Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Regulations Update

1
Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Regulations
Update

• RTOC Tribal Caucus Meeting
• July 25, 2007
• Temecula, CA

2
Tribal OperatorsCurrent Situation

• Many tribal operators have met State Water
  Boards education and examination requirements,
  but cannot satisfy experience requirement.
  
• Under current statutes and regulations, Office of
  Operator Certification (OOC) cannot give
  experience credit to operators at tribal
  facilities
• Tribal facilities do not meet definition of a
  wastewater treatment plant
  
• Qualifying experience is the time working at a
  wastewater treatment plant
  
• Some tribal operators have obtained State Water
  Board certification by acquiring experience at
  wastewater treatment plants.

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Consequences

• Tribes have difficulty attracting certified or
  registered operators because experience at tribal
  facilities does not count toward certification
  
• Skilled tribal operators lose opportunities
  because their experience at tribal facilities
  does not count.
  
• Unequal and Unfair

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Common Interests

• Tribes/EPA/State Water Board share interest in
  ensuring that tribal facilities have qualified
  operators to protect public health and the
  environment.
• Tribal operators provide additional labor for
  California facilities and tribal facilities will
  be better able to attract outside operators.
  
• Basic fairness.
• Everyone shares the same desire its just a
  matter of overcoming some legal hurdles.

5
Solution

• New definitions for Indian tribe and
  Certifying body
  
• Indian tribe is recognized and eligible to
  receive services from US and included on list
  published by BIA
  
• Certifying body is another state, a territory, or
  Indian tribe, or unit thereof, that certifies or
  registers operators of facilities that treat
  wastewater. Includes entities designated by an
  Indian tribe to administer the tribes program.
• Qualifying experience credit
• Award qualifying experience credit for operating
  a facility that treats wastewater but is not
  defined as a wastewater treatment plant. Once
  awarded, qualifying experience credit is
  equivalent to qualifying experience. (Section
  3684(d))
• Operator must hold a valid, unexpired certificate
  of the appropriate grade issued by a certifying
  body.

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Solution Continued

• Examination waiver replaces Reciprocity
  (Section 3689)
  
• Applicable for all grades levels
• Experience, education, and exam requirement
  comparable to OOCs
  
• Applicant meets minimum education and
  experience
  
• Applicant has passed a comparable exam
• Applicant completes application and pays fees
• Qualifying Experience Credit and Examination
  Waiver provide a means of recognizing experience
  gained at tribal facilities.

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Tentative Schedule

• Winter 2006 Drafting
• Spring/Summer 2007 Stakeholder Input/Internal
  Review/Approval of Draft Regulations
  
• Fall 2007/Winter 2008 Public Review/Comment of
  Draft Regulations
  
• Spring 2008 Response to Comments and
  Preparation of Final Regulations
  
• Summer 2008 New Regulations in Effect

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Contact Information

• For questions or comments about the draft
  regulations
  
• Richard Wong at rwong_at_waterboards.ca.gov or (916)
  341- 5811
  
• For questions or comments about certification of
  tribal operators
  
• Kari Schumaker at kschumaker_at_waterboards.ca.gov
  or [phone]
  
• For questions or comments about the Office of
  Operator Certification
  
• Sudhakar Talanki at stalanki_at_waterboards.ca.gov
  or [phone] or Christopher Stevens at
  cstevens_at_waterboards.ca.gov or [phone]