Washington Administrative Code

(1) Any person seeking certification must submit the following to the department:(a) Completed application for the certification level they are seeking on a form provided by the department;(b) Fees;(c) College transcripts, if applicable;(d) Professional growth certificates, if ap…

(1) All persons certified or seeking certification under chapter 70.95B RCW and this chapter must pay an application fee and/or renewal fee to the department each year.(2) All costs of activities associated with administering this program, as described in RCW 70.95B.095(1), are f…

(1) Applicants must meet the following education and experience requirements.(2) Groups I through IV education, operating experience requirements, and allowable substitutions include the following:(a) Operating experience must be gained by working under the direction or supervisi…

(1) Applicants who do not meet the requirements in Table 2 but do meet the requirements in Table 3 may apply to become an OIT I through IV, except as described in (a) and (b) of this subsection.(a) Applicants who hold a full certification may only apply for an OIT certification o…

(1) The department will use exams to determine the competency of operators for each certification level.(2) Certificates will be issued to examinees that receive a passing score approved by Washington state.(3) If the department uses exams prepared by another organization, the ex…

(1) The department may issue a certificate without an exam to an applicant who holds an equivalent certificate from a certifying authority that has reciprocity with Washington state.(2) Persons requesting reciprocity must submit a completed application as described in WAC 173-230…

(1) The certificate term is January 1st to December 31st each year.(a) Certificates issued prior to October 1st are valid through December 31st of the same calendar year.(b) Certificates issued on October 1st or later are valid through December 31st of the following calendar year…

(1) A professional growth cycle is a three-year period beginning on January 1st and ending on December 31st.(a) Operators who become certified during a professional growth cycle will have the remainder of the current professional growth period and all of the next professional gro…

(1) To be eligible for certificate renewal a certified operator must:(a) Provide documentation of their continued professional growth as described in WAC 173-230-300.(b) Pay a renewal fee as described in WAC 173-230-240.(2) The department will notify certified operators of their …

(1) The department may issue a temporary certificate, for up to one year, to fill an operator in responsible charge position or lead operator of a shift position when the designated certified operator unexpectedly vacates the position.(2) An owner may request a temporary certific…

(1) The director shall classify all wastewater treatment plants according to the criteria in Table 4.(2) If Table 4 indicates multiple classifications, the department will classify the wastewater treatment plant at the higher classification.(3) The operator in responsible charge …

(1) If a wastewater treatment plant's classification increases solely due to a reclassification based on the criteria in Table 4, the department may issue a one-time provisional certificate to the certified operator in responsible charge and the lead operator of each shift.(a) Th…

(1) Violation of this chapter is a misdemeanor.(2) Each day of operation in violation constitutes a separate offense.(3) Upon conviction, violators are subject to fines not exceeding one hundred dollars for each offense.(4) Injunctions may be obtained for continuing violations.[S…

(1) A certificate will be suspended immediately when the director is notified by the department of social and health services that a person is not in compliance with a support order or a residential or visitation order.(a) The department will notify a certified operator when thei…

(1) Certificates may be revoked for a period of one or more years, when the department finds:(a) Fraud or deceit in obtaining the certificate.(b) Gross negligence in the operation of a wastewater treatment plant.(c) Violation of the requirements of this chapter, the statute it im…

Decisions of the director under this chapter to issue, suspend, or revoke a certificate may be appealed to the pollution control hearings board as required by chapters 43.21B RCW and 371-08 WAC, within thirty days from the date of receipt of notice.[Statutory Authority: Chapter 7…

The purpose of this chapter is to implement RCW 90.48.110. The department interprets "plans and specifications" as mentioned in RCW 90.48.110 as including "engineering reports," "plans and specifications," and "general sewer plans," all as defined in WAC 173-240-020. This chapter…

(1) "Approval" means written approval.(2) "Construction quality assurance plan" means a plan describing the methods by which the professional engineer in responsible charge of inspection of the project will determine that the facilities were constructed without significant change…

(1) Before constructing or modifying domestic wastewater facilities, engineering reports and plans and specifications for the project must be submitted to and approved by the department, except as noted in WAC 173-240-030(5).(2) All reports and plans and specifications must be su…

Domestic wastewater facilities using subsurface sewage treatment and disposal, as defined in WAC 173-240-020(5), are prohibited except under those extraordinary circumstances where no other reasonable alternatives exist and: Providing that(1) The facility is owned, operated, and …

(1) The department will review general sewer plans, engineering reports, plans and specifications, and operation and maintenance manuals for domestic wastewater facilities to determine whether the proposed facilities will be designed, constructed, operated, and maintained to meet…

(1) All general sewer plans required of any governmental agency before providing sewer service are "plans" within the requirements of RCW 90.48.110. Three copies of the proposed general sewer plan and each amendment to it must be submitted to and approved by the department before…

(1) The engineering report for a domestic wastewater facility shall include each appropriate (as determined by the department) item required in WAC 173-240-050 for general sewer plans unless an up-to-date general sewer plan is on file with the department. Normally, an engineering…

(1) The plans and specifications for a domestic wastewater facility are the detailed construction documents by which the owner or his or her contractor bid and construct the facility. The content and format of the plans and specifications must be as stated in the state of Washing…

(1) Before construction a detailed plan must be submitted to the department that shows how adequate and competent construction inspection will be provided.(2) The construction quality assurance plan shall include a:(a) Construction schedule with a summary of planned construction …

