The Connector - Winter 2009 - (Page 24) Winter 2009 RWAU Direct Responsible Charge (DRC) Terry Smith, RWAU Circuit Rider s I work with various water system personnel and management around the state, one of the most unknown or misunderstood water system rules is the “Direct Responsible Charge” or “DRC” rule. This rule deals with independent decision making during the course of running a drinking water system. The definition of the rule, as contained in the Division of Drinking Water rules (DDW), section- 309-110-4, reads as follows: “Direct Responsible Charge” means active on-site control and management of routine maintenance and operation duties. A person in direct responsible charge is generally an operator of a water treatment plant or distribution system who independently makes decisions during normal operation which can affect the sanitary quality, safety, and adequacy of water delivered to customers. In cases where only one operator is employed by the system, this operator shall be considered to be in direct responsible charge. So as we read from this, anyone working for a water system that makes independent decisions pertaining to adjustments, repairs or other actions that may affect the quality of the water should be designated as a Direct Responsible Operator upon the DDW’s records. The authority or responsibility to make these decisions is bestowed upon (or some may say: dropped in the lap of) the operator or operators by a person in a management position over the water system. Most often, in the case of smaller systems, this is the mayor or town board. In larger systems, this is most often the city manager, but can also be the mayor or city council. If possible, a water system should have more than one certified operator designated as a DRC. While many small systems only have one employee, making this difficult to do, larger systems with a greater number of employees having the necessary experience and water certification should have enough assigned DRC status to allow them to make the necessary decisions concerning the operation of the system when the main or head operator is unavailable. Depending upon the system’s policies, the manager or DRC of the system may designate additional personnel that qualify, as having DRC status to the Division of Drinking Water. DRC operators must be certified as the appropriate level for the system they are operating as outlined in rule 309-300-5: All direct responsible charge operators shall be certified at a minimum of the grade level of the water system with an appropriate certificate. Where 24-hour shift operation is used or required, one operator per shift must be certified at the classification of the system operated. If a system only has one operator, then a “back-up” operator should be sought out and retained as per rule R309-300-5 (18)—General Policies: The Connector A If the drinking water system has only one certified operator, with the exception of a drinking water system employing a regional operator, the operator must have a back-up operator h bk certified in the required discipline(s) and not more than one grade lower than the drinking water system’s grade. The back-up certified operator must be within one hour travel time of the drinking water system. In seeking to comply with this rule, many small systems could find that they neither have the justification nor the finances to employ a second operator. If this is the case, they may be able to “share” an operator with a neighboring system. The rules define just such an operator: “Regional Operator” means a certified operator who is in direct responsible charge of more than one public drinking water system. In section R309-300-5 (17) “General Policies” it lays out the rule concerning a regional operator: A regional operator shall be within a one-hour travel time, under normal work and home conditions, of each drinking water system for which he is considered in direct responsible charge unless a longer travel time is approved by the Operator Certification Commission based on availability of certified operators and the distance between community water systems in the area. Rule 309-300-5 (14) states: An operator who is acting as the direct responsible charge operator for more than one drinking water system (regional operator) shall not be a grandparent certified operator. And finally Rule 309-300-5 (10) outlines what steps a water system must take, should there be a change in its system manager: If the Distribution or Treatment Plant Manager is changed or leaves a particular water system, the water system management must notify the Secretary to the Operator Certification Commission within ten days by contacting the Division of Drinking Water in writing. Within one year or four examination cycles, whichever is longer, the operator in the position of plant or system manager that requires certification must have passed an examination of the appropriate grade and discipline. Direct responsible charge experience may be gained later, together with unrestricted certification as experience is gained. If all this sound like a lot to tackle, water system administrators need to be mindful of just what is at stake here. A wrong decision or act made by an unqualified employee could end up affecting your customer’s health, as well as increasing the potential of a lawsuit being brought against your particular entity. If you’d like to have a copy of the drinking water rules, they can be downloaded from the Division of Drinking Water’s Web site at: www.drinkingwater.utah.gov/rules.htm. 24 http://www.drinkingwater.utah.gov/rules.htm
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