Title 197 - NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Chapter 1 - DEFINITIONS
001 "Act" means the Wastewater Treatment Operator Certification Act.
002 “Base Metal” generally refers to regulated non-precious metals in wastewater (cadmium, copper, lead, nickel, zinc).
003 "Certificate" means a certificate of competency issued by the director or his or her duly authorized representative certifying that the operator has met the requirements for the specified operator classification of the certification program.
004 "Certified Operator" means an operator who holds a certificate issued by the director or his or her authorized representative.
005 "Classification System" or "System" means the procedure used to classify wastewater treatment facilities including the point rating worksheets and classification tables in Appendix A and B, hereby adopted and incorporated herein.
006 “Class I, Class II, Class III, Class IV, and Class L means the level of certification of an operator of a municipal, commercial, or compatible industrial wastewater treatment works.
007 "Collection System" means the part of the wastewater treatment facility that includes the structures, equipment, and processes required to collect and transport wastewater from its point of origin to a wastewater treatment facility.
008 "Commercial Facility" means a privately owned wastewater treatment facility treating only domestic wastewater.
009 "Compatible Industrial Facility" means a wastewater treatment facility treating or pretreating wastewater produced by an industry whose wastewater is treated similar to domestic wastewater.
010 “Industrial I, Industrial II, Industrial III, or Industrial IV means the level of certification of an operator of a non-compatible industrial wastewater treatment facility.
011 "Continuing Education Unit (CEU)" is a standard unit of measurement meaning ten contact hours of participation in, and successful completion of an organized continuing education experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction, and qualified instruction which is approved by the director or some nationally recognized association.
012 “Contract Operation” means operation of a wastewater treatment facility by an individual operator who is not an employee of the owner of the wastewater treatment facility, or by a private firm employing certified operators, authorized to operate a facility through a contract with the owner of the wastewater treatment facility.
013 "Council" means the Environmental Quality Council.
014 "Department" means the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality.
015 "Director" means the Director of the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality.
016 "Direct Responsible Charge (DRC)" means the person(s) designated by the owner to be the certified operator(s) responsible for making decisions regarding the daily operational activities of a wastewater treatment facility and decisions that will impact compliance with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit.
017 "Domestic Wastewater" means human body waste and household type wastes including bath and toilet wastes, laundry wastes, kitchen wastes, and other similar wastes from households.
018 "Exempt Facility" means a wastewater treatment facility that is not required to be operated by a certified operator.
019 “Initiation of Operation” means the date on which a new or upgraded wastewater treatment facility is put into operation or is capable of being placed in operation for the purpose for which it was planned, designed, and built.
020 "Municipal Facility" means a wastewater treatment facility owned by a municipality that treats wastewater.
021 "Municipality" means a city, town, borough, county, parish, district, association, or other public body created by or pursuant to state law and having jurisdiction over disposal of sewage, industrial wastes, or other wastes.
022 “National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)” means the national system for the issuance, reissuance, modification, suspension, revocation, monitoring, and enforcing of permits pursuant to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, 33 USC, 1342, as amended, and includes any State program which has been approved by the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in whole or in part, pursuant to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, 33 USC 1251, et seq., as amended.
023 “Non-compatible Industrial Facility” means an wastewater treatment facility treating or pre-treating wastewater produced by an industry whose wastewater is not treated similar to domestic wastewater.
024 "Non-discharging Lagoon Systems" means the shallow earthen basins, used for the treatment of wastewater by natural processes involving the use of both algae and bacteria, which do not discharge to waters of the state.
025 "Operating Experience" means the length of time of service while functioning as a wastewater treatment facility operator.
026 "Operator" means any person who regularly makes recommendations or is responsible for process control decisions at a wastewater treatment facility. Operator shall not include a person whose duties are limited solely to laboratory testing or maintenance or who exercises general or indirect supervision only.
027 "Population Equivalent Served" means the number of persons that would be required to contribute an equivalent quantity of waste. Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Suspended Solids (SS) population equivalents are 0.17 lbs BOD per person per day and 0.20 lbs SS per person per day, respectively.
028 “Wastewater” means the combination of the liquid or water- carried wastes removed from residences, institutions, and commercial and industrial establishments, together with such ground water, surface water, and storm water as may be present.
029 "Wastewater Treatment Facility" or “Facility” means the structures, equipment, and processes required to collect, transport, and treat domestic or industrial wastes and to dispose of the effluent and sludge.
Enabling Legislation: Neb. Rev. Stat. 81-15, 129 and 81-15, 130 (1).
Legal Citation: Title 197, Ch. 1, Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality.
Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality
1200 "N" Street, Suite 400
P.O. Box 98922
Lincoln, Nebraska 68509
(402) 471-2186