As used in this chapter:

(1)  “Assistant superintendent” means the individual who is an operator who is responsible for the management, operation, and maintenance of a water supply treatment facility or water transmission and distribution system in the absence of the superintendent and who shall have a certificate appropriate to the type and grade of the water treatment facility or water transmission and distribution system. Water system officials not working at the water system treatment facilities or transmission or distribution system, as further defined through the development and establishment of the board‘s rules and regulations, are not covered by this section.

(2)  “Board” means the board of certification established by § 23-65-2.

(3)  “Certificate” means a certificate of competency issued by the director to an individual to operate one or more specified classes of public water supply facilities.

(4)  “Community water supply” means any public water supply which served at least fifteen (15) service connections used by year-round residents or regularly serves at least twenty-five (25) year-round residents.

(5)  “Director” means the director of the department of health or a subordinate to whom the director has assigned his or her functions.

(6)  “Groundwater under the direct influence of surface water” means any water beneath the surface of the ground with (i) significant occurrence of insects or other microorganisms, algae, or large diameter pathogens such as Giardia Iamblia, or (ii) significant and relatively rapid shifts in water characteristics such as turbidity, temperature, conductivity, or PH which closely correlate to climatological or surface water conditions.

(7)  “Non-community non-transient water system” means a non-community water system that regularly services at least twenty-five (25) of the same persons over six (6) months per year.

(8)  “Non-community water system” means a public water system that is not a community water system.

(9)  “Operator” means an individual whose routine job duties involve performing operational activities or making decisions regarding the daily operational activities of a public water system, water treatment facility and/or transmission and distribution system, that may directly impact the quality and/or quantity of drinking water. Operator does not apply to an official exercising only general administrative supervision or engineering design duties, such as the city engineer or an elected water commissioner, or clerical or administrative workers involved only in activities such as customer relations, billing, payroll, time keeping, etc.

(10)  “Person” means any individual, partnership, firm, association, joint venture, public or private corporation, trust estate, commission, board, public or private institution, utility, cooperative, municipality or any other political subdivision of this state, any interstate body, or any other legal entity.

(11)  “Public water supply” means a system for the provisions of the public of piped water for human consumption, if such system has at least fifteen (15) service connections or regularly serves at least twenty-five (25) individuals daily at least sixty (60) days out of the year.

(12)  “Superintendent” means the individual who is an operator who is directly responsible for the management, operation, and maintenance of a water supply treatment facility or water transmission and distribution system during all working shifts and who shall hold a certificate appropriate to the type and grade of the water treatment facility or water transmission and distribution system.

(13)  “Transmission and distribution system” means a network of pipes that transports, distributes, and delivers water from a water treatment facility or well(s) to water system customers.

(14)  “Water supply treatment facility” means an arrangement of devices and structures constructed and/or installed for the purpose of treatment of water supply.