Educational courses for training of operators shall be approved by type and class or level of training provided. The Department shall approve operator training courses that have a course content meeting Department standards as provided in the Department’s Water, Wastewater, & Distribution Operator Knowledge Base Manual 2007, hereby adopted and incorporated by reference. Copies of this document may be obtained from the Department of Environmental Protection, Operator Certification Program, Mail Station 3506, 2600 Blair Stone Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2400.
    (1) Residence courses shall be approved for two years and can be re-approved upon request. The application for approval of a residence course shall contain the following:
    (a) Title of the course, the type and class or level of the course, and the total classroom hours;
    (b) A statement describing the curriculum and materials that will be used;
    (c) A statement that the course will meet Department standards as provided in the Department’s Water, Wastewater, & Distribution Operator Knowledge Base Manual 2007 for the type and class or level of the course offered; and,
    (d) A statement of the qualifications, obligations, and responsibilities of the primary instructor. The primary instructor is responsible for developing or reviewing the course curriculum and ensuring the curriculum meets Department standards as provided in the Department’s Water, Wastewater, & Distribution Operator Knowledge Base Manual 2007. The primary instructor may have additional experts assist with or instruct areas of specialized training. Primary instructors shall sign all certificates of completion and notify the Department when a change occurs in the primary instructor of an approved course.
    (2) Residence courses shall not be approved unless an application as described in subsection (1), above, is submitted more than 60 days before the first day of class.
    (3) Approval for a correspondence course shall be for as long as the materials are current and applicable to the training needed by Florida operators. The Department shall review the materials every two years to determine if the course is current. Approval of correspondence courses only shall be granted by the Department for courses that meet the standards in the Department’s Water, Wastewater, & Distribution Operator Knowledge Base Manual 2007. The publisher or provider of a correspondence course shall submit copies of the text and materials, including tests, to the Department for approval. The application shall outline how the provider will interact with the student, how many lessons will be contained in the course, how much time the student is expected to spend on the course, how successful completion of the course will be indicated, and how frequently the course will be revised to reflect changing technology or new techniques of treatment. The provider of the course shall notify the Department when revisions are made and shall provide the Department with a copy of the revised materials.
    (4) The Department shall periodically publish a list of the approved courses. The list shall be available upon request to the Operator Certification Office, Department of Environmental Protection, Mail Station 3506, 2600 Blair Stone Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2400.
Rulemaking Authority 403.869, 403.872 FS. Law Implemented 403.1832, 403.8533, 403.872 FS. History-New 2-6-02, Amended 10-15-07.