(1) Applicants must meet the following education and experience requirements.

(2) Groups I through IV education, operating experience requirements, and allowable substitutions include the following:

(a) Operating experience must be gained by working under the direction or supervision of a fully certified operator.

(b) Up to half of the operating experience for Groups II through IV, listed below in Table 2, can be substituted with relevant experience.

(c) Relevant experience is work that does not meet the definition of operating experience, but can be used to substitute for operating experience, and includes, but is not limited to:

(i) Wastewater collection system operator;

(ii) Wastewater pump station operator;

(iii) Water distribution system operator and/or manager;

(iv) Water treatment plant operator;

(v) Environmental or operations consultant;

(vi) Wastewater treatment plant designer and/or builder; or

(vii) Other relevant experience will be considered on a case-by-case basis with a written description of the duties performed on the job by the applicant.

(d) Education substituted for operating experience must be in excess of the required education and cannot be used for both the education requirement and substitutions.

Table 2

Operator Certification Requirements and Substitutions