257 CMR 2.00:
CERTIFICATION OF
OPERATORS OF WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITIES
2.02: Definitions
2.03: Application
for Certificate
2.04: Exemptions
2.05: Examinations
2.06: Operator
Status
2.07: Issuance
and Renewal of Certification
2.08: Emergency
and Provisional Facility Certification
2.09: Renewal
and Revocation Provisions
2.10: Education
Requirements
2.11: Operator
Descriptions
2.12: Grades
of Wastewater Treatment Facility Operators
2.13: Classification
of Wastewater Treatment Facilities
2.14: Violations
and Penalties
2.15: Permit
for Discharge
2.01: Purpose
and Authority
The purpose 257 CMR
2.00 is to set forth a process for the evaluation and certification of operators of
wastewater treatment facilities in order to insure the facilities' proper management,
operation and maintenance. Authority for
257 CMR 2.00 is found in M.G.L. c. 21, §§ 34A and 34B.
2.02: Definitions
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) is an index of the amount of oxygen that
will be consumed by the decomposition of the organic matter in wastewater.
Board shall mean the Board of Certification of Operators of Wastewater
Treatment Facilities established in M.G.L. c. 21, § 34A.
Certificate means a certificate of competency issued by the Board stating
that the holder has met the requirements for a specified grade and status of wastewater
treatment plant operator through the Board's certification program. Each certification issued by the Board shall be
valid only for the individual to whom it is issued and may not be transferred.
Continuing Education Unit (CEU) refers to a certain number of training
contact hours. One CEU equals ten TCH's. Some seminars, workshops, training courses, and
college courses have official CEU values.
Contract Operations means the operation, and/or management and/or
maintenance of a wastewater treatment facility by someone other than the permittee of the
facility.
Inactive Operators refers to retired operators or operators with "when
and if" status.
Reciprocity means the certification of a person who has passed a written
examination in another state and meets the experience requirements of Massachusetts or a
person who meets the requirements of a reciprocity registry accepted by the Board.
Reciprocity Registry refers an organization which grants reciprocity to its
members across state and international borders.
Training Contact Hours (TCH) refers to the hours of training an operator has
had in the last calendar year. Each seminar,
workshop, training course, or college course will have a specific training hour value as
rated by the Board. Each CEU equals ten TCH
per year.
Wastewater Treatment Facility - means any and all devices, processes, and
properties, real or personal, used in the storage, treatment, disposal, recycling,
reclamation or reuse of waterborne pollutants, but not including any sewer system.
Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator (WTP0) means the person who is in
responsible charge of operations during all working shifts of a wastewater treatment
facility. A WTP0 cannot be an official who
does not spend his working hours at the treatment facility. In any wastewater treatment facility requiring
more than one shift, a certified operator shall be present who shall have a grade
commensurate with the duties required during that shift, as determined by the Board.
2.03: Application
for Certification
(1) Any person desiring to be certified as a wastewater treatment
plant operator by examination shall file an application with the Board not later than 45
days preceding the date of a scheduled examination.
(2) Any person desiring to be certified by reciprocity shall file
an application with the Board providing:
(a) proof of having passed a written test in another state;
(b) resume explaining job duties, responsibilities, and dates of
employment at each facility;
(c) flow diagrams of each facility worked at; and
(d) copy of rules and regulations for certification in state
certified; or
(e) proof of acceptable reciprocity registration.
(3) Any person desiring to obtain emergency certification must
submit a request in writing to the Board setting forth the necessity for such
certification. Applications for emergency
certification will be acted on by the Board pursuant to 257 CMR 2.08.
(4) Any person desiring to obtain provisional certification must
submit a request in writing to the Board setting forth the necessity for such
certification. Applications for provisional
certification will be acted on by the Board pursuant to 257 CMR 2.08.
(5) All applications shall be signed under oath by the applicant.
2.04: Exemptions
Certified operators are
not required at facilities utilizing only lime chip neutralization, silver recovery or
oil/water separators - MDC traps. Closed loop
systems do not require certified operators.
2.05: Examinations
(1) The Board will prepare examinations to be used in determining
the knowledge, ability, and judgment of applicants for operator certification. Examinations will be prepared for industrial,
municipal and combined operator grades as set forth in 257 CMR 2.12.
