For more than 20 years, the state of Idaho had a voluntary Wastewater Operator Certification Program. In April 2003, wastewater certification became mandatory for systems and operators for the first time under the authority of the Department of Environmental Quality. The purpose of instituting a mandatory wastewater certification program was to protect Idaho's water resources, public health, and public investment in treatment and transport works by establishing standards of competency among operating personnel.

With the advent of mandatory certification, every public wastewater system owner was required to employ licensed operators. The rules required all operators or operating personnel, which are those individuals making system control or system integrity decisions about water quantity or water quality that may affect public health to become licensed.

The 2004 Legislature split the certification authority between two agencies; transferring authority for the individual operators to a Governor appointed Board of Drinking Water and Wastewater Professionals and the Idaho Bureau of Occupational Licenses and leaving certification authority for wastewater SYSTEMS at DEQ.

The Bureau of Occupational Licenses changed the operator certification program to an operator licensure program. For consistency in terminology, DEQ is now using the term license instead of certificate.

A public wastewater system includes any publicly or privately owned collection or treatment system that generates, collects, or treats 2,500 or more gallons per day.

If a wastewater system meets this definition, it is required to comply with the wastewater licensure and classification rule requirements and the operators are required to comply with the Rules of the Board of Drinking Water and Wastewater Professionals (IDAPA 24.05.01).

The following systems are not considered public wastewater systems and are not subject to the wastewater operator licensure requirements:

• Any wastewater treatment system operated and maintained exclusively by a single family residence;
• Any wastewater system consisting solely of a gravity flow, non-mechanical septic tank and subsurface treatment and distribution system;
• Any animal waste system used for agricultural purposes that has been constructed in part or in whole by public funds;
• Industrial wastewater systems under private ownership; or
• Any wastewater system with individual septic tanks and individual pump stations that discharge to a common gravity flow subsurface treatment and distribution system, when ownership of each septic tank and pumping station is by individual property owner and ownership of the common system is by a public or private entity.

Public wastewater treatment and collection systems are subject to the licensure requirements for wastewater system operators, found in IDAPA 58.01.16.010 and 202-204.

• All operating personnel at public wastewater treatment and collection systems were required to hold current licenses by April 15, 2006.

• The system owner must designate a responsible charge operator, from among licensed operating personnel, who is licensed at the type and class equal to or greater than the classification of the wastewater system.

• The system owner must also designate a substitute responsible charge operator from among licensed operating personnel, who is licensed at the type and class equal to or greater than the classification of the wastewater system.

• Each separate treatment and separate collection system must have a responsible charge operator and a substitute responsible charge operator designated by the system owner. The responsible charge operator and the substitute responsible charge operator must be two different individuals. The responsible charge operator and the substitute responsible charge operator must hold current licenses equal to or greater than the classification of the wastewater system.

• An operator who is the designated responsible charge operator of both a wastewater treatment system and a collection system must hold two certificates, one each for wastewater treatment and collection.

• When the designated responsible charge operator is not available in person or on-call for more than a day, the designated substitute responsible charge operator must fill in and perform the duties and make the decisions of the primary responsible charge operator.

• Reporting requirements verifying all operating personnel are licensed and identifying responsible charge and substitute responsible charge operator. Any changes in responsible charge operators or substitute responsible charge operators must be reported to DEQ within ten (10) days of the change. A reporting form is available to assist with this requirement. Link to Public Wastewater System Operator Licensure Record Form on the Forms page.