SECTION .0700 - OPERATIONS AND MANAGEMENT

15a ncac 18d .0701      OPERATOR IN RESPONSIBLE CHARGE

(a)  The owner shall ensure that the public water system facilities are managed by an operator in responsible charge who possesses a certificate equivalent to or exceeding the requirements in this Subchapter.

(b)  The operator in responsible charge shall manage the daily operation and maintenance of the facility. No person shall be in responsible charge of more than any one of the following without written permission from the Board:

(1)           one surface water treatment facility;

(2)           five community public water systems with well water facilities;

(3)           ten non-community public water systems with well water facilities;

(4)           one distribution system serving over 3,300 service connections;

(5)           five distribution systems serving over 500 service connections and less than 3,300 service connections;

(6)           ten total distribution systems;

(7)           ten total cross-connection control systems; or

(8)           any facility located more than a 50-mile radius from where the operator resides.

No person shall be in responsible charge of any combination of a surface water treatment facility, a community public water system with well water facilities, a non-community public water system with well water facilities, a distribution system, and a cross-connection control facility without written permission from the Board.

(c)  A request for permission from the Board shall include documentation demonstrating that the facilities in question will be managed in compliance with the requirements of 15A NCAC 18C, which is hereby incorporated by reference, including subsequent amendments and editions.

(d)  The operator in responsible charge shall report, with annual certification renewal, the names and public water system identification numbers for all systems for which the operator is the operator in responsible charge.

(e)  If an operator in responsible charge takes responsibility for an additional system or relinquishes responsibility for any system, the operator shall notify the Board in writing within 10 days of the change.

(f)  The operator in responsible charge shall establish standard operating procedures for each facility for which he or she is responsible. These procedures shall ensure that his or her decisions about water quality or quantity that affect public health are carried out. The procedures shall instruct persons lacking proper certification to refer all the decisions affecting public health to the certified operator on duty or to the operator in responsible charge.

(g)  The operator in responsible charge shall be available for consultation on the premises of the facility in case of an emergency, equipment malfunction, or breakdown of equipment. The operator in responsible charge may designate a temporary operator in responsible charge during times when it is impossible for the operator in responsible charge to be on the premises. The temporary operator in responsible charge shall be familiar with the water system and have access to the standard operating procedures developed under Paragraph (f) of this Rule. The temporary operator in responsible charge shall possess a certification equivalent to or exceeding that required by the water system treatment classification. The operator in responsible charge shall notify the Board of any temporary operator in responsible charge designation lasting longer than 14 days.

History Note:        Authority G.S. 90A-21(c); 90A-31;

Eff. August 1, 1998;

Amended Eff. May 1, 2006; August 1, 2002; August 1, 2000;

Readopted Eff. September 1, 2018.