3745-7-01 Definitions.

Except as otherwise noted, the definitions in rule 3745-81-01 of the Administrative Code shall apply to this chapter.

(A) “Agency” means the Ohio environmental protection agency.

(B) “Available” means able to be contacted as needed twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week to make operational decisions in a timely manner.

(D) “Contact hours” means time spent by a certified operator in approved formal or informal training.

(E) “Council” means the operator certification advisory council as established in rule 3745-7-10 of the Administrative Code.

(F) “Director” means the director of the environmental protection agency or their duly authorized representative.

(G) “Field” means the field of practice for which an operator is certified. Water supply, water distribution, wastewater treatment, and wastewater collection are each fields of certification.

(H) “Management experience” means experience obtained while supervising, directing, or controlling the affairs associated with a public water system or treatment works. Such experience shall include, but not be limited to, being directly responsible for plant operations, supervising operating staff, and being responsible for personnel issues. Experience gained in the position of shift supervisor at a Class III or IV facility shall qualify as management experience.

(I) “NPDES” means national pollutant discharge elimination system.

(J) “One year” means two thousand eighty hours when referring to operating experience. This is equal to forty hours per week for fifty-two weeks. When referring to educational experience one year shall constitute at least thirty-six quarter hours or twenty-four semester hours.

(1) “Nine months” means fifteen hundred sixty hours when referring to operating experience.

(2) “Six months” means one thousand forty hours when referring to operating experience.

(K) “Operating experience” means time performing the day-to-day activities necessary to ensure the proper performance of the equipment or processes of a public water system, treatment works, or sewerage system. Experience for the water supply or water distribution examination may only be obtained at a public water system as defined in this rule.

(1) Types of experience related to a public water system, a treatment works, a water distribution system, or a sewerage system that qualify as operating experience include:

(a) Experience while in the military with providing potable water or wastewater treatment;

(b) On-site investigations and inspections of operations that require coordination of work with active treatment processes, collection, or distribution systems;

(c) Laboratory analyses if the analyses are conducted in the laboratory of the owner of a public water system, treatment works or sewerage system;

(d) Construction inspection and engineering design that require coordination of the inspection or design with the operation of the active treatment processes, collection, or distribution systems; and

(e) Industrial wastewater treatment.

(2) The following types of experience related to a public water system, a treatment works, a water distribution system, or a sewerage system qualify as operating experience but may count for no more than twenty five per cent of the operating experience requirement of each field:

(a) Sludge handling or hauling, if part of a treatment works; and

(b) On-site supervisory control and data acquisition (“SCADA”) systems monitoring.

(3) The following types of experience related to a public water system, a treatment works, a water distribution system, or a sewerage system shall not qualify as operating experience:

(a) Clerical duties;

(b) Commercial laboratory work;

(d) Academic research;

(e) Meter reading only;

(f) Experience as a laborer, if only responsible for mowing grass, painting tanks, etc.;

(g) Investigations and inspections of operations that do not require coordination of work with active treatment processes, collection, or distribution systems;

(h) Construction inspections and engineering design that do not require coordination of work with active treatment processes, collection, or distribution systems;

(i) Off-site monitoring of SCADA; and

(j) Septage hauling.

(L) “Operator of record” means an individual identified as being the on-site certified operator or one of the on-site certified operators responsible for the technical operation of:

(1) A public water system;

(2) A water treatment plant, if a public water system has more than one water treatment plant;

(3) A distribution system;

(4) A sewerage system;

(5) A treatment works; or

(6) A wastewater treatment facility, if a treatment works has more than one wastewater treatment facility.

(M) “Person” means any individual; corporation; company; association; partnership; the state; or any political subdivision, agency, institution, or instrumentality thereof; any interstate body created by compact; or the federal government or any department, agency, or instrumentality thereof.

(N) “Precipitative softening” means a series of processes to remove hardness using lime or any other chemicals to cause chemical precipitation prior to filtration.

(O) “Public water system” is defined as in paragraph (A) of section 6109.01 of the Revised Code.

(P) “Sewage sludge facility” is as defined in paragraph (A)(57) of rule 3745-40-01 of the Administrative Code.

(Q) “Sewerage system” is as defined in paragraph (E) of section 6111.01 of the Revised Code.

(R) “Technical operation” means the act of making process control or system integrity decisions which directly impact the quality or quantity of water or effluent.

(S) “Treatment works” is as defined in paragraph (F) of section 6111.01 of the Revised Code.

(T) “Visit” means a period of time when a person is on-site at a public water system, treatment works, or sewerage system that is sufficient to perform routine sampling (e.g. flow, chlorine residual, and pH measurements), maintenance, and observation of a public water system, sewerage systems, or treatment works in order to ensure compliance and proper operation.

(U) “Wastewater” means water containing sewage, industrial waste, or other wastes.

(V) “Wastewater collection system” shall mean “sewerage system” as defined in paragraph (E) of section 6111.01 of the Revised Code.

(W) “Water treatment plant” means any type of equipment, device, treatment unit, or structure that in some way alters the physical, chemical, or microbiological quality of the water, excluding booster chlorination facilities within the distribution system. A public water system may be comprised of more than one water treatment plant.

(X) “Wastewater treatment facility” is as defined in paragraph (QQ) of rule 3745-33-01 of the Administrative Code. A treatment works may be comprised of more than one wastewater treatment facility.

[Comment: The term “operator of record” has replaced “operator in responsible charge”. Any reference to “operator in responsible charge” in other rules of the Administrative Code shall hereafter be interpreted to mean “operator of record.” References to “operator in responsible charge” in other rules will be updated during the next scheduled rule review.]

Replaces: Former 3745-7-01

Effective: 12/21/2006

R.C. 119.032 review dates: 12/21/2011

Promulgated Under: 119.03

Statutory Authority: RC Section 6111.46, 6109.04(C)(1)(b)

Rule Amplifies: RC Section 6111.46, 6109.04(C)(1)(b)

Prior Effective Dates: 02/01/64, 04/17/86, 01/01/99