(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.
