General Description

• such system has at least 15 service connections, or
• regularly serves an average of at least 25 individuals daily at least 60 days out of the year.

The term includes any collection, treatment, storage, and distribution facilities under control of the operator of such system and used primarily in connection with such system; and any collection or pretreatment storage facilities not under such control which are used primarily in connection with such system. Such term does not include any "special irrigation district."

A Public Water System is either a Community Water System or a Noncommunity Water System.

• A Community Water System is a public water system that:
  • serves at least 15 service connections used by year round residents, or
  • regularly serves at least 25 yr-round residents.

• A Noncommunity Water System is a public water system that is not a community water system. A noncommunity water system either a Transient Noncommunity Water System (TWS) or a Nontransient Noncommunity (NTNC) Water System.
  • A Non-transient Non-community Water System (NTNC) is a public water system that is not a community water system and that regularly serves at least 25 of the same people over 6 mo/yr. These may include systems that provide water to schools, day care centers, government/military installations, manufacturers, hospitals or nursing homes, office buildings, and other facilities.

  • A Transient Noncommunity Water System (TWS) is a noncommunity water system that does not regularly serve at least 25 of the same persons over 6 mo/yr.

Summary of Federal Requirements

If operating a Public Water System, the facility is required to:

• Maintain records of actions taken to correct violations of primary drinking water regulations.
• Sample for total coliforms at sites which are representative of water throughout the distribution system according to a written sample siting plan and at regular time intervals at the frequency required based on population.
• Collect repeat samples when a routine sample is total coliform-positive.
• Not use pipe, solder, or flux that contains lead.
• Maintain records of bacteriological analyses, chemical analyses, records concerning a variance or exemption granted to the system, and records relating to sanitary surveys.
• Notify the public when primary drinking water standards (i.e., MCLs and MRDLs) are exceeded, or the owner or operator of a public water systems fails to comply with an applicable treatment technique (NOTE: The EPA provides free templates and guidance on how to perform public notification requirements associated with the Safe Drinking Water Act.)
• Report to the state any failure to comply with applicable biological, turbidity, radioactivity, and chemical standards, and on any failure to comply with applicable monitoring requirements.

This is not a comprehensive listing of requirements for a Public Water System. Additional requirements are based on factors such as population served, types of disinfection and filtration, and the source of water.

If operating a Community Water System, the facility is required to:

• Meet the standards for Public Water Systems.
• Ensure that the the MCL of 4.0 mg/L for fluoride is not exceeded.
• Meet specific MCLs for inorganic chemicals, organic chemicals, microbiological contaminants, and radionuclides.
• Monitor disinfection by-products.
• Conduct an assessment of the vulnerability of its system to a terrorist attack or other intentional acts intended to substantially disrupt the ability of the system to provide a safe and reliable supply of drinking water if the system serves a population greater than 3,300 persons.
• Monitor for inorganic contaminants, organic contaminants, asbestos, and unregulated contaminants.
• Identify whether certain construction materials (i.e., lead, asbestos, copper, ferrous piping, etc) are present in their distribution system and report to the state.
• Deliver to their customers the annual consumer confidence reports (NOTE: The free EPA tool CCRiWriter helps users generate Consumer Confidence reports that public water systems annually provide to customers to inform them about their drinking water).
• Educate their users about lead in drinking water systems.

This is not a comprehensive listing of requirements for a Community Water System. Additional requirements are based on factors such as population served, types of disinfection and filtration, and the source of water.

If operating a Noncommunity Water System, the facility is required to:

• Meet the standards for Public Water Systems.
• Not exceed a MCL for nitrate of 10 mg/L.

This is not a comprehensive listing of requirements for a Noncommunity Water System. Additional requirements are based on factors such as population served, types of disinfection and filtration, and the source of water.

If operating a Nontransient Noncommunity (NTNC) Water System, the facility is required to:

• Meet the standards for Public Water Systems.
• Meet the standards for Noncommunity Water Systems.
• Meet specific MCLs and MRDLs related to disinfection.
• Monitor for inorganic contaminants, asbestos, antimony, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, cyanide, fluoride, mercury, nickel, selenium, and thallium, nitrites, nitrates, and specific unregulated contaminants.
• Perform special monitoring if adding ozone or chlorine dioxide to the water in any part of the drinking water process.
• Notify users about an exceedence of lead in drinking water systems.
• Ensure that the concentration of lead does not exceed 0.015 mg/L in more than 10 percent of tap water samples collected during any monitoring period.
• Ensure that the concentration of copper does not exceed 1.3 mg/L in more than 10 percent of tap water samples collected during any monitoring period.
• Install and operate optimal corrosion control.

This is not a comprehensive listing of requirements for a NTNC Water System. Additional requirements are based on factors such as population served, types of disinfection and filtration, and the source of water.

If operating a Transient Noncommunity (TWS) Water System, the facility is required to:

• Meet the standards for Public Water Systems.
• Meet the standards for Noncommunity Water Systems.
• Monitor to determine compliance for nitrate and nitrite levels.
• Meet specific MRDLs related to disinfection.

This is not a comprehensive listing of requirements for a TWS Water System. Additional requirements are based on factors such as population served, types of disinfection and filtration, and the source of water.

Summary of State Requirements

Laws and Statutes