Section 18.74.050. Experience and education requirements.

	(a)  The department will use the basic criteria  
		(1) set out in (i) - (k) of this section to evaluate an operator's qualifications to operate a wastewater treatment system classified as a wastewater stabilization pond system under 18 AAC 74.120(b)(1);  
		(2) set out in Table A of this section, except as provided in (g) of this section, to evaluate an operator's qualifications to operate a water or wastewater system classified under 18 AAC 74.120, other than a wastewater stabilization pond system.  
CLICK TO VIEW  FORM
	(b)  Additional experience criteria referred to in Table A of this section and used by the department to evaluate qualifications of operators are subject to the following provisions:  
		(1) if an individual is employed as an operator at the time of application, that employment experience must be verified by the employer's signature on the application; the operator is responsible for providing verification of past experience; the department may contact the operator's previous employers;  
		(2) at least 50 percent of the operating experience must be obtained in the same system type at no more than one class lower than the level of certification requested, and the department will not allow substitution of education or substitution of operating experience gained in another system type to meet the requirement of this paragraph, except  
			(A) an applicant with 10 years or more of operating experience in a class I system meets the experience requirements for level III certification in the same system type; and  
			(B) an applicant with 10 years or more of operating experience in a class II system meets the experience requirements for level IV certification in the same system type;  
		(3) the department will consider a total of 1,950 or more hours worked during a period of 12 consecutive months as one year of experience; the department will prorate less than 1,950 hours worked during a period of 12 consecutive months to a portion of one year of experience.  
	(c)  Except as provided in (b)(2) of this section, the department will allow substitutions for experience required in Table A of this section only as follows:  
		(1) for provisional level certification, a department-approved college, correspondence, or short course completed within the three years before application may be substituted for experience and must be in the subject area of certification requested;  
		(2) water treatment and wastewater treatment experience are interchangeable;  
		(3) water distribution and wastewater collection experience are interchangeable;  
		(4) the following are interchangeable at 25 percent:  
			(A) water distribution and water treatment experience;  
			(B) wastewater collection and wastewater treatment experience;  
			(C) approved water laboratory and water treatment experience up to a maximum of one year of substituted time;  
			(D) approved wastewater laboratory and wastewater treatment experience up to a maximum of one year of substituted time.  
		(5) postsecondary education as described in (d) of this section may be substituted for up to 50 percent of the required operating experience for levels II, III, and IV; the rate of exchange of education for experience is one year of experience for each year of department-approved, full-time postsecondary education successfully completed that meets the requirements of this section;  
		(6) education substituted for an operating experience requirement may not also be applied to the education requirement for certification.  
	(d)  Additional education criteria referred to in Table A of this section and used by the department to evaluate qualifications of operators are subject to the following provisions:  
		(1) the operator must provide a transcript, a certificate of completion, or similar verification approved by the department to document education used for certification requirements;  
		(2) 45 continuing education units (CEUs) in specialized operator training or education approved by the department will be counted as one year of postsecondary education toward the certification requirements; 10 hours of coursework approved by the department equals one CEU; the department will approve specialized training or education coursework if it is directly related to, or can be applied to, the operation, maintenance, or management of a water supply or wastewater system; the department will consider the advice and recommendations of the board in approving this specialized training or coursework;  
		(3) the department will credit no more than 45 CEUs for one year of trade school; any time during trade school spent in on-the-job training will count toward the experience requirement separate from the education requirement;  
		(4) the department will apply a bachelor's degree in physical science, biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, or another related field as four years of postsecondary education toward certification requirements; the department will apply an associate degree in one of those fields as two years of postsecondary education toward certification requirements; if approved by the department, the department will apply college or technical coursework in a non-related field toward certification requirements as calculated under (2) of this subsection.  
	(e)  The department will allow substitutions for the minimum education requirements of Table A of this section only as follows:  
		(1) two years of accrued excess water treatment or wastewater treatment experience at a class II or higher water treatment or wastewater treatment facility may be used to satisfy a maximum of one year of the postsecondary education requirement for level III water treatment or wastewater treatment certification;  
		(2) four years of accrued excess water treatment or wastewater treatment experience at a class III or higher water treatment or wastewater treatment facility may be used to satisfy a maximum of two years of the postsecondary education requirement for level IV water treatment or wastewater treatment certification;  
