Sec.25-32-11a. Qualifications for small water system operators

(a) Except as provided in subsection (e) and (f) of this section, every community water system and every non-transient non-community water system which meets the definition of small water system shall have at least one operator who is certified as a small water system, water treatment plant or water distribution system operator who shall be designated by the system as the chief operator. In the event that the chief operator is not available, the system shall make arrangements to ensure that another certified operator is available to serve in direct responsible charge in the interim. 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 as an operator, conditional operator or provisional operator for that system.

(b) To become certified as a small water system operator, a person shall demonstrate the ability to responsibly operate a small water system 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 requirements to qualify for the written examination:

Class	Education (yrs.)	Experience
Small water system	12 years	6 months

The minimum education requirement shall be met by either a high school diploma or a high school equivalency diploma. Six (6) months experience operating a small water system, water treatment plant or water distribution system may be substituted for the education requirement. These six (6) months of experience shall not also be used to meet the experience requirement.

The experience requirement shall be met by operating a small water system, water treatment plant or water distribution system. A minimum of twenty (20) hours of training acceptable to the department may be substituted for the experience requirement.

(d) Examination Requirement for Certification - A written examination administered by the department shall be given to qualifying operator candidates. The examination shall test the candidate's ability to operate a small water system. A passing score shall be required for certification.

(e) Conditional Operators - If an operator has had direct responsible charge of a small water system 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 an 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 system and cannot be transferred to another system, plant or individual. The conditional certification is no longer valid if the system classification changes to a higher level. A conditional operator shall meet all renewal requirements including training hour requirements for a small water system operator. The department may certify a maximum of two conditional operators per small water system.

(f) Provisional Operators – If a system does not have a qualified operator as outlined in section 25-32-11a(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 shall submit a request in writing which indicates the reasons for not having a qualified operator and include an application. The provisional operator certificate shall only be granted for a given system and only be given to an operator who could qualify to take the appropriate class exam within 2 years.

(Adopted effective July 26, 2001; Amended May 2, 2003)