(2) Examinations will be held at least twice a year at places and
times established by the Board. Notice of
examination will be published in newspapers of general circulation and trade, industry, or
professional publications.
(3) The passing score on examinations shall be the correct
response to 66% of the examination questions for examination grades 1 & 2 Municipal
and Industrial. The passing score on
examinations for grades 3 and 4 Municipal and Industrial and 5 combined shall be the
correct response to 65% of the examination questions.
The passing score on examination for grade 6 combined shall be the correct response
to 70% of the examination questions.
(4) All examinations shall be graded by the Board or its
designees. The applicant shall be notified
of the outcome in writing. Examination papers
will not be returned to the applicant.
(5) Upon written request of the applicant, the applicant's
examination shall be made available for review at the Boston Office, Division of Water
Pollution Control.
(a) An examinee may apply in writing to review his examination
within 30 days from the date of the Board's notification to the examinee of the
examination results.
(b) During the review process, the examinee must declare their
intention in writing for a formal appeal of specific questions. The examinee shall provide the Board with
documentation in support of the appeal within 30 days after reviewing their exam. The burden of proof is on the examinee.
(c) The Board shall review properly filed appeals and shall notify
the examinee in writing of the results of the appeal.
2.06: Operator
Status
In addition to assignment
of grade to operators, operators shall be assigned a status by the Board as follows:
(1) Operator-in-Training Status. Upon passing an
examination, the Board shall review the applicant's experience, education and training. If the applicant is working at a wastewater
treatment facility but does not meet the experience qualifications established in 257 CMR
2.12 for the grade passed, the applicant shall receive Operator-in-Training Certification. The Chief Operator of a facility cannot hold this
certification unless approved by the Board.
(2) When and If Status. An applicant may take an
examination for any grade. If the applicant
passes the examination, is not working in the field and/or does not have experience as
defined in 257 CMR 2.12(2) to qualify for full certification, the Board will issue a When
and If Status (W&I). When the W&I
operator gains employment at a wastewater treatment facility and notifies the Board in
writing, the Board shall review the operator's status and upgrade it to
Operator-in-Training or Full Operator Status.
(3) Full Operator Status. Full operator status refers to an
operator who has passed a certification examination and meets all experience requirements
set forth in 257 CMR 2.12 for a specified wastewater treatment facility.
2.07: Issuance
of Certificates
(1) Upon satisfactory fulfillment of the requirements provided
herein, the Board shall issue to the applicant a certificate. The certificate shall indicate the operator's
grade pursuant to 257 CMR 2.12 and state the class of treatment plant which the operator
is qualified to operate pursuant to 257 CMR 2.13. Changes
in the grade or status of an operator shall be reflected by documentation issued by the
Board.
(2) Certificates shall be valid provided renewal is made in
accordance with 257 CMR 2.04 and 2.09 unless revoked for cause or replaced by a
certificate of higher grade.
(3) Certificates shall be valid unless the Board determines that
the holder has not used reasonable care, judgment, and application of their knowledge in
the performance of their duties. No
certificate shall be valid if it was obtained through fraud, deceit or the submission of
inaccurate data concerning the individual's qualifications.
2.08: Emergency
and Provisional Facility Certification
(1) By a majority vote and for good cause shown, the Board may
grant emergency certification to an operator to work at a specified facility in a position
for which the operator is not otherwise certified. The
Board may grant a Chief Operator an Emergency Certification only if the request for
Emergency Certification is approved by the appropriate regional DEP/DWPC section chief. Emergency Certification shall not be granted to
employees or managers of contract operations and maintenance firms. Emergency Certification shall be valid for no
longer than six months and cannot be renewed.
(2) By a majority vote, the Board may issue a Provisional
Certification to any operator who meets all of the requirements for a specified grade
applied for except that the applicant has not passed the appropriate examination. A Provisional Certification shall be issued only
after the applicant has failed the applicable examination and Emergency Certification
previously granted has expired, shall be of no more than six months duration, and cannot
be renewed. The Chief Operator of a facility
may not hold Provisional Certification unless allowed by the Board.
