WSR 25-08-003
DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY
[Filed March 19, 2025, 3:25 p.m.]
PUBLIC NOTICE
Announcing the Draft Wastewater Operator Certification Program
Fee Schedule for Review and Comment
The Washington state department of ecology (ecology) certifies wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) operators to ensure they are qualified to properly operate and maintain WWTPs.
By law, fees paid by operators to ecology must fund the wastewater operator certification (OpCert) program. These fees are subject to change, dependent upon a budget and workload analysis completed by ecology every biennium. Ecology proposes to maintain OpCert fees at their current level for fiscal year 2026-2027. This is based on the budget and workload analysis, which considered the estimated administrative costs and the projected account balance of the OpCert program.
The 2026-2027 draft fee schedule for WWTP OpCerts is being published for a 45-day public comment period as required by WAC 173-230-240.
Table 1: Proposed fee schedule for the OpCert program for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
| Category | Fiscal Year 2026 Fees (July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026) | Fiscal Year 2027 Fees (July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027) | |
| Groups I and I OIT Applications | $75.00 | $75.00 | |
| Groups II - IV Applications and Groups II - IV OIT Applications | $125.00 | $125.00 | |
| Renewals | $200.00 | $200.00 | |
Public notice process and comments: Ecology is accepting public comments on the draft fee schedule from 12:00 a.m. on March 26, 2025, through 11:59 p.m. on May 10, 2025. Ecology prefers to receive comments through the online comment form. Written comments sent by email or mail will also be accepted.
You can submit written comments in the following ways:
| |
| • | Online at https://wq.ecology.commentinput.com?id=Qcx2MV7diH; |
| • | By email at opcert@ecy.wa.gov; and |
| • | By U.S. mail (postmarked by May 10, 2025), to Poppy Carre, Washington Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47696, Olympia, WA 98504-7696. |
After ecology considers all public comments received by the deadline, we will make a final decision and expect to publish the fee schedule prior to June 30, 2025.
Copies of the draft fee schedule: The draft fee schedule is available online at https://ecology.wa.gov/opcert. You may request hard copies from the water quality program by contacting Justin Thompson at justin.thompson@ecy.wa.gov or 564-669-0890.
Ecology contact: Poppy Carre, Washington State Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47696, Olympia, WA 98504-7696, email opcert@ecy.wa.gov.
ADA accessibility: To request an ADA accommodation, contact ecology by phone 360-407-6600, email opcert@ecy.wa.gov, or visit https://ecology.wa.gov/accessibility. For relay service or TTY call 711 or 877-833-6341.
En Español: Para información en español, por favor comuníquese con Luis Buen Abad al 206-594-0140.
Translation: To request this document in another language, please contact Jackie Lince, water quality program reception, at 360-407- 6600, and ask for an interpreter, or email opcert@ecy.wa.gov.