§ 23.1-07-07 — Unlawful operation

Except as provided in this section, it is unlawful for any person to operate a water treatment
plant or water distribution system serving twenty-five or more individuals or a wastewater
treatment plant or wastewater collection system serving a population equivalent of twenty-five or
more individuals unless the competency of the operator to operate such a plant or system is
certified by the department in a grade corresponding to the classification of that portion of the
system to be supervised. Operators of wastewater collection systems and wastewater
stabilization ponds or other nonmechanical wastewater treatment plants that serve a population
equivalent of less than five hundred individuals are excluded from this chapter. Operators of
water supply systems that serve other than year-round residents are excluded from this chapter
if all of the following conditions are met:
1. The water supply is obtained solely from ground water sources not under the direct
influence of surface water.
2. Treatment, if provided, consists strictly of disinfection, fluoridation, sequestration,
corrosion control, or other processes that involve simple chemical addition and minor
operational control.
3. The water supply system is not required by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act or its
implementing regulations to be operated by qualified personnel.