2.09: Renewal
and Revocation Provision
(1) Until December 31, 1996, operator certification shall be
renewed annually. Operators initially
certified or renewing certification after December 31, 1995, shall renew certification by
demonstrating that they have earned 10 or more Training Contact Hours during the previous
calendar year. Inactive operators will not be
required to obtain the necessary TCH's, but must pay the annual renewal fee. If an Inactive operator becomes Active, the
operator must obtain the necessary TCH's annually thereafter. It is the responsibility of the Inactive operator
to notify the Board of a change in status.
(2) Operators active during the years 1993 through 1995 shall each
obtain 30 TCH's at some point during that three year period.
(3) The Board may revoke the certificate of an operator following
a hearing conducted pursuant to M.G.L. c. 30A before a majority of the Board when the
Board finds that the operator has practiced fraud or deception or that reasonable care and
judgment and the application of knowledge and ability was not used in the performance of
their duties; or that the operator is incompetent or unable to properly perform their
duties. An appeal from the decision of the
Board may be made to the Superior Court.
(4) The Board may revoke the certificate of an operator who fails
to pay the renewal fee or obtain the required training contact hours. Reinstatement following revocation shall be by
written examination.
2.10: Education
Requirements
Commencing December 31,
1995, and annually thereafter, operators must demonstrate to the Board in their
application for renewal that they have earned ten or more Training Contact Hours in the
previous calendar year. If, during the past
year, the operator has passed a certification examination which upgrades their
certification, this shall equal 10 TCH's.
2.11: Operator
Descriptions
Assistant Chief Operator - Grade 1-4 facilities. The person in direct responsible charge during the
absence of the Chief Operator. Certification
required for this position may be one grade below the grade of the plant.
Assistant Chief Operator - Grade 5, 6, and 7 facilities. The person in direct responsible charge during the
absence of the chief operator. Certification
required is equal to the grade of the plant.
Chief Operator - In all plants, the person in overall direct responsible
charge of the wastewater treatment facility at all times.
The certification required for this position is equal to the grade of the plant.
Shift Operator - In all plants, the person in direct responsible charge of a
particular shift at a wastewater treatment facility.
The certification required for this position is based upon the job duties and
responsibilities assigned and determined by the points accrued on one's particular shift. Total points shall not include those for
laboratory and BOD, or other units not in operation on the assigned shift.
Weekend Operator - The person in direct responsible charge of the weekend
operation of a wastewater treatment facility. The
certification required for this position is based upon the job duties and responsibilities
assigned and determined by the points accrued on one's particular weekend shift. Total points shall not include those for
laboratory and BOD or units not operational on weekends.
2.12: Grades
of Wastewater Treatment Facility Operators
(1) There shall be seven grades of operators to coincide with the
classification of plants set forth in 257 CMR 2.13. Operator
grades shall be issued which correspond to the class of facility which the operator is
qualified to operate.
(2) Experience, to be acceptable, shall be the result of
satisfactory accomplishment of work. Education-Experience
equivalents are set forth below:
Education
Experience Equivalent
Master's Degree
5 years
Bachelor's Degree
4 years
(in one of the fields below)
Engineering; Chemical, Civil,
Environmental Science, Biology,
Associates Degree in the above or Wastewater
Treatment
Bachelor's Degree in other fields
3 years
Graduation from High School or its equivalent 2 years
Short courses in
wastewater treatment and related technical fields may qualify applicants for additional
experience equivalents ranging from three to eighteen months as determined by the Board. Additional education experience may only be added
up to the maximum per grade level.
(3) Operators shall possess experience and/or education as
follows:
(a) Grade 1 Operators shall have passed a Grade 1 examination and
possess at least one year of experience at a level of responsibility comparable to that of
a Class I plant or higher. Education may be
substituted for not more than six months of experience.
(b) Grade 2 Operators shall have passed a Grade 2 examination and
possess at least three years of experience at a level of responsibility comparable to that
of a Class 1 plant or higher. Education may
be substituted for not more than two years of experience.
(c) Grade 3 Operators shall have passed a Grade 3 examination and
possess at least five years of experience at a level of responsibility comparable to that
of a Class 2 plant or higher. Education may
be substituted for not more than three years of experience.
(d) Grade 4 Operators shall have passed a Grade 4 examination and
possess at least six years of experience at a level of responsibility comparable to that
of a Class 3 plant or higher. Education may
be substituted for not more than four years of experience.
