SECTION 34A. Board of certification of operators of wastewater treatment facilities; members; duties

There shall be within the department of environmental protection a board of certification of operators of wastewater treatment facilities. The purpose of the board shall be to insure the proper management, operation and maintenance of wastewater treatment systems and facilities. The board shall consist of nine members, as follows: the commissioner of environmental protection or his designee, the commissioner of public health or his designee, and seven members appointed by the governor. Of the members appointed by the governor, one shall be a faculty member of an accredited school of engineering, one a registered professional engineer engaged in the practice of sanitary engineering, one a member of the Massachusetts State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, one to be appointed from a list of qualified operators of wastewater treatment facilities in the commonwealth which has been recommended by the executive committee of the New England Water Pollution Control Association, one a member of the Associated Industries of Massachusetts, one to be appointed from a list of qualified persons recommended by the Massachusetts Waste Water Treatment Plan Operators Association, and one who shall be a representative of the public, subject to the provisions of section nine B of chapter thirteen. The commissioner of environmental protection or his designee shall be chairman of the board. The board shall meet at the call of the chairman. Each appointive member of the board shall receive his necessary traveling expenses incurred in the performance of official duties; provided, however, that the expenses of the members of the board, including those of such employees as it may appoint, shall not in any one year exceed its receipts. Each appointive member shall serve for a term of four years, except for persons appointed to fill vacancies who shall serve for the unexpired term. Any appointive member shall be eligible for reappointment. The division shall provide professional, technical and clerical assistance necessary for the administration and enforcement of the board's programs.