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2018 North Dakota Century Code
Title 23.1 Environmental Quality
Chapter 23.1-07 Water Distribution and Wastewater Systems Operators

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CHAPTER 23.1-07 WATER DISTRIBUTION AND WASTEWATER SYSTEMS OPERATORS 23.1-07-01. Statement of policy. It is the policy of the state of North Dakota to protect the public health and welfare of the people of the state and the state's water resources by classifying all public water supply and wastewater disposal systems in the state and by requiring the examination of operators and the certification of their competency to supervise the operations of such facilities. 23.1-07-02. Definitions. For the purpose of this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires: 1. "Certificate" means a certificate of competency issued by the department stating that the operator holding the certificate meets the requirements for the specified operator grade in the certification program. 2. "Department" means the department of environmental quality. 3. "Ground water under the direct influence of surface water" means water beneath the surface of the ground with significant occurrence of insects or other macro-organisms, algae, or large-diameter pathogens such as Giardia lamblia, or significant and relatively rapid shifts in water characteristics such as turbidity, temperature, conductivity, or pH which closely correlate to climatological or surface water conditions. 4. "Operator" means the person in direct responsible charge of the operation of a water treatment plant, a water distribution system, a wastewater treatment plant, or a wastewater collection system. 5. "Population equivalent" for a wastewater collection system or treatment plant means the calculated population that would normally contribute the same amount of biochemical oxygen demand per day computed on the basis of seventeen hundredths of one pound [77.11 grams] of five-day, sixty-eight-degree Fahrenheit [20-degree Celsius] biochemical oxygen demand per capita per day. 6. "Wastewater collection system" means that portion of the wastewater disposal system in which wastewater is conveyed to a wastewater treatment plant from the premises of a contributor. 7. "Wastewater disposal system" means the system of pipes, structures, and facilities through which wastewater from a public sewer system or industry is collected and treated for final disposal. The system must serve a population equivalent of twenty-five or more persons. 8. "Wastewater treatment plant" means that portion of the wastewater disposal system used for the treatment and disposal of wastewater and the solids removed from wastewater. 9. "Water distribution system" means that portion of the water supply system in which water is conveyed from the water treatment plant or other supply point to the premises of the consumer. 10. "Water supply system" means the system of pipes, structures, and facilities through which a public water supply is obtained, treated, and sold or distributed for human consumption or household use. The system must have at least fifteen service connections or regularly serve an average of twenty-five or more persons for at least sixty days a year. 11. "Water treatment plant" means that portion of the water supply system that in some way alters the physical, chemical, or bacteriological quality of the water. 23.1-07-03. Classification of plants and systems. The department shall classify all water treatment plants, water distribution systems, wastewater treatment plants, and wastewater collection systems with due regard to the size, type, character of water and wastewater to be treated, and other physical conditions affecting such facilities, and according to the skill, knowledge, and experience that an operator in Page No. 1 responsible charge must have to successfully supervise the operation of such facilities, so as to protect the public health and prevent pollution of the waters of the state. 23.1-07-04. Certification. When the department is satisfied an applicant is qualified by examination or otherwise to supervise the operation of treatment plants and systems, the department shall issue a certificate attesting to the competency of the applicant as an operator. The certificate must indicate the classification of treatment plant or system the operator is qualified to supervise. 1. A certificate issued under this chapter is valid for only one year and expires on the first day of July of the year after which it was issued. 2. The department may revoke or suspend the certificate of an operator issued under this chapter if the operator has practiced fraud or deception in obtaining the certificate or in the performance of the operator's duty as an operator; if reasonable care, judgment, or the application of the operator's knowledge or ability was not used in the performance of the operator's duties; or if the operator is incompetent and unable to perform properly the operator's duties as an operator. A certificate may not be revoked or suspended except after a hearing before the director of the department, or the director's designated representative. If a certificate is suspended or revoked, a new application for certification may be considered by the department only after the conditions causing the suspension or revocation have been corrected, and evidence of this fact has been satisfactorily submitted to the department. A new certificate may then be granted by the department. 3. Certificates in appropriate classification issued to operators before the effective date of this chapter continue in effect. 23.1-07-05. Fees. The department may charge a fee for certificates issued under this chapter, but the fees may not exceed fifty dollars for the initial certificate, or twenty-five dollars for the annual renewal certificate. All receipts from the fees must be deposited in the state treasury to be credited to a special fund to be known as the "operators' certification fund" to be used by the department to administer and enforce this chapter and financially assist the department in conducting operator training programs. Any surplus at the end of the fiscal year must be retained by the department for future expenditures. 23.1-07-06. Duties of the department. The department shall: 1. Hold at least one examination each year at a designated time and place for the purpose of examining candidates for certification. 2. Promote the program of certification of water supply and wastewater disposal system operators. 3. Distribute notices and applications and to receive and evaluate applications. 4. Collect fees for initial certification and annual renewal. 5. Prepare, conduct, and grade examinations. 6. Maintain records of operator qualifications, certification examination results, and a register of certified operators. 7. Promote and schedule regular training schools and programs. 8. Adopt rules necessary to carry out this chapter. 23.1-07-07. Unlawful operation. Except as provided in this section, it is unlawful for any person to operate a water treatment plant or water distribution system serving twenty-five or more individuals or a wastewater treatment plant or wastewater collection system serving a population equivalent of twenty-five or more individuals unless the competency of the operator to operate such a plant or system is certified by the department in a grade corresponding to the classification of that portion of the system to be supervised. Operators of wastewater collection systems and wastewater Page No. 2 stabilization ponds or other nonmechanical wastewater treatment plants that serve a population equivalent of less than five hundred individuals are excluded from this chapter. Operators of water supply systems that serve other than year-round residents are excluded from this chapter if all of the following conditions are met: 1. The water supply is obtained solely from ground water sources not under the direct influence of surface water. 2. Treatment, if provided, consists strictly of disinfection, fluoridation, sequestration, corrosion control, or other processes that involve simple chemical addition and minor operational control. 3. The water supply system is not required by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act or its implementing regulations to be operated by qualified personnel. 23.1-07-08. Violations - Penalty. Any person violating this chapter or the rules adopted under this chapter, after written notice of the violation by the department, is guilty of a class A misdemeanor. Page No. 3
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