Certified Operators of Public Water Systems

Certified Operators are the Department of Public Health’s front line in maintaining the purity and adequacy of the state’s public drinking water. As such the certified operator’s health is essential to continued operations of our Community or Non-Transient Non-Community Public Water Systems (PWSs).

Read and where applicable apply the above discussion points under “Communications, Staffing, Operations, Planning, Water System Operations, Other Considerations” to the operation and coordination of your system.

Certified Chief Operators are required:

• to have an active daily responsibility (i.e. direct responsible charge or DRC) to the PWSs treatment plant or distribution system,
• and to be “available” (i.e. reasonably accessible in order to respond to plant or system changes or malfunctions”) in their oversight of the plant or distribution system.

• Availability may be accomplished by directing and verifying, via phone or electronic means, staff or contractors in completing required tasks.

• Where the Chief Operator, is not “available” the PWS is required to place, in the interim, another appropriately certified operator in direct responsible charge (DRC) of the plant or system. This “interim operator” must be certified at or above the class level of the plant or system.

• Certified operators must be aware of their utilities staffing capabilities and plans to comply with the above “DRC”, “interim operator” and “available” requirements. Contract operators should also look at their own staffing capabilities and assist PWSs in complying with the above discussed requirement.

1. In such cases where PWS is not able to comply, due to illness of certified staff, with the above discussed “available”, “DRC” or “interim operator” requirements the PWS may be able to pursue the following solutions to achieve compliance:
   Enlist or contract with another appropriately certified operators in the state, lists of certified operators, per type and class level, are available on the e-License web site (https://www.elicense.ct.gov  upper right click and pull down ONLINE SERVICES, click on either “Generate Roster(s)” and then “Drinking Water System Operators”).
   and/or
2. Pursue Provisional Operator Certification of an individual who could demonstrate now their qualifications to take the appropriate certification examination within 2 years and where the PWS documents its reasons for not having a certified operator.

• CT DPH will suspend certification renewal requirements for those certifications that are due to expire during the declared emergency by extending expiration dates for a period of 6 months. Operators impacted by this extension will be notified via email,

• The May 2020 scheduled examinations will be postponed (future date to be announced).