(e) Grade 5 Operators shall have passed a Grade 5 examination and
possess at least six years of experience at a level of responsibility comparable to that
of a Class 4 plant or higher. Education may
be substituted for not more than four years of experience.
(f) Grade 6 Operators shall have passed a Grade 6 examination and
possess at least seven years of experience at a level of responsibility comparable to that
of a Class 5 plant or higher. Education may
be substituted for not more than five years of experience.
(g) Grade 7 Operators shall have passed a Grade 6 examination and
possess at least eight years of experience at a level of responsibility comparable to that
of a Class 6 plant or higher. Education may
be substituted for not more than five years of experience.
2.13: Classification
of Wastewater Treatment Facilities
(1) Each municipal wastewater treatment facility shall be
classified by the Board as either 1M, 2M, 3M, 4M or 5, 6, or 7 for large or complex
facilities. Each industrial wastewater
treatment facility shall be classified as either 1I, 2I, 3I, 4I, or 5, 6, or 7 for large
or complex facilities. The increasing
numerical class indicates increasing complexity of operation and a higher level of
training, knowledge, and experience required for operation.
(2) The class of a facility shall be established by adding
together all rating values reflecting the complexity of operation for units which are
present in the facility, as set forth below:
Rating Values for Classification of Facilities
Unit
Rating
Aeration; mechanical or diffused air greater
than 0.5 MGD
10
less than 0.5 MGD
6
Aeration; sludge, re-aeration
3
Aeration; pure oxygen greater than 0.5 MGD
10
BOD Removal
1 and up*
Carbon Filter
2-5
Carbon absorption in an Industrial facility
5
Carbon reactivation
10
Centrifuge
8
Chemical addition
2 points per
Chlorination pre, gas or liquid
2
Chlorination post, gas or liquid
2-5
Clarifier, tube settling or inclined plate
2-5
Clariflocculation
6
Coagulation and Neutralization
5
Comminution
1
Condenser
2
Cooling Tower
1-3
Dechlorination
2
Denitrification
5
Dissolved Air Flotation
5
Electrodialysis
5
Electrolytic Recovery
5
Equalization
2
Evaporators
2-5
Extended Aeration greater than 0.1 MGD, less
than 0.5 MGD
6
Extended Aeration equal to or less than 0.1 MGD
4
Flash Mixing
1
Flow measurement
1
Flocculation
1
Grit Chamber, Aerated
2
Grit Chamber manually cleaned
1
Grit Chamber mechanical grit removal
2
Heat Exchangers
2
High rate filtration units less than
0.1 MGD
1
greater than 0.1 less than 0.5 MGD
2
greater than 0.5 less than 1.0 MGD
3
greater than 1.0 MGD
4
Hypochlorite generation
5
Hypochlorination pre and/or post
1
Hydrocyclones (grit removal)
3
Imhoff tanks
3
Incineration
10
Instrumentation
1-5
Ion Exchange
2-5
Laboratory
1-3
Land Irrigation, spraying
2
Land Irrigation, direct discharge
2
Membrane Filtration
3-5
Nitrification
10
Odor Control
2-5
Oil Separation
2
Oxidation Ditch
5
Oxygen Generation
10
Ozonation
5
Polishing Filter
2
Post-aeration (cascade)
1
Post-aeration (mechanical)
2
Pre-aeration
1
Primary Settling; airlift or manual sludge
Primary Settling; mechanical sludge removal
5
Primary sludge holding and mixing
2
Pumping (in plant)
3
Pumping stations under operator's control
1
Reaction Vessel
3
Reverse osmosis
5
Rotating Biological Contactors
4
Rotating Biological Contactors; multiple stage
7
Rotary Drum Dryers
5
Sand filters; multi media, automatic backwash
3-4
Sand filters; intermittent
2
Sand filters; polishing
1
Sand filters; subsurface
1
Screens (mechanical)
1
Scum Concentrator
2
Secondary settling; airlift or manual
Secondary settling; mechanical sludge removal
5
Septage facilities
2-5
Sludge blending
2
Sludge composting
2-5
Sludge drying beds
2
Sludge digestion; aerobic
4
Sludge digestion; heated and mixed anaerobic
10
Sludge digestion; heated and unmixed, anaerobic
8
Sludge digestion; unheated
2
Sludge elutriation
3
Sludge incinerators
10
Sludge press; belt
8
Sludge press; plate and frame
2-8
Sludge storage
2
Sludge thickeners; gravity
5
Sludge thickeners; flotation
5
Stabilization ponds; non-aerated
1
Stabilization ponds; aerated
3
Stripping
Air
2-5
Steam
2-5
Trickling filters; high rate
4
Trickling filters; staged
4
Trickling filters; standard rate
2
Ultraviolet disinfection
2-5
Vacuum filter
10
Wet Air Oxidation
10
Design BOD in Pounds/Day x "f"
* BOD Removal Rating =
1000
"f" = 0.3 for primary treatment and 0.8 for secondary or higher
facilities.
