Section 380.105  Definitions

"Activated Sludge" means sludge floc produced in raw or settled wastewater by the growth of zoogleal bacteria and other organisms in the presence of dissolved oxygen and accumulated in sufficient concentration by returning floc previously formed;

"Act" means the Illinois Environmental Protection Act [415 ILCS 5];

"Activated Sludge Process" means a biological wastewater treatment process in which a mixture of wastewater and activated sludge is agitated and aerated. The activated sludge is subsequently separated from the treated wastewater by sedimentation and wasted or returned to the process as needed;

"Agency" means the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency;

"Board" means the Illinois Pollution Control Board;

"Board of Certification" means the 10 Board of Certification members composed of an Agency employee, one representative from each of the 4 Sections, a representative of municipal government, a representative of sanitary districts, 2 representatives of the Metropolitan Sanitary District of Greater Chicago, and a representative of industry;

"Certificate” means a certificate of technical competency;

"Certificate of Technical Competency" or "Certificate" means a certificate issued by the Agency attesting that a wastewater treatment works operator has fulfilled the requirements for a given class of certification;

"Certified Operator" means an operator who holds a Certificate of Technical Competency issued by the Agency pursuant to this Part;

"Chief Wastewater Operator" means an individual designated by the treatment works as the chief wastewater operator;

"Collection System" means a network of pipes, manholes, cleanouts, traps, siphons, lift stations, and other structures used to collect all wastewater and wastewater-carried wastes of an area and transport them to a wastewater treatment works or disposal system;

"Contract Operator" means an operator certified pursuant to this Part who operates or supervises the operation of a wastewater treatment works by contractual agreement with the owner;

"DAF" or "design average flow" means the average of the daily volumes to be received for a continuous 12-month period of the design year;

"Director" means the Director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency;

"Facility" means a treatment works or pretreatment works;

"Fixed-film Process" means the biological treatment processes in which the microorganisms responsible for the conversion of organic matter in wastewater to gases and cell tissue are attached to some inert media, such as rocks, slag, or specially designed ceramic or plastic materials.  Fixed-film process includes trickling filters and rotating biological contactors but excludes sand filters;

"Hearing" is a hearing held after notice to interested persons or parties, during which testimony is taken by oath or affirmation and a verbatim record of all testimony is kept.

"Hearing Officer" is a person duly designated as a Hearing Officer by the Director to preside over the hearing.

"High School Equivalent" means possession of a General Education Development (GED) certificate;

"Lagoon" means a pond containing raw or partially treated wastewater in which aerobic and/or anaerobic stabilization occurs;

"MGD" means millions of gallons per day;

"Operator" means a wastewater operator;

"Pretreatment Works" means a treatment works designed and intended for the treatment of wastewater from an indirect discharge or industrial user as defined in 40 CFR 403, before introduction into a sewer system tributary to a publicly owned or publicly regulated treatment works;

"Primary Treatment" means the removal, usually by sedimentation, of a substantial amount of suspended matter but little or no removal of colloidal or dissolved matter;

"Section" means the geographical regions designated as Northeastern, Northwestern, Central and Southern as indicated in Appendix A;

"Treatment Works" means individually or collectively those constructions or devices (except sewers, and except constructions or devices used for the pretreatment of wastewater prior to its introduction into publicly owned or regulated treatment works) used for collecting, pumping, treating, or disposing of wastewaters or for the recovery of byproducts from such wastewater;

"Wastewater" means sewage, industrial waste, or other waste, or any combination of these, whether treated or untreated, plus any admixed land runoff;

"Wastewater Course" means a course approved by the Agency on wastewater collection, treatment, operations, maintenance, management, or any other courses related to wastewater treatment;

"Wastewater Operator" means any individual trained in the treatment of wastewater who has the practical working knowledge of the chemical, biological and physical sciences essential to the practical mechanics of wastewater treatment and who is capable of conducting and maintaining wastewater treatment processes in a manner which is safe.

(Source:  Amended at 43 Ill. Reg. 5203, effective July 1, 2019)