which a
				certified operator makes decisions or takes actions that may affect plant
				operations.
"Operator" means an individual who performs routine duties,
				onsite at a wastewater treatment plant, that affect plant performance or
				effluent quality.
"Operator in responsible charge" means the individual who is
				designated by the owner as the person routinely onsite and in direct charge of
				the overall operation and maintenance of a wastewater treatment plant. An OIT
				may not be the operator in responsible charge.
"Operator in training (OIT)" means an individual who passed an
				exam but has less than the required amount of operating experience to meet the
				full certification requirements.
"Operator in training certificate" means a certificate issued
				by the department to an operator in training that is working towards full
				certification.
"Owner" means in the case of:
*A town or city, the city or town acting through its chief
				executive officer or the lessee if operated under a lease or contract;
* A county, the chairman of the county legislative authority or
				the chairman's designee;
*A sewer district, board of public utilities, association,
				municipality or other public body, the president or chairman of the body or the
				president's or chairman's designee;
* A privately owned wastewater treatment plant, the legal
				owner.
"Primary wastewater treatment" means clarification to
				physically remove settleable and floatable materials in addition to the removal
				of raw biosolids and preliminary treatment; preliminary treatment consists of
				one or more of the following: Screening, grit removal and comminution, and
				grinding.
"Professional growth" means training that is directly related
				to improving competencies in areas that relate to operating and maintaining a
				wastewater treatment plant.
"Professional growth reporting period" means a designated
				period of time, not less than three years, in which a certified operator
				completes the professional growth requirement in WAC 173-230-300.
"Provisional certificate" means a one-time certificate issued
				without passing an exam if the plant classification increases solely due to a
				reclassification based on the criteria in Table 4.
"Reclaimed water" means water derived in any part from a
				wastewater with a domestic wastewater component that has been adequately and
				reliably treated to meet the requirements of chapter 173-219 WAC, so that it
				can be used for beneficial purposes. Reclaimed water is not considered a
				wastewater.
"Reclaimed water facility" means the treatment plant,
				equipment, storage, conveyance devices, and dedicated sites for reclaimed water
				generation.
"Reciprocity" means the mutual exchange of a valid out-of-state
				wastewater treatment plant operator's certificate achieved by passing a
				department approved exam for an equivalent level of certification without
				further examination.
"Revocation" means the department invalidates an operator's
				certificate.
"Routine" means duties that are performed on a regular basis
				and not sporadically.
"Sequencing batch reactor (SBR)" means a fill-and-draw
				activated sludge system where sewage is added to one of several tanks which are
				alternately filled, aerated, settled, and decanted. A typical system applies a
				predetermined sequence of operations based on the flow and other inputs using a
				programmable logic controller and is uniquely suited for waste-water treatment
				applications characterized by low or intermittent flow conditions.
"Standardized exam" means a national exam with standard
				questions for all states and not customized for individual states.
"Suspension" means to make an operator's certificate
				temporarily invalid.
"Tertiary" means advanced physical/chemical or biological
				treatment of wastewater beyond the conventional secondary stage to remove
				additional suspended and dissolved substances. These substances may include
				phosphorus and nitrogen, a high percentage of suspended solids, dissolved
				inorganic solids, toxic compounds, microorganisms, and complex organic
				compounds.
"Wastewater certification program coordinator" means an
				employee of the department who is appointed by the director and who administers
				the wastewater treatment plant operator certification program.
"Wastewater collection system" means any system of lines,
				pipes, manholes, pumps, liftstations, or other facilities used to collect and
				transport wastewater.
"Wastewater treatment plant" means a facility used to treat any
				liquid or waterborne waste of domestic origin or a combination of domestic,
				commercial or industrial origin, and that, by its design, requires the presence
				of an operator for its operation. It does not include any facility used
				exclusively by a single family residence, septic tanks with subsoil absorption,
				industrial wastewater treatment plants, or waste-water collection
				systems.
"Wetland treatment" means natural treatment system wetlands
				intentionally constructed and managed for the primary purpose of wastewater
				treatment.