Illinois Administrative Code

Section 380.320 Alternates a) Alternate representatives shall be selected at the same time as the representatives are selected. The alternate's term of office shall be concurrent with that of the selected representative. b) An alternate shall perform the duties of the representat…

Section 380.325 Vacancies a) If a representative or alternate is not selected by the time specified in Sections 380.315 and 380.320, the Board of Certification shall appoint a representative. b) If a representative vacates a position on the Board of Certification, the alternate s…

Section 380.330 Meetings a) The Chairman of the Board of Certification shall convene two regular meetings annually. b) Five voting representatives shall constitute a quorum. No official action shall be taken without agreement of five voting members. A special meeting may be calle…

Section 380.335 Duties a) The duties of the Board of Certification members shall be: 1) To solicit the opinions and comments of those persons they represent on matters pertaining to certification and to report them to the Agency and to the Board; 2) To provide advice to the Agenc…

Section 380.400 General Examination Requirements a) Any person able to read and write English shall be eligible to take a wastewater examination of competency. However, a certified operator may not take the exam for which he or she holds the certification. b) The purpose of the w…

Section 380.405 Examination Request a) Any person who wishes to take the wastewater operator examination must submit an examination request to the Agency. The examination request shall be on forms prescribed by the Agency, and must be submitted to the Agency at least 30 days prio…

Section 380.410 Letter of Admission The Agency shall review an examination request and issue a letter of admission within 30 days after receipt of the request. Each letter of admission shall be valid for one examination conducted up to one year after the date of issuance. (Source…

Section 380.415 Examination Admission a) A person who has received a Letter of Admission must schedule the examination at least 7 days prior to the examination. The Agency shall provide instructions for scheduling the examination with the Letter of Admission. b) Each person with …

Section 380.420 Class 1 Through 4 Examination The Class 1 through 4 examinations will include, but not be limited to, questions on: a) The particular type of treatment specified for the level of certification sought, and general questions on units of treatment of lower and higher…

Section 380.425 Class K Examination The Class K examination will include, but not be limited to, questions on: a) Flow schematics; b) The specific types of treatment processes utilized at the industrial wastewater treatment works for which the applicant seeks certification; c) Ma…

Section 380.430 Class R Examination The Class R examination will include, but not be limited to questions on: a) Operation and treatment principles of specific types of treatment units utilized for surface water or groundwater remediation for contamination resulting from gasoline…

Section 380.435 Collection System Examination The Collection System examination will include, but not be limited to, questions on a) Collection system operation and maintenance; b) Collection system monitoring; c) Lift stations and pumps; d) Mathematics; e) Recordkeeping; and f) …

Section 380.440 Reexamination An individual who fails a written examination must resubmit an examination request pursuant to Section 380.405 and obtain a new Letter of Admission before retaking the examination. Resubmittal of an examination request may only be made after the indi…

Section 380.500 Application a) Any person who seeks to obtain a Certificate of Technical Competency must file an application on forms prescribed by the Agency. All applications must be in English and must contain: 1) a statement specifying the class of certification sought by the…

Section 380.505 Class 1 Certificate Issuance The Agency shall issue a Class 1 Certificate of Technical Competency when the applicant demonstrates all the following: a) The applicant is capable of performing his or her duties without endangering the health and well-being of the po…

Section 380.510 Class 2 Certificate Issuance The Agency shall issue a Class 2 Certificate of Technical Competency when the applicant demonstrates all the following: a) The applicant is capable of performing his or her duties without endangering the health and well-being of the po…

Section 380.515 Class 3 Certificate Issuance The Agency shall issue a Class 3 Certificate of Technical Competency when the applicant demonstrates all the following: a) The applicant is capable of performing his or her duties without endangering the health and well-being of the po…

Section 380.520 Class 4 Certificate Issuance The Agency shall issue a Class 4 Certificate of Technical Competency when the applicant demonstrates all the following: a) The applicant is capable of performing his or her duties without endangering the health and well-being of the po…

Section 380.525 Class K Certificate Issuance a) The Agency shall issue a Class K Certificate of Technical Competency when the applicant demonstrates all the following: 1) The applicant is capable of performing his or her duties without endangering the health and well-being of the…

Section 380.530 Class R Certificate Issuance The Agency shall issue a Class R Certificate of Technical Competency when the applicant demonstrates all the following: a) The applicant is capable of performing his or her duties without endangering the health and well-being of the po…

Section 380.535 Collection System Certificate Issuance The Agency shall issue a Collection System Certificate of Technical Competency when the applicant demonstrates all the following: a) The applicant is capable of performing his or her duties without endangering the health and …

Section 380.540 Metropolitan Sanitary District of Greater Chicago Certification a) Employees of the Metropolitan Sanitary District of Greater Chicago, who are on an eligibility list for appointment for the position titles listed below, shall be issued an appropriate Illinois Cert…

Section 380.545 Agency Determination a) Upon receipt of a complete application, the Agency shall review the application and determine whether the applicant has made an adequate demonstration pursuant to the standards of issuance specified in Sections 380.505 through 380.540. b) T…

Section 380.550 Review of Agency Determination a) Any applicant who disagrees with the Agency's denial of the certification application may request that the application be presented to the Board of Certification for its review and recommendation. Any request pursuant to this subs…

