County/State Regulated Water System FAQ’s

Do I have a Regulated Water System?

To determine if your state or county has regulatory authority over your system, you first need to determine what type of water system you have. Please refer to the this diagram to help you determine the type of water system you have.

 In general, if your water system serves fewer than 25 people and there are fewer than 5 connections (houses or properties connected) your water system is not subject to regulatory water sampling, documentation, permitting and other types of oversight.

 If your water system has 15 or more connections OR more than 25 people that use it, your system is regulated. The more people/ connections the system has & the more non-transient user; the more comprehensive and more frequent testing and monitoring by qualified operators and laboratories is required.

 The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) passed in 1975 gave responsibility for administering the SDWA to the US Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA sets Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL’s) and the types of contaminates tested for, delegate enforcement to state agencies, provides funds in the form of grants to aid the states in implementing the SDWA, monitors state activities, continues to research drinking water contaminates and treatment methodologies.

 In California, systems with more than 200 service connections are regulated by the state, while systems with less than 200 connections are overseen by the county. In our area the cities/towns of St. Helena, Angwin, Calistoga, Yountville and Napa, Santa Rosa, etc… are all State regulated water systems, while the smaller rural community systems in the valleys and surrounding hills that have 30, 70 or even 150 connections are regulated by the county department of environmental resources.

 Out of compliance water systems trigger a county/state processes designed to bring those systems back into compliance. Systems that are not sampling their water for required contaminates, have high levels of contaminates, are not delivering water or have insufficient reserve/back up water supplies;  are subject to increasing scrutiny. If the situation is not corrected, the increasing levels of scrutiny can lead to legal action. In some cases, this legal action results in one-time or daily fines imposed until the corrective action is taken. In extreme cases, when corrective action is ignored, the result is the county or state taking the water system over, contracting for corrective action and billing the water system/water system users for the costs involved in the form of high water rates.

Check out this link for Water System Testing Requirements if you’d like to know what parameters are required to be tested and the frequency of the testing. 

What requirements does a regulated water system need to meet?

There are requirements that apply to all regulated water systems in California. Contact the county or state regulator that oversees your area for specific requirements. In general, these requirements include, but are not limited to:

 Bacteriological Sample Site Plan

The Bac-T sample site plan, as we call it, is a document that clearly defines what the water source is, raw water sampling requirements, routine and repeat sample locations,  as well as the system operator &  laboratory contracted to perform water samples.

 Emergency Notification Plan

The emergency notification plan outlines who and how people will be notified if the water is determined to be contaminated.

 Water System Permit

The water permit outlines the water sources, water source capacities, water supply requirements, approved treatment (if any) and locations & sizes of storage tanks. The water permit also delineates the specific type of water system which determines the type of water testing that will be required and the type and level of certification of the Water System Operator.

 Water System Operator

All regulated water systems, with the exception of State Small systems, require a Water System Operator. The Operator must have the appropriate certification (D1-D5, T1-T5) from the California State Department of Public Health and the local regulatory agency must have a copy of the contract between the operator and the water system that outlines various responsibilities.

 Consumer Confidence Reports (CCR’s)

CCR’s must be generated every year and given to the consumer and regulatory agency before June of the following year. The CCR tells consumer what contaminates are in their water, what the health effects are, if the water system did not take samples required and gives the water consumer the opportunity to be informed about what they are consuming and who to contact if they have questions or concerns.

 System Inspection(s)

County or State Inspectors typically look at each regulated water system at least once per year. This is done to ensure that the water system is still operating within the guidelines set forth in the permit and to ensure there are no modifications to the water system that would jeopardize the water quality.

 Hazardous Materials Permit

Water systems that use large quantities of chemicals like chlorine, sodium hydroxide, etc… need a Hazardous materials permit. This permit ensures the materials are stored/used in a safe manner with appropriate safety & first aid equipment onsite. It also ensures that various fire departments/hazardous materials crews are aware of the type & quantity of hazardous materials onsite so they can respond appropriately to emergency situations.

 Water System Map

The water system map shows where water sources, treatment plants, pipelines, water connections, storage tanks, fire hydrants & sample locations for reference.

Electroni Annual Reporting (EAR)

Water systems must file an electronic annual report of water usage, well usage and various other pieces of data every year. These reporting requirements are increasingly collecting more data and consume more time to comply with. OPS has helped several of our customers to install automated water system monitoring and water usage metering systems to reduce compliance costs and implement remote water system monitoring strategies.

Cyclical Water Testing

Bacteria-The raw, untreated water from a well typically needs to be tested on a quarterly basis for bacteriological contamination with bacteriological tests from the water distribution system on a monthly basis. This frequency may be increased if problems are evident or as system size/population served increases. Bacteriological testing must be performed carefully to eliminate possible contamination of the sample and must be submitted for proper analysis technique in order for the results to be accepted by the regulatory agency.

Source Chemical Testing- Source Chemical testing is a look at various mineral, chemical, metal and disinfection byproduct contaminates. Source Chemical Testing is required on a continued rotating basis with some tests occurring quarterly, some yearly and some every 3-7 years. The extent of Source Chemical testing is rather minimal for State Small Systems and rather extensive for Community water Systems. Please refer to these specific requirements below.