Connecticut HB 5519: AN ACT CONCERNING THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH'S RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING ON-SITE WASTEWATER SPECIALISTS AND WATER OPERATOR APPRENTICES.

Bill Text

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General Assembly  
Substitute Bill No. 5519  
February Session, 2026 
 
 
 
 
 
AN ACT CONCERNING THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH'S 
RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING ON-SITE WASTEWATER 
SPECIALISTS AND WATER OPERATOR APPRENTICES.  
Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  in  General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) As used in this section: 1 
(1) "Agent of the local director of health" means a person who holds 2 
an  approval  to  investigate,  inspect  and  approve  plans  relating  to 3 
subsurface sewage disposal systems pursuant to section 19-13-B103e of 4 
the regulations of Connecticut state agencies; 5 
(2) "Central subsurface sewage disposal system" or "central system" 6 
means  a  subsurface  sewage  disposal  system  serving  (A)  a  residential 7 
building  and  one  or  more  outbuildings,  (B)  a  residential  building  and 8 
one  or  more  nonresidential  buildings,  (C)  two  or  more  nonresidential 9 
buildings, or (D) two or more outbuildings; 10 
(3) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Public Health; 11 
(4) "Department" means the Department of Public Health; 12 
(5)  "Local  director  of  health"  means  a  director  of  a  (A)  municipal 13 
health department, appointed pursuant to section 19a-200 of the general 14 
statutes, or (B) district health department, appointed pursuant to section 15 

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19a-242 of the general statutes; 16 
(6) "On-site wastewater specialist" means a person who has obtained 17 
certification  from  the  commissioner  to  (A)  review  and  approve  plans, 18 
(B)  conduct  regulatory  inspections,  (C)  investigate  complaints  relating 19 
to subsurface sewage disposal systems within the jurisdiction of a local 20 
director   of   health,   and   (D)   perform   any   other   related   duties   as 21 
prescribed by the commissioner; 22 
(7)   "Phase   I   on-site   wastewater   specialist"   means   an   on-site 23 
wastewater specialist certified by the commissioner to act as an on-site 24 
wastewater specialist for a subsurface sewage disposal system serving 25 
a building with a design flow of less than two thousand gallons per day, 26 
except  subsurface  sewage  disposal  systems  serving  such  buildings 27 
designed by a professional engineer licensed or registered in the state, 28 
centralized  sewage  disposal  systems  and  small  community  sewerage 29 
systems; 30 
(8)   "Phase   II   on-site   wastewater   specialist"   means   an   on-site 31 
wastewater specialist certified by the commissioner to act as an on-site 32 
wastewater specialist for a subsurface sewage disposal system serving 33 
a building with a design flow between two thousand and ten thousand 34 
gallons per day; 35 
(9)   "Phase   III   on-site   wastewater   specialist"   means   an   on-site 36 
wastewater specialist certified by the commissioner to act as an on-site 37 
wastewater specialist for an alternative on-site sewage treatment system 38 
serving a building with a design flow of ten thousand gallons per day 39 
or less; and 40 
(10)  "Small  community  sewerage  system"  means  any  subsurface 41 
sewage disposal  system (A) serving two or more residential buildings 42 
or  residential  institutions  located  on  the  same  lot,  and  (B)  that  is  not 43 
connected to a municipal sewerage system. "Small community sewerage 44 
system"  does  not  include  any  subsurface  sewage  disposal  system 45 
serving only a principal dwelling unit and an accessory apartment, as 46 
defined in section  8-1a  of  the  general  statutes,  or  a  central  subsurface 47 

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sewage disposal system. 48 
(b) (1) On and after October 1, 2026, no person, including a licensed 49 
environmental  health  specialist,  as  defined  in  section  20-358  of  the 50 
general  statutes,  shall  perform  the  duties  of  an  on-site  wastewater 51 
specialist  unless  such  person  is  (A)  certified  by  the  commissioner 52 
pursuant to the provisions of this section, and (B) appointed by a local 53 
director  of  health  to  perform  the  duties  of  an  on-site  wastewater 54 
specialist   as   an   employee   or   contractor   of   the   municipal   health 55 
department or health district. The local director of health shall maintain 56 
records of such appointments and provide the department a copy of, or 57 
access to, such records upon the commissioner's request. 58 
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, an agent of the 59 
local director of health may perform the duties of an on-site wastewater 60 
specialist  for  a  local  director  of  health  without  obtaining  certification 61 
pursuant to the provisions of this section, provided such agent applies 62 
for an initial certification as an on-site wastewater specialist pursuant to 63 
the provisions of this section not later than October 1, 2027