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Wastewater Certification Transition
JETCC to Coordinate Maine Wastewater Operator Certification Program
by Tom Groves, NEIWPCC
Due to organizational changes in Maine’s Department of Environmental
Protection (MeDEP), the state is moving the responsibility for coordinating
its wastewater operator certification program to the Joint Environmental
Training Coordinating Committee. JETCC currently coordinates the wastewater
training program for Maine under an agreement with the New England
Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC), which is based in
Lowell, Massachusetts, and has managed JETCC since 1985. The transition of
the certification program officially begins on January 1, 2006. MeDEP
training and certification staff initially will maintain their existing
roles with the program, but their involvement will diminish over time as
they assist with the transition to JETCC.
JETCC’s role will include coordinating the state’s wastewater operator
certification examinations, which are traditionally held in May and
November. (MeDEP staff will continue to proctor the exams.) JETCC will
distribute and accept exam applications, and verify the qualifications of
the applicants. It will contract with a testing agency for the development
and correction of the exams, notify applicants of their exam scores, and
forward all exam results to MeDEP’s Commissioner, who will sign and issue
certificates.
JETCC will also coordinate the renewal of the licenses of Maine’s wastewater
operators. By March 1, 2006, approximately half of the state’s wastewater
operators must renew their licenses; the remaining operators must renew by
March 1, 2007. All operators are required to obtain 18 Training Contact
Hours within the two-year renewal period. JETCC will coordinate sending
renewal notices to all operators, process payments for renewals, verify
training hours of applicants, provide MeDEP with a list of applicants for
renewal, send out renewal authorizations (signed by MeDEP), and notify
operators who do not renew in time that their license is inactive. MeDEP
will continue to issue operator certificates, and review and act on
emergency applications, appeals, and other matters as required by law.
To assist with the renewal process, JETCC will maintain the training records
for all of Maine’s licensed wastewater operators. Training organizations
must provide JETCC with a schedule of their training programs, and at the
conclusion of a course, send JETCC a final attendance list with the hours
awarded. MeDEP will still be responsible for reviewing all courses and
assigning the appropriate Training Contact Hours.
The fees generated by these programs will be used to support JETCC’s
activities as it assumes these new responsibilities. However, since many of
the fees charged by MeDEP in the past did not totally cover the costs of the
programs, a revised fee schedule has been negotiated between JETCC, NEIWPCC,
and MeDEP. This new fee structure will include a $75 application fee for the
wastewater certification exam (both original application and retakes), a $50
fee for license renewals, and a $25 reactivation fee for operators who are
inactive. The Executive Committee of the Maine Wastewater Control
Association (MWWCA) has endorsed the concept of outsourcing these programs
to JETCC and has agreed to this initial fee structure.
For more information on the Maine wastewater operator certification program,
contact JETCC at (207) 253-8020 or email
jetcc@jetcc.org
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