Information for States and Technical Assistance Providers

• Operator Certification
  
• Basic Information
  
• Operator info
  
• Info for States & Technical Assistance
  
• Local Operator Cert Info

The following materials offer guidance on operator certification program implementation for states and technical assistance providers. In addition to detailed information on regulatory requirements, links to financial and other resources are provided.

EPA guidelines for the development and implementation of state operator certification programs are specified in these Federal Register notices:

• Final Guidelines for the Certification and Recertification of Operators of Community and Nontransient Noncommunity Public Water Systems
  – Published in February 1999, the final guidelines provide states with minimum standards for the development, implementation, and enforcement of operator certification programs.
• 
  
• Final Additions to the Final Guidelines for the Certification and Recertification of the Operators of Community and Nontransient Noncommunity Public Water Systems; Final Allocation Methodology for Funding to States for the Operator Certification Expense Reimbursement Grants Program
  – Published in April 2001, the final additions include a process and schedule for reviewing state operator certification programs and for making DWSRF withholding determinations; a clarification regarding the validation of certification exams; and the final allocation methodology for funding grants to states for the Operator Certification Expense Reimbursement Grants (ERG) program.

Financial Assistance

• Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF)
  – EPA offers financial assistance through a DWSRF set-aside that allows up to 10 percent of capitalization grant funds to be used for state program management activities, which can include the development and implementation of an operator certification program.

Tribal Resources

• Tribal Drinking Water Operator Certification Program Final Guidelines (PDF) (15 pp, 121K, About PDF) (May 2005)
  – Establishes baseline standards for non-state organizations certifying operators of systems in Indian country; outlines a consistent method of assessing, tracking, and addressing the certification and training needs of those operators.

Additional Resources

• EPA Operator Certification Guidelines: Implementation Guidance (PDF) (34 pp, 67K, About PDF) (January 2000), which includes:
  • Sample State Attorney General’s certification.
  • Checklist and crosswalk to assist states and EPA in determining whether a state’s operator certification program complies with—or is substantially equivalent to—the requirements of the guidelines.
  • Question and Answer document.
  
  
• Annual Submittal Contents for State Operator Certification Programs (PDF) (2 pp, 40K, About PDF) (October 2001)
  – EPA memo outlining recommended reporting requirements.

Top of page