(3) Wastewater treatment facilities shall be classified according
to the following cumulative rating value:
Class
Cumulative Rating Value
Class 1 (M or I)
1-7
Class 2 (M or I)
8-20
Class 3 (M or I)
21-30
Class 4 (M or I)
31-50
Class 5 (C)
51-65
Class 6 (C)
66-80
Class 7 (C)
81 or more
(4) Class 1 (I) and Class 2 (I) facilities which have fewer than
three units or a rating of 20 or fewer points shall be considered Type I facilities for
the purposes of 310 CMR 4.00.
(5) Class 1 (I) and Class 2 (I) facilities with greater than three
units or a rating of more than 20 points and Class 3 (I), Class 4 (I), Class 5, Class 6,
and Class 7 facilities shall be considered Type II facilities for the purposes of 310 CMR
4.00.
(6) The Board may establish a rating value for any unit not shown
on the table. The Board may change the
classification of a particular wastewater treatment facility when there are site-specific
factors affecting the complexity of the treatment process.
2.14: Violations
and Penalties
No person shall manage,
operate or maintain a wastewater treatment facility unless the individual in charge of the
facility is in possession of a currently valid certificate issued pursuant to 257 CMR
2.07. Any person who violates any provision
of 257 CMR 2.00 or any valid regulation, order or permit issued by the Board; or who
knowingly makes any false representation in any application required under 257 CMR 2.03
shall be punished by a fine of not more than $2500 per day of such violation or by
imprisonment for not more than one year, or both, or shall be subject to a civil penalty
of not more than $2500 per day of such violation, which may be assessed in an action
brought on behalf of the Commonwealth in any court of competent jurisdiction or an
Administrative Penalty pursuant to M.G.L. c. 21A, § 16.
2.15: Permit
for Discharge
(1) Rating System for Permit Categories.
(a) Unit Operations is defined as any component of a
process that could be utilized solely or combined to attain a specific objective. The rating system
is based on the number of specified unit operations in a proposed wastewater
treatment facility and the total number of points assigned to each unit operation.
(b) Type I Facility -any facility that has less than three
unit operations as listed and has a rating of < 20 points.
(c) Type II Facility -any facility that has three or more
unit operations as listed or has a rating of > 20 points.
(2) The following is the list of unit operations commonly used in
wastewater treatment systems.
Absorption/Adsorption
- Carbon
5
- Ion Exchange
5
Biological Wastewater Treatment
- Activated Sludge
6
- Contact beds (anaerobic)
5
- RBC
5
- Sand Filters
4
- Trickling Filters
4
Chemical Precipitation (reaction vessel) Clarification
- Primary
5
- Secondary
5
- Tertiary
5
Chrome Reduction
5
Cooling water (contact and non-contact) 2
Cyanide Destruction
5
Dentention basins, Swales, Infiltration trenches
2
Disinfection
5
Equalization
2
Evaporation
- Single
2
- Multiple
5
Filtration/Sludge Dewatering
- Cartridge
3
- Centrifuge
8
- Filter Press
8
- Membrane
5
- Vacuum Filter
10
Flocculation/Mixing/Coagulation
5
Flotation
5
Neutralization/pH Adjust
- Single
3
- Multiple
5
Oil/Water Separation
- Gravity fed
2
- Baffled
5
Pumping (in-plant)
3
Settling
- With manual sludge removal
3
- With mechanical sludge removal
5
Sludge Blending/Thickening
5
Sludge Drying (mechanical dryers)
5
Silver Recovery Unit
5
Stripping (Air/Steam)
5
REGULATORY AUTHORITY
257 CMR 2.00: M.G.L. c. 21, §§ 34A and 34B.