		(3) one year of accrued excess water distribution or wastewater collection experience at a class II water distribution or wastewater collection system may be used to satisfy a maximum of six months of the postsecondary education requirement for level III water distribution or wastewater collection certification;  
		(4) one year of operating experience may be substituted for either two years of elementary school, or one year of high school education;  
		(5) experience substituted for an education requirement may not also be applied to the operating experience requirements;  
		(6) for certification of an operator at the provisional level and level I certification, the department will waive the minimum education requirements for an applicant who passes a written examination and a practical evaluation.  
	(f)  The department will administer level I examinations to applicants who meet the requirements for the provisional level certificate. Provisional certificates will be upgraded to level I certificates upon satisfactory fulfillment of the certification requirements of level I certification and approval of a completed application. Applications for upgrade of provisional certificates will be reviewed at least annually.  
	(g)  For an operator who is simultaneously supervising and operating a system that is required to have a certified operator under this chapter, the department may waive the experience requirements of Table A of this section. In reviewing a request under this subsection, the department will consider  
		(1) the complexity of the system;  
		(2) the number of hours spent each month simultaneously supervising and operating the system;  
		(3) whether the simultaneous supervising and operating experience claimed was acquired at the system that the operator will be operating when examined;  
		(4) whether the operator has a minimum of  
			(A) 12 months of simultaneous supervising and operating experience toward level I certification, even if the total number of hours worked dining that period of 12 months is less than 1,950 hours;  
			(B) 36 months of simultaneous supervising and operating experience toward level II certification, even if the total number of hours worked during that period of 36 months is less than 5,850 hours;  
			(C) 48 months of simultaneous supervising and operating experience toward level III certification, even if the total number of hours worked during that period of 48 months is less than 7,800 hours;  
			(D) 48 months of simultaneous supervising and operating experience toward level IV water treatment and wastewater treatment certification, even if the total number of hours worked during that period of 48 months is less than 7,800 hours;  
			(E) 72 months of simultaneous supervising and operating experience toward level IV water distribution and wastewater collection certification, even if the total number of hours worked during that period of 72 months is less than 11,700 hours;  
		(5) whether all other applicable requirements of this chapter have been met; and  
		(6) other factors relevant to assessing the operator's experience.  
	(h)  A certificate that is issued based on a waiver granted in (g) of this section applies only to the system the operator is operating when examined. When an operator certified under (g) of this section submits an application and meets the experience requirements of (a) - (e) of this section, the department may upgrade the certificate to one that is transferable.  
	(i)  To be eligible to take an examination and receive certification to operate a wastewater treatment system classified as a wastewater stabilization pond system under 18 AAC 74.120(b)(1), an applicant must have at least  
		(1) a high school or general equivalency diploma, or have completed at least 12 years of education; and  
		(2) three months of operating experience at a system classified as a wastewater stabilization pond system; the applicant must attest in the application to satisfying the experience requirement, and must provide verification of required experience if requested by the department.   
	(j)  The minimum education requirement in (i)(1) of this section is subject to the following:  
		(1) the applicant must attest in the application to completion of the required education and must provide verification if requested by the department;  
		(2) if an applicant does not have a high school diploma, general equivalency diploma, or 12 years of education, the applicant may achieve the equivalent of 12 years of education through the following substitutions:  
			(A) one calendar year of experience operating a system classified as a wastewater stabilization pond system may be substituted for either two years of education in grades one through eight or one year of education in grades nine through 12;  
			(B) 45 continuing education units (CEUs) of approved training may be substituted for one year of high school education; 10 hours of coursework equals one CEU; the department will approve training if that training is directly related to, or can be applied to, the operation, maintenance, or management of a water or wastewater system;  
			(C) the department will waive the minimum education requirement of (i)(1) of this section for an applicant who passes a written examination and an oral or practical examination;  
		(3) experience substituted under (2) of this subsection for an education requirement may not also be applied to satisfy the minimum experience requirement of (i)(2) of this section.  
	(k)  If an applicant does not have the minimum experience required under (i)(2) of this section, the completion of an approved training course may be substituted. The department will approve training if that training is directly related to, or can be applied to, the operation, maintenance, or management of a wastewater stabilization pond system.  

Authorities

46.30.080

Notes

Reference

18 AAC 74.010
18 AAC 74.020
18 AAC 74.040

Authority

AS 46.30.080

History

Eff. 8/21/78, Register 67; am 8/24/85, Register 95; am 5/29/93, Register 126; am 1/18/2001, Register 157; am 12/3/2006, Register 180; am 11/21/2010, Register 196