SECTION .0200 – QUALIFICATION OF APPLICANTS AND CLASSIFICATION OF FACILITIES

15A ncac 18d .0201      GRADES OF CERTIFICATION

(a)  Applicants for certification shall be at least 18 years old, possess a high school diploma or general educational development equivalent (GED), and meet the following educational and experience requirements:

(1)           GRADE C-SURFACE applicants shall have six months of acceptable experience at a surface water facility and have satisfactorily completed a C ‑Surface school approved by the Board.

(2)           GRADE B‑SURFACE applicants shall:

(A)          be a college graduate with a bachelor's degree in the physical or natural sciences or be a graduate of a two-year technical program with a diploma in water and wastewater technology, have six months of acceptable experience at a surface water facility, and have satisfactorily completed a B‑Surface school approved by the Board; or

(B)          have one year of acceptable experience at a surface water facility while holding a Grade C‑Surface certificate and have satisfactorily completed a B‑Surface school approved by the Board.

(3)           GRADE A-SURFACE applicants shall have one year of acceptable experience at a surface water facility while holding a Grade B-Surface certificate and have satisfactorily completed an A-Surface school approved by the Board.

(4)           GRADE D-WELL applicants shall have three months of acceptable experience at a well water facility and have satisfactorily completed a C-Well or D-Well school approved by the Board.

(5)           GRADE C‑WELL applicants shall:

(A)          be a college graduate with a bachelor's degree in the physical or natural sciences or be a graduate of a two-year technical program with a diploma in water and wastewater technology, have three months of acceptable experience at a well water facility, and have satisfactorily completed a C ‑Well school approved by the Board;

(B)          have six months of acceptable experience at a well water facility and have satisfactorily completed a C‑WELL school approved by the Board; or

(C)          hold either a Grade A-Surface certification or a Grade A-Distribution certificate and have satisfactorily completed a C-Well school approved by the Board.

(6)           GRADE B-WELL applicants shall:

(A)          be a college graduate with a bachelor's degree in the physical or natural sciences or be a graduate of a two-year technical program with a diploma in water and wastewater technology, have six months of acceptable experience at a well water facility, and have satisfactorily completed a B-WELL school approved by the Board; or

(B)          have one year of acceptable experience at a well water facility while holding a Grade C-Well certificate and have satisfactorily completed a B-WELL school approved by the Board.

(7)           GRADE A-WELL applicants shall have one year of acceptable experience at a well water facility while holding a Grade B-Well certificate and have satisfactorily completed an A-WELL school approved by the Board.

(8)           GRADE D-DISTRIBUTION applicants shall have three months of acceptable experience at a distribution system and have satisfactorily completed a C-Distribution or D-Distribution school approved by the Board.

(9)           GRADE C-DISTRIBUTION applicants shall hold a certificate of completion of trench shoring training from a school approved by the Board and shall:

(A)          be a college graduate with a bachelor's degree in the physical or natural sciences or be a graduate of a two-year technical program with a diploma in water and wastewater technology, have three months of acceptable experience at a Class C or higher distribution system, and have satisfactorily completed a C‑Distribution school approved by the Board; or

(B)          have six months of acceptable experience at a Class D or higher distribution system and have satisfactorily completed a C-Distribution school approved by the Board.

(10)         GRADE B-DISTRIBUTION applicants shall:

(A)          be a college graduate with a bachelor's degree in the physical or natural sciences or be a graduate of a two-year technical program with a diploma in water and wastewater technology, have six months of acceptable experience at a Class B or higher distribution system, have satisfactorily completed a B-Distribution school approved by the Board, and shall hold a certificate of completion of trench shoring training from a school approved by the Board; or

(B)          have one year of acceptable experience at a Class C or higher distribution system while holding a Grade C-Distribution certificate and have satisfactorily completed a B-Distribution school approved by the Board.

(11)         GRADE A-DISTRIBUTION applicants shall have one year of acceptable experience at a Class B or higher distribution system while holding a Grade B-Distribution certificate and have satisfactorily completed an A-Distribution school approved by the Board.

(12)         GRADE CROSS-CONNECTION CONTROL applicants shall:

(A)          be a college graduate with a bachelor's degree in the physical or natural sciences or be a graduate of a two-year technical program with a degree in water and wastewater or civil engineering technology, and have satisfactorily completed a cross-connection control school approved by the Board;

(B)          have six months of acceptable experience at Class D-Distribution or higher system or have one year experience in the operations of cross connection control devices, and have satisfactorily completed a cross-connection control school approved by the Board; or

(C)          be a plumbing contractor licensed by the State of North Carolina and have satisfactorily completed a cross-connection control school approved by the Board.

(13)         APPRENTICE applicants shall have met the education requirement and satisfactorily completed a Grade B, Grade C, Grade D, or cross-connection control school approved by the Board and shall have correctly answered at least 70 percent of the questions on an examination designed for the class of certification for which the applicant is applying. The apprentice certification may be renewed annually for a maximum of five years, pursuant to the continuing education and renewal requirements of this Subchapter. An apprentice shall not act as a certified operator or an Operator in Responsible Charge for a facility. An apprentice is eligible for Grade B, Grade C, Grade D, or cross-connection control certification after meeting the applicable experience requirements as set forth in this Rule and making application to the Board.

(b)  Applications for certification of an operator certified in a state other than North Carolina shall be submitted to the Board for review. The application for out-of-state, civilian applications includes information regarding the applicant's current employment, the type of licenses granted in the state of origin, the years of water treatment experience, and a listing of water treatment plant experience. The application for applicants with military experience includes a listing of water treatment plant experience and an attached copy of the applicant's Verification of Military Experience and Training (VMET). The information supplied shall assist the Board in determining whether the requirements under which the out-of-state certification was obtained are equivalent to those required by the Water Treatment Facility Operators Board of Certification.

History Note:        Authority G.S. 90A‑21(c); 90A‑22; 90A‑23; 90A-24; 90A-25(b);

Eff. February 1, 1976;

Amended Eff. September 1, 1977;

Readopted Eff. March 1, 1979;

Amended Eff. February 1, 2012; May 1, 2006; September 1, 2004; August 1, 2000; August 1, 1998; May 3, 1993; August 3, 1992; July 1, 1991; December 31, 1988;

Readopted Eff. September 1, 2018.