WS 23, 24: Approval to Construct a Water Treatment Facility

These approvals serve to protect the public health by ensuring that the application meets minimum drinking water requirements and conforms to current Division of Water Supply guidelines and policies contained in Guidelines and Policies for Public Water Systems . This publication is available at the State House Bookstore.

Apply in category WS 23 A, B, or C if your facility will treat less than one million gallons per day.  The specific subcategory is determined by the design capacity of the system:

• WS 23A:  less than 40,000 gallons per day (gpd)
• WS 23B:  40,000 gpd or more and less than 200,000 gpd
• WS 23C:  200,000 gpd or more and less than 1 million gpd

Apply in category WS 24 if your facility will treat more than one million gallons per day. Legislative authority for both approvals is stated in MGL Chapter 111, section 160A. Regulatory authority for these approvals is stated in 310 CMR 22.04.

Public water systems (PWS) or their designated representatives seeking approval to construct a treatment facility.

If the PWS or their representative applies for either of these permits it may be necessary to apply for other water treatment permits, e.g. WS 21, 22, or 25.

Approvals of this type may require Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) Office review. Please carefully examine 301 CMR 11.00, the MEPA Regulations, to determine if your project exceeds the MEPA review thresholds, or for more information contact the MEPA Office of the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900, Boston, MA 02114; (617-626-1020).  If MEPA review is required by regulation, MassDEP cannot begin technical review of the application until the MEPA process has been completed, unless otherwise agreed to in writing. Copies of MEPA filings (with reference to any applicable Transmittal numbers) should be sent to the MEPA Coordinator in the appropriate Regional Office.

Note: These additional requirements are intended to serve as a guide to the applicant. It does not necessarily include all additional requirements.