Section 380.600 Causes Certificates of Technical Competency shall be subject to sanctions of revocation or suspension upon a showing of cause by a preponderance of the evidence. Such sanction shall not be a bar to any civil or criminal proceedings. Causes for sanction shall inclu…

Section 380.602 Citizen Complaints Any person may file with the Agency a written complaint regarding a wastewater operator certified under this Part. The complaint shall state the name and address of the complainant, the name of the operator and any information which supports the…

Section 380.605 Procedures a) Filing of Documents. All documents filed in a sanctions proceeding under this Subpart shall be filed with the Docket Clerk, Division of Legal Counsel, Illinois EPA. Filing by electronic transmission or facsimile will only be allowed with the prior ap…

Section 380.610 Hearing a) If the operator files a hearing request, the Hearing Officer shall set a time and place for the hearing, not more than 180 days after the service of the complaint, and provide notice of the hearing to the Agency and the operator. The hearing notice shal…

Section 380.611 Board of Certification a) Within 30 days after the conclusion of a hearing, the Hearing Officer shall provide a copy of the following to the Board of Certification: 1) the hearing transcript; 2) hearing exhibits; and 3) instructions on how the Board of Certificati…

Section 380.613 Director's Decision a) Proposal for Decision 1) When a hearing is held pursuant to Section 380.610, the Hearing Officer shall file with the Director or the Director's designee and serve upon the Agency and operator a proposal for decision within 120 days after the…

Section 380.615 Sanctions a) The decision between revocation and suspension must be based on the following: 1) The severity of the violations that led to the sanction including: A) The frequency or duration of the violations; B) The impact on the operation of the wastewater treat…

Section 380.620 Appeal Within 35 days of the receipt of the notice of sanction from the Director the operator may appeal the sanction to the Pollution Control Board. The revocation or suspension of the operator's Certificate of Technical Competency shall be stayed pending a final…

Section 380.625 Ex Parte Communications a) Except in the disposition of matters they are authorized by law to entertain or dispose of on an ex parte basis, the Hearing Officer and the Director shall not communicate directly or indirectly, in connection with any issue of fact, wit…

Section 380.630 Subpoena a) Upon written request by a party, the Hearing Officer will issue a subpoena for attendance of a witness or production of books, papers, documents or other tangible things at a hearing or deposition if the party shows good cause as to why the testimony a…

Section 380.700 Certificate Expiration a) Class 1 and Class 2 1) Beginning on July 1, 2020, Class 1 and Class 2 Certificates of Technical Competency must be issued with the expiration date being 3 years after July 1 of the calendar year in which the certificate was issued. 2) Cla…

Section 380.705 Certificate Renewal Application a) Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 and Class 4 Certificates of Technical Competency are renewable. b) Class K and Class R Certificates of Technical Competency may not be renewed. Operators must retake the examination and reapply when a Cl…

Section 380.710 Restoration of Expired Certificates a) An individual who fails to renew before July 1 of the expiration year, but whose certificate has been expired for less than 2 years, and has not taken and failed the wastewater operator examination in the last 2 years, may ha…

Section 380.715 Training Renewal Requirements The requirements for certificate renewal are as follows: a) Class 1 and Class 2 certified operators must complete and document 30 hours of training during the 3 year certificate period before the certificate expiration date. 1) A mini…

Section 380.720 Training Criteria a) Training 1) The Agency accepts training hours related to the technical aspects of wastewater treatment and operation. These hours include, but are not limited to, the following: Activated Sludge Aeration Backwash of Filters Chemical Addition C…

Section 380.725 Calculation of Training Hours a) One training hour shall equal 60 minutes of training. b) For the purpose of calculating actual classroom hours for renewal training credit, the following conversions should be used: 1) 1 Semester Hour = 15 hours of training credit.…

Section 380.730 Proof of Training Records, Recordkeeping, and Audits a) Certified wastewater treatment works operators are required to maintain their own proof of training records for a period of 6 years from the date of training. b) The Agency may audit proof of training records…

Section 380.735 Submission of Training Hours a) A record of completed training may be submitted to the Agency at any time, but must be submitted to the Agency prior to expiration of the certificate. b) The record of completed training hours must contain the following information …

Section 380.740 Waiver of Required Training a) In a case of extreme hardship, the Agency may grant a waiver from the renewal training requirements when it is demonstrated and documented that it was impossible for an operator to obtain the required training. Extreme hardship may i…

Section 380.745 Issuance of Renewed and Restored Certificates The Agency will renew or restore a wastewater operator certification when the Agency has determined that requirements of this Subpart G have been satisfied. (Source: Added at 43 Ill. Reg. 5203, effective July 1, 2019)

Section 380.750 Renewal of Sanctioned Certificates a) The Agency will renew a suspended certificate that expires during the suspension period at the end of the suspension period pursuant to Section 380.615. b) Revoked Certificates of Technical Competency cannot be renewed. (Sourc…

Section 380.755 Voluntary Reduction of Certification a) An individual who is certified at the Class 1 or Class 2 level may make a written request to the Agency to reduce his or her certification to a Class 3 level. 1) The individual must surrender his or her Class 1 or Class 2 ce…

Section 380.760 Contested Renewal, Restoration, and Training Determinations a) Any certified wastewater operator who disagrees with the Agency's decision regarding renewal or restoration may seek review of the Agency's decision, as provided in Section 380.550. b) Operators, train…