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§ 1002. Definitions

Purdon's Pennsylvania Statutes and Consolidated StatutesTitle 63 P.S. Professions and Occupations (State Licensed)Effective: February 21, 2002

Purdon's Pennsylvania Statutes and Consolidated Statutes
Title 63 P.S. Professions and Occupations (State Licensed) (Refs & Annos)
Chapter 24. Water and Wastewater Systems Operators' Certification Act
Effective: February 21, 2002
63 P.S. § 1002
§ 1002. Definitions
The following words and phrases, when used in this act, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
“Available operator” means a certified operator who is on site or able to be contacted as needed to make process control decisions in a timely manner to protect the environment and public health.
“Board” means the State Board for Certification of Water and Wastewater Systems Operators.
“Certification” means the process by which an individual obtains a water or wastewater system operator's certificate in accordance with the requirements of this act and the rules and regulations adopted thereunder.
“Certified operator” means any operator who holds a valid certificate in accordance with this act.
“Continuing education” means approved activities to include training, outreach programs, contact hours, meetings, presentations and/or other activities designed to increase the knowledge, abilities and skills of system operators.
“Department” means the Department of Environmental Protection of the Commonwealth.
“Environmental Hearing Board” means the board established pursuant to the act of July 13, 1988 (P.L. 530, No. 94),1 known as the “Environmental Hearing Board Act.”
“Environmental Quality Board” means the board established pursuant to section 1920-A of the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L. 177, No. 175),2 known as “The Administrative Code of 1929,” for the purposes set forth in that section.
“Grandparenting” means the temporary exemption for an existing operator of an existing system, as of the effective date of this act, from the initial educational and examination requirements for certification where a system was not required by prior law to have a certified operator. A grandparented operator may be an operator in responsible charge.
“Industrial wastewater treatment facility” means any facility that treats industrial waste or pollution, but not sewage, as those terms are defined in the act of June 22, 1937 (P.L. 1987, No. 394),3 known as “The Clean Streams Law.”
“Operator” means an individual who works with water or wastewater system processes or portions thereof. The term includes, but is not limited to, an individual who may be gaining experience to obtain certification in appropriate subclassifications within classifications of certification. These individuals shall have a working knowledge of system operation. Nothing in this act shall be construed to require operators of industrial wastewater treatment facilities to obtain an operator's certificate. However, operators of industrial wastewater treatment facilities may voluntarily obtain a wastewater system operator's certificate consistent with the provisions of this act and the rules and regulations adopted thereunder.
“Operator in responsible charge” means an individual designated by the owner to be the certified operator who makes the process control decisions that directly impact the quality and/or quantity of water.
“Owner” means a person who owns or is the holder of an applicable permit for the operation of a water or wastewater system.
“Person” means any individual, company, corporation, municipality, municipal authority, partnership, firm, association, trust, estate, public or private institution, or any agency of Federal or State government. The term also includes the officers, directors, employes and agents of any partnership, firm, association, company, corporation, municipality, municipal authority, public or private institution or any agency of Federal or State government.
“Political subdivision” means any county, city, borough, town, township, school district, institution or any authority created by any one or more of the foregoing.
“Process control decision” means a decision which maintains or changes the water quality or quantity of a water system or wastewater system in a manner that may affect the public health or environment.
“Recertification” means the process by which an individual's water or wastewater system operator certificate, previously certified under this act, obtains a new certificate following expiration, suspension or revocation of the previous certificate.
“Renewal of certification” means the process by which an individual extends for another period of time an existing, valid water system or wastewater system operator's certificate under this act.
“Secretary” means the Secretary of Environmental Protection of the Commonwealth.
“The Administrative Code” means the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L. 177, No. 175),4 known as “The Administrative Code of 1929.”
“Wastewater” means a substance that contains the waste products or excrement or other discharge from the bodies of human beings or animals and noxious or deleterious substances being harmful or inimical to the public health or to animal or aquatic life or to the use of water for domestic water supply or for recreation, or which constitutes pollution under the act of June 22, 1937 (P.L. 1987, No. 394), known as “The Clean Streams Law.”
“Wastewater system” means any structure designed to collect, convey or treat wastewater and from which effluent in excess of two thousand gallons per day is discharged into waters of the Commonwealth.
“Water system” means a community water system or a nontransient noncommunity water system, as those terms are defined in the act of May 1, 1984 (P.L. 206, No. 43),5 known as the “Pennsylvania Safe Drinking Water Act.”

Credits

1968, Nov. 18, P.L. 1052, No. 322, § 2, effective Jan. 1, 1969. Amended 1989, Dec. 22, P.L. 790, No. 112, § 2, imd. effective; 2002, Feb. 21, P.L. 134, No. 11, § 3, imd. effective.

Footnotes

35 P.S. § 7511 et seq.
71 P.S. § 510-20.
35 P.S. § 691.1 et seq.
71 P.S. § 51 et seq.
35 P.S. § 721.1 et seq.
63 P.S. § 1002, PA ST 63 P.S. § 1002
Current through the end of the 2023 Regular Session. Some statute sections may be more current, see credits for details.
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