(a) No person, firm, corporation, or other legal entity shall operate as a wastewater management entity without full compliance with this chapter and rules promulgated hereunder.

(b) Every cluster and community wastewater system shall be operated by a wastewater management entity as authorized under this chapter. Wastewater management entities shall be subject to such operational permits as may be issued by the department and such certificates as may be issued by the PSC.

(1) A PSC certificate of financial viability shall be valid for a period of two years from the date of issuance. A new certificate of financial viability is required when a wastewater management entity is issued a new operational permit by the department or when an operational permit is modified by the department.

(2) An operational permit for a cluster or community wastewater system issued by the department shall be valid for a period of five years from the date of issuance. A new operational permit is required whenever there is a change in the ownership or operation of the wastewater system that would require a permit modification as determined by the department.

(c) All cluster wastewater systems shall only discharge pursuant to permits issued by the ADPH.

(d) All community wastewater systems shall only discharge pursuant to permits issued by ADEM.

(e) Unless by this chapter expressly exempted from regulation by the PSC, no person or entity shall engage in the construction or installation of a wastewater system subject to this chapter unless a certificate of financial viability has been issued to the system's management entity by the PSC and until a draft operational permit has been issued for the wastewater system by the department.

(f) No wastewater management entity shall engage in the maintenance or operation of a wastewater system or discharge therefrom without first obtaining and complying with a final permit issued by the department.