Assistance & Tools
MassDEP can offer tools and resources that help water system operators do their jobs. State and national agencies can also provide some help with infrastructure funding.
Roles & Responsibilities of the Drinking Water Program (YouTube)
Additional Resources
- Drinking Water State Revolving Fund
- Water Resources Grants & Financial Assistance
- Drinking Water Supply Protection Grant Program
- US Department of Agriculture Rural Development
- National Rural Water Association
- Mass Rural Water Association (MassRWA)
- MassDEP Water Utility Resilience Program
- NSF Certification of Water Treatment Chemicals, ANSI/NSF 60
- NSF Certification of Water Treatment and Distribution Products, ANSI/NSF 61
- US EPA Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule technical guidance
- Underwriter's Laboratory Product Directories
- Pump System Optimization & Assessments
Certified Operators
Certified operators provide onsite management, operations or maintenance services to public water systems. They make sure that all systems meet the requirements of the Massachusetts Drinking Water Regulations. And they maintain their certification and skills through continuing education programs.
Additional Resources
Communications
MassDEP's emails provide public water suppliers critical information to do their jobs.
Additional Resources
Compliance Documents
MassDEP's Public Water Supplier Document Search provides public water system operators access to the following records:
- Certificate of Registration
- Water Quality Report for Transient Non-Community Water Systems (TNC CCR) and Non-Transient Non-Community Water Systems (NTNC CCR)
- Compliance Monitoring Schedules for Community, Non-Transient Non-Community, and Transient Non-Community Water Systems
- Lead and Copper Approved Sampling Sites Plan for Community (COM) and Non-Transient Non-Community (NTNC) Systems (in beta).
Additional Resources
Consecutive Water Systems
A Consecutive Public Water System as “a public water system that receives some or all of its finished water from one or more wholesale systems. Delivery may be through a direct connection or through the distribution system of one or more consecutive systems.” MassDEP regulates consecutive public water systems that don't meet all the criteria of 310 CMR 22.03(3), as detailed in the Fact Sheet linked below.
Additional Resources
Consumer Confidence Reports
The federal Safe Drinking Water Act requires public water systems to issue annual water-quality reports. These Consumer Confidence Reports (CCRs) must be available to all customers of the water system. The requirements for CCRs are in Appendix M of the Guidelines for Public Water Systems, provided below as a PDF.
Additional Resources
Contaminants
Fact sheets, FAQs, and external resources for contaminants in drinking water.
Additional Resources
Cross Connections
Cross connection controls prevent drinking-water supply lines from being contaminated by wastewater lines. The Massachusetts Drinking Water Regulations detail the requirements of a Cross Connection Control Program at 310 CMR 22.22.
Additional Resources
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity tips, factsheets, and other resources for public water suppliers.
Additional Resources
Emergency Response & Public Notification
Public water suppliers need to prepare for and respond to water supply contamination incidents, natural disasters, and other emergency situations.
Additional Resources
- Certified Laboratories Available Outside Regular Working Hours
- Emergency Response for Public Water Systems
- Issuance and Removal of Drinking Water Public Health Orders
- Look up Drinking Water Public Health Orders
- Public Notification Forms and Templates
- Fact Sheet: Drinking Water Public Notification
- FAQs: Drinking Water Public Notification
- Drinking Water Program Public Notification & Emergency Contacts
- Automated Messaging and Public Notice
- Tier 1 Public Notice: Bacteriological Situation or Violation
- Washington State Department of Health: Translations for Public Notification
- US EPA: Public Notification Rule
- US EPA: Water Sector Supply Chain - Chemical Shortages
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Open PDF file, 556.29 KB, PWS Bottled Water Rebate Program (PDF 556.29 KB)
Enforcement & Inspections
The Safe Drinking Water Act calls for a routine sanitary survey of all public drinking water systems once every 5 years, except for community surface water systems, which are to be surveyed once every 3 years. This survey is a periodic inspection of a water system's facilities, operations, and record keeping. The inspections identify conditions that may present a sanitary or public health risk.
A public water system that is in violation of regulations will receive a Notice of Noncompliance along with a Compliance Schedule Approval form. The purpose of this form is to help the system return to compliance and avoid escalated enforcement.
