Senate advances statewide wastewater operator certification bill

The Utah Senate moved Senate Bill 62 off the State and Local Affairs Committee report and passed it to the third-reading calendar after adopting floor amendments. The bill, sponsored in committee by Senator Craig A. Peterson, would create a statewide certification program for wastewater-treatment operators and provide funding to cover administrative costs for education and certification.

Senator Craig A. Peterson summarized two decades of state and federal investment in wastewater treatment infrastructure and told colleagues that modern plants require trained operators to manage processes (chlorination, dechlorination, aeration) and avoid violations and potential fines. "This program is specifically tailored ... to provide education and the opportunity to obtain certification to match the kind of treatment plant wherein the operators would be working," Peterson said.

Amendments agreed in committee were circulated and adopted on the floor. The Senate recorded 27 ayes and 0 nays with 2 absent on the roll call; the bill was placed on the third-reading calendar.