Current through all regulations passed and filed through December 16, 2024
In accordance with this chapter, the director
shall
provide for the examination of individuals applying for certification as
facility specific or professional operators and
the issuance of appropriate certificates to applicants who meet the appropriate
requirements and pass the appropriate examination.
(A)
Applicants for
certification shall do the following:
(1)
Submit an application in a format approved by the
director. The complete application and appropriate fees as set forth in section
3745.11 of the Revised Code
shall be submitted at least ninety calendar days prior to the date on which the
examination is scheduled.
(2)
Be responsible for furnishing
additional documentation to the agency to verify information provided on the
application when required by the
council.
(3)
Be disqualified from taking the examination as set
forth in rule
3745-7-18 of the Administrative
Code for submitting incomplete, false, or incorrect
information on the application.
(B) To be eligible for examination and
certification as a professional operator in
accordance with this chapter the applicant shall fulfill the following:
(1) Not have been convicted of, or plead
guilty to, a disqualifying offense, as determined in accordance with
section 9.79 of the Revised Code,
including criminal charges involving falsification, fraud, or
terrorism.
(2) At the time of
application and prior to the examination date, not have a revoked or currently
suspended Ohio professional operator certification.
(3) Not have a professional operator
certificate from any other state currently revoked or under
suspension.
(4) Not have performed
the duties of a professional operator of record without a valid certificate of
the appropriate field and classification, unless in accordance with the
exemptions and exceptions contained in this chapter.
(5) Have a high school diploma or the
equivalent. Either of the following shall be considered equivalent to a high
school diploma.
(a) Documentation of
successfully passing the general education development test or a statement of
high school equivalence.
(b)
Completion of a vocational training program in the field of
application.
(6) Have the
ability to do the following:
(a) Read and
understand Chapters 6109. and 6111. of the Revised Code and the rules adopted
thereunder.
(b) Perform
mathematical calculations required to operate in the field for which
certification is being sought.
(c)
Complete and maintain records and regulatory reporting forms required to
document the proper operation of a public water system, treatment works, or
sewerage systems.
(7) All
applicants to be a professional operator shall acknowledge completion of a
review of the "Ohio EPA
Operator Certification Training" course. This course outlines rule requirements
that are specific to all certified
operators.
(8) Have operating experience related to the
field for which the application is being considered in accordance with the
minimums in table A of this rule.
Table A: Operating experience required
Certification |
Operating experience required |
Class A |
See paragraph (B)(8)(c) of this rule |
Class I |
1 year of operating experience |
Class II |
2 years of operating experience |
Class III |
4 years of operating experience
|
Class IV |
See paragraph (C)(2) of this rule |
(a) The director
may accept post high school education or training as a substitute for operating
experience in qualifying for examination under this rule. However, except as
provided in paragraph (B)(8)(c) of this rule, all applicants for examination
are required to have at least one year of operating experience by the date of
the scheduled examination in the field for which certification is sought unless
waived in accordance with rule
3745-7-07 of the Administrative
Code.
(b) Applicants are required
to describe in detail their operating experience at water treatment, water
distribution, collection and wastewater treatment systems.
(c) To be eligible to take the class A
examination for certification, applicants shall have education, and operating
or work experience in accordance with the following chart:
Education and experience requirements for class A professional
operators
Years of Education |
Operating Experience | |
Work Experience * |
High school diploma or equivalent |
1040 hours ** |
OR |
3 years ** |
Associate's degree*** |
780 hours ** |
OR |
2 years ** |
Bachelor's degree*** |
520 hours |
OR |
1 year |
* Work experience means time spent at a job where a portion of
duties involve dealing with a public water system or treatment works.
** Successful completion of one or more of the Operator
Training Committee of Ohio "Basic Water" or "Basic Wastewater" course, the
California State University at Sacramento "Small Water System Operation and
Maintenance" or "Small Wastewater System Operation and Maintenance, Volume I"
course, or the equivalent shall reduce the experience requirement to one year
of work experience or five hundred twenty hours of operating experience.
***Degrees shall meet the
requirements of paragraph (C)(3)(a) of this rule.
(C) Alternative
eligibility requirements.
(1) An applicant for
a class II or class III public water or wastewater examination or for a class
II water distribution or wastewater collection examination,
who
holds a valid professional operator certificate, at the same or a higher
classification in the other field, may be granted a fifty per cent reduction in
actual operating experience requirements in the field applied for, on the basis
of operating experience obtained in the other field, except that a minimum of
one year of actual operating experience in the field applied for is still
required.
