Section 114.57. Qualifications and level of wastewater treatment plant operators.

 

(1)  Two levels and 13 subclasses of wastewater treatment plant operators are established. Operator subclasses are the same as plant subclasses listed in Table 1. To qualify for certification at a given level and subclass, a person shall meet the appropriate examination, education and experience requirements.

(a) Operator-in-training. To qualify for operator-in-training in a specific subclass, a person shall pass the basic general wastewater examination and a basic subclass examination.

(b) Basic level. To qualify for basic certification in a specific subclass, a person shall pass the basic general wastewater examination, the specific subclass exam and have one year of satisfactory experience in that subclass.

(c) Advanced Level. An advanced certification point system is established in Table 2. To qualify for advanced certification in a given subclass, a person shall have earned a total of 10 points and met the requirements of s. NR 114.57 (1) (b) . Of the 10 points, 4 to 6 years of experience accounts for 4 to 6 points. A minimum of 4 points of experience is required. Six points is the maximum number of points that may be given for experience.

Table 2

Advanced Certification Point System - See PDF for table

(2)  A person shall submit an advanced certification application provided by the department documenting education, experience and the advanced certification points earned. Diplomas or certificates showing successful education completion shall be attached to the application. Transcripts highlighting wastewater related classwork shall also be attached. Applicants shall be notified of the status of their advanced certification with 90 days of receipt of a complete application.

(3)  The department shall establish and update a list of eligible advanced course offerings by September 1 of each year. Trainers shall submit an application provided by the department for approval of advanced courses by no later than June 1 of each year. Trainers of listed courses shall annually renew their course application by June 1 each year and notify the department of any changes in course content. An advanced course of 18 to 19 hours may be eligible for .5 points if listed by the department.

(4)  A general wastewater examination is not required for unique treatment systems (subclass U) or sanitary sewage collection systems (subclass SS) basic certifications.

(5)  Upon development and availability of the sanitary sewage collection system subclass SS study guide and examination, and at the time of permit reissuance, collection system operators shall have a permit term of 5 years to obtain collection system certification.

History: CR 13-054 : cr., except (3), Register June 2014 No. 702 , eff. 7-1-15, cr. (3) eff. 7-1-14.