| Operator Certification
Information on operator certification in South Carolina
can be found at:
http://www.llr.state.sc.us/POL/Environmental/
1. What are the operator certification
renewal requirements in South Carolina?
2. When does the two year period end?
3. Can contact hours be applied to multiple
licenses?
Residential Well Testing
1. Should my well be tested?
2. What causes well contamination?
3. What is coliform bacteria?
Wastewater Sampling
1. When does the composite sample holding
time begin?
 ANSWERS
Operator Certification
1. What are the operator certification
renewal requirements in South Carolina?
Answer: Licenses must be renewed annually with
renewal forms and fees ($30.00 per license) due June 30.
Additionally, 12 contact hours (1.2 CEU's) must be obtained every two
years for a license. Contact hours are not required if the
licensee passes a state certification exam at or above the level of
certification of the licensee with the two-year period.
2. When does the two year period end?
Answer: The two year period ends June 30,
every odd number year (2007, 2009, etc.)
3. Can contact hours be applied to multiple
licenses?
Answer: Yes, as long as the training is relevant to
all the licenses to which you apply it. However, as of November
2003, 6 of the contact hours applied must be in areas of process
control or support systems particular to that license (see http://www.llr.state.sc.us/POL/Environmental/).
Residential Well Testing
1. Should my well be tested?
Answer: Yes. To insure that your drinking
water is safe, your well should be tested periodically. We
suggest annual testing for Total Coliform bacteria as the simplest and
most cost-effective test to determine well contamination.
2. What causes well contamination?
Answer: Many things could cause a well to be
contaminated, such as chemicals in the water table, substandard well
construction or any of a number of causes. However, the most
common causes arise from well maintenance or lack thereof.
Anything that compromises the sanitary sealing and conditions of a
well, such as handling the pump or a faulty well seal can allow
unwanted materials and bacteria into the well. Maintaining the
well's sanitary seal is the single best insurance against well
contamination.
3. What is coliform bacteria?
Answer: Coliform bacteria are a group of bacteria
widely tested for in the analysis of drinking water in order to
determine bacteriological quality. Although not typically
pathogenic (disease-causing), the presence of these bacteria indicate
contamination as they should not be present in potable water.
Chlorination and other techniques are used to disinfect drinking water
and maintain its bacteriological quality in many public water systems.
For more information of residential wells, go to
SCDHEC's site on this subject:
http://www.scdhec.net/eqc/water/html/dwrw.html
Wastewater Sampling
1. When does the composite sample holding
time begin?
Answer: At the end of the compositing period.
Example: A BOD sample has a 48 hour holding time. If a composite
sampler is set up on Tuesday at 10:00 A.M. and taken down 24 hours
later, the 48 hour holding period for the BOD portion of this sample
begins at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday. providing the sample is kept
at between 6 and 0 degrees C. Therefore, the sample must be
run by 10:00 A.M. on Friday.
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