(2) Applicants for class
IV certification shall document two years of management experience
at a class III or IV facility, while in
possession of a valid class III certification in the field for which the
application is submitted.
(3)
Experience
requirement reduction for post secondary education.
(a)
The director may
allow a reduction of the experience requirement for an applicant who
demonstrates completion of a bachelor's degree from a four-year accredited
institution in environmental, chemical, or civil engineering or a physical or
natural science.
(b)
An applicant may request a review of a degree and
transcript that is not in the fields listed above in writing, provided the
applicant has taken a significant number of courses in a physical or natural
science or the degree can be determined to be specifically related to the field
of water treatment or water reclamation.
(c)
Reductions may be
granted in accordance with paragraph (C)(4) of this rule.
(4) The director may
allow the following reductions in the experience requirement for examination
for certification. However, documented completion of at least one year of
experience in the field for which
they are applying is required to be certified as a class II
and
class III operator. Similarly, documented completion of at least one year
of experience
for the type of
certificate and the field for which an applicant has applied
.
(a) The experience requirement to take the
examination for class II
operator certification is reduced by one year if an applicant
meets the following:
(i)
Has post secondary education that meets the requirements of
paragraph (C)(3) of this rule.
(ii)
Has a two-year
technical degree in the field of water or wastewater treatment.
(b) The experience requirement to take the
examination for class III
operator certification is reduced by three years if an applicant
meets either of
the following:
(i)
Has post secondary education that meets the
requirements of paragraph (C)(3) of this rule.
(ii)
Has a two-year
technical degree in the field of water or wastewater treatment.
(c) The director may accept
substitution of each year of college completed by an applicant, not holding
an associate's
or bachelor's degree, for one year of required experience. Substitution shall only be
granted provided that the applicant meets the requirements of
paragraph (C)(3) of this rule.
(d) The director may accept an applicant's
completed drinking water or wastewater courses as a substitute for experience
when applying for examination for class II or III operator certification on a
case-by-case basis. The director may publish a list of courses that have been
approved for substitution of experience.
(e) An applicant who passes the examination
before showing the required operating experience shall be
an operator in training, subject to the conditions of
paragraph (C) of rule
3745-7-07 of the Administrative
Code.
(D) An
applicant who does not meet the required operating experience in
paragraphs (B)(8) and
(F)(3) of this rule may take the examination in accordance with the
provisions in rule
3745-7-07 of the Administrative
Code.
(E) Applicants who do not
meet the examination prerequisites in the classification for which they
requested may be permitted, without re-applying, to take an examination in a
lower classification for which they do meet the prerequisites.
(F)
An applicant
employed at a class III or IV public water system or treatment works may apply
for a facility specific class I, II, or III certification, provided the
following criteria are met:
(1)
Meet the criteria in paragraphs (B)(1) to (B)(7) of
this rule.
(2)
A class III or IV certified professional operator who
is a member of the system's management, or a professional operator of record
for the public water system or treatment works, shall certify the applicant's
ability to oversee the technical operation of the facility.
(3)
To be eligible
for a facility specific certification, applicants shall document experience
described in paragraph (O)(2)(b) of rule
3745-7-01 of the Administrative
Code in accordance with the following table:
Certification |
Experience
required |
Class I |
1 year of
experience |
Class II |
2 years of
experience |
Class III |
4 years of
experience |
(4)
An operator who holds a valid facility specific
certification may be designated as the backup operator of record for a
facility, in accordance with the provisions of rules
3745-7-03 and
3745-7-04 of the Administrative
Code, provided the operator of record for the facility certifies their ability
on a form acceptable to the director.
(5)
A facility
specific certificate can be converted to a full certification once the
applicant obtains operating experience as defined in paragraph (O)(2) of rule
3745-7-01 of the Administrative
Code.
(6)
An applicant shall pass an examination for the level of
facility specific certification they are applying for.
(7)
A facility
specific certification does not supersede certificates described in paragraph
(A) of rule
3745-7-05 of the Administrative
Code.
(G) Exam format.
(1) The examinations for each classification
shall be in a format accepted by the director. Alternate examination methods
may be accepted by the director if an applicant has a disability that would
prevent them from taking the standard examination.
(2) The director shall establish and publish
criteria for exams and the associated score necessary to pass the
exams.
(H) An applicant
approved by the director to take the class IV certification examination shall
submit the examination within two years of the date of the approval, unless an
extension is granted prior to the end of the two-year period.