1. (a) As specified in RSA 485-A:5-a, wastewater treatment plants shall be operated only by certified operators.

2. (b) Each wastewater treatment plant owner shall:

   1. (1) Designate an individual to be the OIRC who is certified in the grade equal to or greater than the classification of the plant;
   2. (2) Designate an individual to be the back-up OIRC who would be available to be in responsible charge of the plant in the absence of the usual certified OIRC. This designated individual shall be certified in the grade equal to or greater than the classification of the plant;
   3. (3) Designate an authorized representative for the plant; and

   4. (4) Ensure that all personnel performing the following important operating functions at wastewater treatment plants are certified under these rules:

      1. a. Removal of all pollutants from wastewater in order to comply with permitted limits;
      2. b. Maintenance of pumps, valves, and processing equipment;
      3. c. Operation of chemical feeding devices, performance of laboratory analysis, and maintenance of required records; and
      4. d. Monitoring of a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, gauges, or other equipment that monitors process stability.
3. (c) The wastewater treatment plant owner shall annually complete and submit electronically to the department, no later than February 15, the "Designation of Authorized Representative, Operator in Responsible (OIRC) and Back-up OIRC for Permitted Wastewater Treatment Plants" form, NHDES-W-09067, September 2023, available at: https://onlineforms.nh.gov/?formtag=NHDES-W-09-067.
4. (d) The wastewater treatment plant owner or its authorized representative shall notify the department in writing via email or a letter within 24-hours of the termination of the OIRC or the back-up OIRC.

5. (e) The wastewater treatment plant owner or its authorized representative shall hire a replacement for the OIRC or the back-up OIRC, as applicable, as soon as practicable after a termination occurs, and notify the department of such hiring, taking into consideration:

   1. (1) The owner’s personnel code or other applicable requirements, including but not limited to the terms of any collective bargaining agreement extant in the municipality relative to hiring and promotions; and
   2. (2) The public interest in an open competitive recruitment process for selection of qualified public employees.
6. (f) The department shall give temporary approval for a wastewater treatment plant owner to hire an operator one grade below the required grade upon written request to the department, provided the operator is qualified to take, and does take, the next scheduled examination in the next highest grade. If the operator does not pass the examination, the temporary approval shall be extended to allow one retest at the next scheduled examination.

Source. (See Revision Note #1 at part heading for Env-Wq 304) #10392, eff 8-1-13; ss by #13755, eff 9-27-23 (see Revision Note #2 at part heading for Env-Wq 304)