(1) The proposed method of operation and maintenance of the domestic wastewater facility must be stated in the engineering report or plans and specifications and must be approved by the department. The statement must be a discussion of who will own, operate, and maintain the faci…

(1) Within thirty days after acceptance by the owner of the construction or modification of a domestic wastewater facility, the professional engineer in responsible charge of inspection of the project shall submit to the department:(a) One complete set of record drawings or as-bu…

declaration of construction of water pollution control facilitiesInstructions:A.Upon completion, and before using any project or portions thereof, a professional engineer shall complete and sign this form, declaring that the project was constructed in accordance with the provisio…

Each owner of a domestic wastewater treatment facility is required by chapter 70.95B RCW to have an operator, certified by the state, in responsible charge of the day to day operation of the facility. This requirement does not apply to a septic tank using subsurface disposal. The…

(1) Except as provided in subsections (2) and (3) of this section, domestic sewage facilities will not be approved unless ownership and responsibility for operation and maintenance is by a public entity. If a waste discharge permit is required it must be issued to the public enti…

(1) Before constructing or modifying industrial wastewater facilities, engineering reports and plans and specifications for the project must be submitted to and approved by the department.(2) All engineering reports and plans and specifications should be submitted by the owner co…

The department will review engineering reports, plans and specifications, and operation and maintenance manuals for industrial wastewater facilities to:(1) Determine whether the proposed facilities will be designed, constructed, operated and maintained to meet effluent limitation…

(1) The engineering report for an industrial wastewater facility must be sufficiently complete so that plans and specifications can be developed from it without substantial changes. Two copies of the report must be submitted to the department for approval.(2) The engineering repo…

(1) Upon request of the owner the department may, at its discretion, allow submission of conceptual plans for industrial facilities, as noted in WAC 173-240-110(5). Two copies of the plans and specifications must be submitted to the department for approval before the start of con…

(1) A detailed operation and maintenance manual must be prepared for an industrial wastewater facility that includes mechanical components before completing the construction. The manual is to be submitted to the department for review and approval. The purpose of the manual is to …

(1) All required engineering reports, and plans and specifications for the construction or modification of wastewater facilities must be prepared under the supervision of a professional engineer licensed in accordance with chapter 18.43 RCW. All copies of these documents submitte…

Under RCW 90.48.090, the department or its authorized representative has the right to enter at all reasonable times in or upon any property, public or private, for the purposes of inspection or investigation relating to the pollution or possible pollution of the waters of the sta…

All wastewater facilities subject to the provisions of this rule must be constructed in accordance with the plans and specifications approved by the department. Any contemplated changes during construction, which are significant deviations from the approved plans, must first be s…

This chapter establishes a procedure and criteria for implementing RCW 90.48.480, which requires "the greatest reasonable reduction of combined sewer overflows at the earliest possible date." It applies to municipalities whose sewer system includes combined sewer overflow (CSO) s…

(1) All CSO sites shall achieve and at least maintain the greatest reasonable reduction, and neither cause violations of applicable water quality standards, nor restrictions to the characteristic uses of the receiving water, nor accumulation of deposits which: (a) Exceed sediment…

As used in this chapter:(1) "At-site treatment" means treatment and discharge of combined sewage at the CSO site.(2) "Baseline annual CSO volume and frequency" means the annual CSO volume and frequency that is estimated to occur based upon the existing sewer system and the histor…

Municipalities shall:(1) Obtain the approval of the department for CSO reduction plans by January 1, 1988. This deadline may be extended by the department when that authority is granted.(2) Submit plans to the department at least sixty days before the time approval is desired.(3)…

(1) The CSO reduction plan must be sufficiently complete so that plans and specifications can be developed from it for projects that may proceed into design within two years of plan submittal. Sufficient detail of any remaining projects must be provided so that detailed engineeri…

(1) The plans and specifications for a domestic wastewater facility are the detailed construction documents by which the owner or his or her contractor bid and construct the facility. The content and format of the plans and specifications must be as stated in the state of Washing…

(1) Before construction, a detailed plan must be submitted to the department showing how adequate and competent construction inspection will be provided.(2) The construction quality assurance plan shall include:(a) Construction schedule with a summary of planned construction acti…

(1) The proposed method of operation and maintenance of the domestic wastewater facility must be stated in the engineering report or plans and specifications and must be approved by the department. The statement must be a discussion of who will own, operate, and maintain the faci…

(1) Within thirty days after the owner accepts the construction or modification of a domestic wastewater facility, the professional engineer in responsible charge of inspection of the project shall submit to the department (a) one complete set of record drawings or as-built drawi…

declaration of construction of water pollution control facilitiesInstructions:A.Upon completion, and before using any project or portions thereof, a professional engineer shall complete and sign this form, declaring that the project was constructed in accordance with the provisio…

Each owner of a domestic wastewater treatment facility is required by chapter 70.95B RCW to have an operator, certified by the state, in responsible charge of the day to day operation of the facility. This requirement does not apply to a septic tank using subsurface disposal. The…

(1) Except as provided in subsections (2) and (3) of this section, domestic sewage facilities will not be approved unless ownership and responsibility for operation and maintenance is by a public entity. If a waste discharge permit is required it must be issued to the public enti…