Additional Resources
Federal Rules & Acts
Under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, Massachusetts public water systems must meet the requirements of a variety of federal drinking-water safety rules. In Massachusetts, MassDEP has authority from EPA (known as primacy) to directly enforce the provisions of these rules:
- Consumer Confidence Report Rule (CCR) (see also links above under "Consumer Confidence Reports")
- Disinfection Byproducts Rules (DBPR)
- Ground Water Rule (GWR)
- Lead and Copper Rule (LCR)
- Lead Contamination Control Act (LCCA)
- Surface Water Treatment Rule (SWTR)
- Total Coliform Rule (TCR) & Revised Total Coliform Rule (RTCR)
- Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR)
- Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act
Additional Resources
- US EPA Consumer Confidence Report Rule
- US EPA Disinfection Byproducts Rules
- US EPA Ground Water Rule
- Groundwater Forms
- US EPA Lead and Copper Rule
- Lead Contamination Control Act (PDF)
- Coliform Bacteria Level 1 Assessment
- Coliform Bacteria Level 2 Assessment
- US EPA: Revised Total Coliform Rule and Total Coliform Rule
- US EPA: Revised Total Coliform Rule Quick Reference Guide
- US EPA: Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule 4
- US PEA: UCMR 4 Fact Sheets
- US EPA: UCMR 4 Reporting Requirements
- US EPA: UCMR 4 Meeting Presentations and Materials
- US EPA: Occurrence Data for UCMR
- US EPA: UCMR 4 Reference Concentrations
- Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN Act)
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Open PDF file, 33.7 KB, 310 CMR 22.26: Ground Water Rule (PDF 33.7 KB)
Monitoring
All public water systems in Massachusetts, regardless of size, are required to test their water periodically for a variety of contaminants. MassDEP maintains a search tool that retrieves the compliance monitoring schedule (water quality sampling schedule) for any public water system in the state.
Additional Resources
Permits & Forms
Permit applications, reporting forms, and templates.
Additional Resources
Policies
The guidelines and policies by which the MassDEP Drinking Water Program implements the Drinking Water Regulations.
Additional Resources
Safe Drinking Water Act
The federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) is the basis for drinking-water regulations in Massachusetts. MassDEP's obligations under the SDWA include annual reports to both the state Legislature and the US EPA.
Additional Resources
Seasonal Water Systems
A seasonal water system is a non-community public water system that does not operate on a year-round basis (a summer camp, outdoor recreational facility or restaurant, golf course, etc.) and must follow a state-approved start-up procedure before placing any or all parts of the system back into service.
Additional Resources
Small Water Systems
MassDEP's extensive resources for small public water systems include educational information, fact sheets, operational guidance, and more. Water vending machines are also subject to requirements of the Drinking Water Regulations.
Additional Resources
- Cross-Connection Control: A Best Practices Guide for Small Systems
- Capacity Development
- Water System Operator Roles and Responsibilities: A Best Practices Guide for Small Systems
- Wellhead Protection Tips For Small Public Water Systems
- Find your CCR and Sampling Schedule
- Point-of-Use and Point-of-Entry Water Treatment
- Approval of Water Vending Machines by MassDEP and DPH
- Vending Machines Forms
- US EPA: Small Public Water Systems and Capacity Development
- US EPA: Small Systems Monthly Webinar Series
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Open PDF file, 3.09 MB, Managing your TNC System Guide (PDF 3.09 MB)
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Open PDF file, 267.68 KB, Preventive Maintenance Log Cards (PDF 267.68 KB)
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Open DOC file, 38 KB, Zone I Notification Letter (DOC 38 KB)
System Development
The process for developing new public water supplies, evaluating the capabilities of existing systems, and safely maintaining infrastructure assets.
Additional Resources
- Capacity Development
- Water Utility Resilience Program
- US EPA: Sustainable Water Infrastructure
- US EPA: Water Utility Resilience
- New England Water Works Association Utility Resources
- Rural Community Assistance Partnership
- US EPA: Asset Management: A Best Practices Guide
- US EPA: Operation and Maintenance Resources for Small Drinking Water Systems
- US EPA: Infrastructure Needs Survey & Assessment
- Pennsylvania State University: "Liquid Assets: The Story of Our Water Infrastructure"
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Open PDF file, 657.54 KB, Enterprise Fund Manual (PDF 657.54 KB)
Treatment
Carefully managed treatment is necessary to maintain the safety of a public water supply or of water-vending equipment.
Additional Resources
Contact for Public Drinking Water System Operations
Online
Date published: | August 1, 2018 |
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