As used in this chapter unless context requires another meaning:
(1) "Certificate" means a certificate of competency issued by the director stating that the operator has met the requirements for the specified operator classification of the certification program.
(2) "Department" means the department of ecology.
(3) "Director" means the director of the department of ecology.
(4) "Nationally recognized association of certification authorities" shall mean that organization which serves as an information center for certification activities, recommends minimum standards and guidelines for classification of potable water treatment plants, water distribution systems and wastewater facilities and certification of operators, facilitates reciprocity between state programs and assists authorities in establishing new certification programs and updating existing ones.
(5) "Operating experience" means routine performance of duties, on-site in a wastewater treatment plant, that affects plant performance or effluent quality.
(6) "Operator in responsible charge" means an individual who is designated by the owner as the person on-site in responsible charge of the routine operation of a wastewater treatment plant.
(7) "Owner" means in the case of a town or city, the city or town acting through its chief executive officer or the lessee if operated pursuant to a lease or contract; in the case of a county, the chair of the county legislative authority or the chair's designee; in the case of a water-sewer district, board of public utilities, association, municipality, or other public body, the president or chair of the body or the president's or chair's designee; in the case of a privately owned wastewater treatment plant, the legal owner.
(8) "Wastewater certification program coordinator" means an employee of the department who administers the wastewater treatment plant operators' certification program.
(9) "Wastewater collection system" means any system of lines, pipes, manholes, pumps, liftstations, or other facilities used for the purpose of collecting and transporting wastewater.
(10) "Wastewater treatment plant" means a facility used to treat any liquid or waterborne waste of domestic origin or a combination of domestic, commercial, or industrial origin, and which by its design requires the presence of an operator for its operation. It shall not include any facility used exclusively by a single-family residence, septic tanks with subsoil absorption, industrial wastewater treatment plants, or wastewater collection systems.