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TITLE 30ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
PART 1TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
CHAPTER 290PUBLIC DRINKING WATER
SUBCHAPTER DRULES AND REGULATIONS FOR PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS
RULE §290.46Minimum Acceptable Operating Practices for Public Drinking Water Systems

    (F) A public water system shall notify customers throughout the distribution system or in the affected area(s) of the distribution system that a boil water notice has been rescinded within 24 hours or no later than the next business day, using the language and format specified in Figure: 30 TAC §290.47(c)(3) of this title, once the public water system has met the requirements of this paragraph. The public water system shall provide a copy of the "Boil Water Notice Rescinded" notice and a copy of the associated microbiological laboratory analysis results, as required by subparagraph (E) of this paragraph, to the executive director within ten days after the public water system has issued the rescind notice to customers in accordance with §290.122(f) of this title.

(r) Minimum pressures. All public water systems shall be operated to provide a minimum pressure of 35 psi throughout the distribution system under normal operating conditions. The system shall also be operated to maintain a minimum pressure of 20 psi during emergencies such as fire fighting. As soon as safe and practicable following the occurrence of a natural disaster, a public water system that is an affected utility shall maintain a minimum of 35 psi throughout the distribution system during an extended power outage.

(s) Testing equipment. Accurate testing equipment or some other means of monitoring the effectiveness of any chemical treatment or pathogen inactivation or removal processes must be used by the system.

  (1) Flow-measuring devices and rate-of-flow controllers that are required by §290.42(b) and (d) of this title (relating to Water Treatment) shall be calibrated at least once every 12 months. Well meters required by §290.41(c)(3)(N) of this title shall be calibrated at least once every three years.

  (2) Laboratory equipment used for compliance testing shall be properly calibrated.

    (A) pH meters shall be properly calibrated.

      (i) Benchtop pH meters shall be calibrated according to manufacturer specifications at least once each day.

      (ii) The calibration of benchtop pH meters shall be checked with at least one buffer each time a series of samples is run, and if necessary, recalibrated according to manufacturer specifications.

      (iii) On-line pH meters shall be calibrated according to manufacturer specifications at least once every 30 days.

      (iv) The calibration of on-line pH meters shall be checked at least once each week with a primary standard or by comparing the results from the on-line unit with the results from a properly calibrated benchtop unit. If necessary, the on-line unit shall be recalibrated with primary standards.

    (B) Turbidimeters shall be properly calibrated.

      (i) Benchtop turbidimeters shall be calibrated with primary standards at least once every 90 days. Each time the turbidimeter is calibrated with primary standards, the secondary standards shall be restandardized.

      (ii) The calibration of benchtop turbidimeters shall be checked with secondary standards each time a series of samples is tested, and if necessary, recalibrated with primary standards.

      (iii) On-line turbidimeters shall be calibrated with primary standards at least once every 90 days.

      (iv) The calibration of on-line turbidimeters shall be checked at least once each week with a primary standard, a secondary standard, or the manufacturer's proprietary calibration confirmation device or by comparing the results from the on-line unit with the results from a properly calibrated benchtop unit. If necessary, the on-line unit shall be recalibrated with primary standards.

    (C) Chemical disinfectant residual analyzers shall be properly calibrated.

      (i) The accuracy of manual disinfectant residual analyzers shall be verified at least once every 90 days using chlorine solutions of known concentrations.

      (ii) The accuracy of continuous disinfectant residual analyzers shall be checked at least once every seven days with a chlorine solution of known concentration or by comparing the results from the on-line analyzer with the result of approved benchtop method in accordance with §290.119 of this title.

      (iii) If a disinfectant residual analyzer produces a result which is not within 15% of the expected value, the cause of the discrepancy must be determined and corrected and, if necessary, the instrument must be recalibrated.

    (D) Analyzers used to determine the effectiveness of chloramination in §290.110(c)(5) of this title shall be properly verified in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations every 90 days. These analyzers include monochloramine, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate equipment used by the public water system.

    (E) Ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection analyzers shall be properly calibrated.

      (i) The accuracy of duty UV sensors shall be verified with a reference UV sensor monthly, according to the UV sensor manufacturer.

      (ii) The reference UV sensor shall be calibrated by the UV sensor manufacturer on a yearly basis, or sooner if needed.

      (iii) If used, the UV Transmittance (UVT) analyzer shall be calibrated weekly according to the UVT analyzer manufacturer specifications.

    (F) Systems must verify the performance of direct integrity testing equipment in a manner and schedule approved by the executive director.

    (G) Conductivity (or total dissolved solids) monitors and pressure instruments used for reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membrane systems shall be calibrated at least once every 12 months.

    (H) Any temperature monitoring devices used for reverse osmosis and nanofiltration shall be verified and calibrated in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications.

(t) System ownership. All community water systems shall post a legible sign at each of its production, treatment, and storage facilities. The sign shall be located in plain view of the public and shall provide the name of the water supply and an emergency telephone number where a responsible official can be contacted.

(u) Abandoned wells. Abandoned public water supply wells owned by the system must be plugged with cement according to 16 TAC Chapter 76 (relating to Water Well Drillers and Water Well Pump Installers). Wells that are not in use and are non-deteriorated as defined in those rules must be tested every five years or as required by the executive director to prove that they are in a non-deteriorated condition. The test results shall be sent to the executive director for review and approval. Deteriorated wells must be either plugged with cement or repaired to a non-deteriorated condition.

(v) Electrical wiring. All water system electrical wiring must be securely installed in compliance with a local or national electrical code.

(w) Security. All systems shall maintain internal procedures to notify the executive director by a toll-free reporting phone number immediately of the following events, if the event may negatively impact the production or delivery of safe and adequate drinking water:

  (1) an unusual or unexplained unauthorized entry at property of the public water system;

  (2) an act of terrorism against the public water system;

  (3) an unauthorized attempt to probe for or gain access to proprietary information that supports the key activities of the public water system;

  (4) a theft of property that supports the key activities of the public water system; or

  (5) a natural disaster, accident, or act that results in damage to the public water system.

(x) Public safety standards. This subsection only applies to a municipality with a population of 1,000,000 or more, with a public utility within its corporate limits; a municipality with a population of more than 36,000 and less than 41,000 located in two counties, one of which is a county with a population of more than 1.8 million; a municipality, including any industrial district within the municipality or its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), with a population of more than 7,000 and less than 30,000 located in a county with a population of more than 155,000 and less than 180,000; or a municipality, including any industrial district within the municipality or its ETJ, with a population of more than 11,000 and less than 18,000 located in a county with a population of more than 125,000 and less than 230,000.

  (1) In this subsection:

    (A) "Regulatory authority" means, in accordance with the context in which it is found, either the commission or the governing body of a municipality.

Cont'd...

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