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Ohio Administrative Code (Last Updated: January 12, 2021) |
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3745 Ohio Environmental Protection Agency |
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Chapter3745-7. Water Supply Works and Wastewater Works Personnel |
3745-7-06. Certification of professional operators
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The director shall, in accordance with this chapter, provide for the examination of individuals applying for certification as professional operators and the issuance of appropriate certificates to applicants who meet the appropriate requirements and pass the appropriate examination.
(A) Application.
(1) Applicants for examination and certification shall 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) When required by the council, the applicant shall be responsible for furnishing additional documentation to the agency to verify information provided on the application.
(3) Any applicant who submits incomplete, false, or incorrect information on the application shall be disqualified from taking the examination as set forth in rule 3745-7-18 of the Administrative Code.
(B) To be eligible for examination and certification in accordance with this chapter the applicant shall fulfill the following :
(1) Not have been convicted of, or plead guilty to, a criminal charge 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 Professional Operator Certification Training" course. This course outlines rule requirements that are specific to certified professional 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
3 years of operating experience
Class III
5 years of operating experience including at least 1 year of operating experience as a class II certified professional operator in the same field
Class IV
See paragraph (C)(2) of this rule
(a) The director may accept post high school education or training in place of 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 **
3 years **
Associate's degree***
780 hours **
2 years **
Bachelor's degree***
520 hours
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 be obtained from an accredited institution in environmental, chemical, or civil engineering or a physical or natural science.
(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 is certified 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 three years of additional operating experience while in possession of a valid class III certification in the field for which the application is submitted , with two of those years consisting of management experience at a class III or IV facility in the field for which the application is submitted.
(3) The director may allow the following reductions in the operating experience requirement for examination for certification . However, documented completion of at least one year of operating experience in the field for which they are applying is required to be certified as a class II professional operator. Similarly, documented completion of at least one year of operating experience in the field for which an applicant has applied and an additional twelve months operating experience as a class II professional operator in the field for which an applicant has applied is required to be eligible to take the class III examination.
(a) The operating experience requirement to take the examination for class II professional operator certification is reduced by two years if an applicant holds either of the following:
(i) A bachelor's degree from a four-year accredited institution in environmental, chemical, or civil engineering or a physical or natural science.
(ii) A two-year technical degree in the field of water or wastewater treatment.
(b) The operating experience requirement to take the examination for class III professional operator certification is reduced by three years if an applicant holds a bachelor's degree from a four-year accredited institution in environmental, chemical, or civil engineering or a physical or natural science.
(c) The director may accept substitution of each year of college completed by an applicant, not holding a bachelor's degree, for one year of required operating experience. Substitution shall only be granted provided that the applicant was pursuing a degree in environmental, chemical, or civil engineering, or a physical or natural science.
(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 professional 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 a professional 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 paragraph (B)(8) 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) 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.
(G) 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.