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Wastewater operator: federal rules

Practice questions and study guides on the federal Clean Water Act rules that wastewater treatment operators work under: secondary treatment, NPDES permit conditions and monitoring, sampling and test procedures, industrial pretreatment and biosolids.

Fact-checked against official sources · Last checked

What these pages cover, and what they don't

The real test or credential

Wastewater operator certification is not set by the federal rules on these pages. Check your State's environmental or water agency for its certification program and exams.

Our pages

These pages cover selected federal wastewater rules (40 CFR Parts 122, 133, 136, 403 and 503) only.

Practice here does not replace the official training or test.

Scope and sources

Everything here comes from the current eCFR text of 40 CFR Parts 122, 133, 136, 403 and 503. Operator certification exams are run by each state, and many use exam content and operator manuals we do not use. Those exams also test plant operation, laboratory work and process math, which these rules do not cover. Your facility's NPDES permit sets the limits and conditions that apply to you. Your State program and your facility's permit may have their own requirements, so check them too. goraedu does not certify wastewater operators, and our questions are not a state operator certification exam. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. EPA, any state water program or any operator certification body.

Key rules, in the regulation's words

  • A permittee must comply with every condition of its NPDES permit; any noncompliance is a Clean Water Act violation.

    “The permittee must comply with all conditions of this permit. Any permit noncompliance constitutes a violation of the Clean Water Act”
    40 CFR 122.41(a)

  • The permittee must properly operate and maintain the treatment and control systems it uses to meet the permit, including adequate laboratory controls and quality assurance.

    “The permittee shall at all times properly operate and maintain all facilities and systems of treatment and control (and related appurtenances) which are installed or used by the permittee to achieve compliance with the conditions of this permit. Proper operation and maintenance also includes adequate laboratory controls and appropriate quality assurance procedures.”
    40 CFR 122.41(e)

  • Part 133 describes the minimum effluent quality attainable by secondary treatment for BOD5, suspended solids and pH, with exceptions in 133.103 and 133.105.

    “The following paragraphs describe the minimum level of effluent quality attainable by secondary treatment in terms of the parameters—BOD5, SS and pH. All requirements for each parameter shall be achieved except as provided for in §§ 133.103 and 133.105.”
    40 CFR 133.102

  • The permitting authority may, case by case, impose biosolids requirements in addition to or more stringent than Part 503.

    “On a case-by-case basis, the permitting authority may impose requirements for the use or disposal of sewage sludge in addition to or more stringent than the requirements in this part when necessary to protect public health and the environment from any adverse effect of a pollutant in the sewage sludge.”
    40 CFR 503.5(a)

Sources

goraedu does not certify wastewater operators, and our questions are not a state operator certification exam. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. EPA, any state water program or any operator certification body. Found an error? See our contact page.