PSATS Sewage Enforcement Officer Academy

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The PSATS SEO Precertification Academy is designed to teach the basic skills a future sewage enforcement officer (SEO) needs to know to work for a local agency. Whether you work for a municipality in need of a good SEO or are someone who is considering the SEO field as a career, you will want to check out the benefits of sending someone to or attending the academy yourself. Not only is the academy a prerequisite to taking the commonwealth’s certification examination for SEOs, but you will leave the course better prepared to enter the multi-faceted world of a local agency SEO.

The PSATS SEO Precertification Academy is divided into two parts, the Orientation course and the Academy course. The Orientation course is completed through self-study before attending the Academy course. The four and a half-day Academy course is a specially created, interactive program that teaches the duties and responsibilities of a local agency SEO. Two topics in the Academy course have self-study content that must be completed prior to attending the course. In the classroom, participants go beyond lecture to actively participate in the lessons through practice problems and discussion scenarios.

DEP has approved the successful completion of the PSATS SEO Precertification Academy as the required prerequisite to sit for the SEO Certification Exam. Successful completion of the academy means that the SEO candidate attends the entire academy. Complete attendance includes prompt arrival each day and adherence to breaks and departure times. Exceptions must be discussed in advance with the instructor and will only be allowed for emergencies. Each exception will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

The PSATS SEO Precertification Academy will cover these five must-know topics:

1. What is an On-Lot Sewage System? 
2. The Historical Context of Act 537 (the state’s on-lot sewage system law) 
3. How to Determine if a Site is Suitable for an On-Lot Sewage System 
4. How Act 537 and SEOs Protect Public Health 
5. In-depth Review of the Act 537 Regulations (Pa. Code Title 25, Chapters 71, 72, and 73)