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TITLE 30ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
PART 1TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
CHAPTER 290PUBLIC DRINKING WATER
SUBCHAPTER HCONSUMER CONFIDENCE REPORTS
RULE §290.272Content of the Report

(a) Information on the source of the water delivered must be included in the report.

  (1) Each report must identify the source(s) of the water delivered by the community water system by providing information on the type of the water (such as surface water or groundwater) and any commonly used name and location of the body(ies) of water.

  (2) If a source water assessment has been completed, the report must notify consumers of the availability of this information and the means to obtain it. In the reports, systems should highlight significant sources of contamination in the source water area if they have readily available information.

  (3) If a system has received a source water assessment from the executive director, the report must include a brief summary of the system's susceptibility to potential sources of contamination using language provided by the executive director or written by a water system official and approved by the executive director.

(b) The following explanations must be included in the annual report.

  (1) Each report must contain the following definitions.

    (A) Level 1 assessment--A Level 1 assessment is a study of the water system to identify potential problems and determine (if possible) why total coliform bacteria were found.

    (B) Level 2 assessment--A Level 2 assessment is a very detailed study of the water system to identify potential problems and determine (if possible) why an Escherichia coli (E. coli) maximum contaminant level (MCL) violation has occurred and/or why total coliform bacteria were found on multiple occasions.

    (C) Maximum contaminant level goal (MCLG)--The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.

    (D) Maximum contaminant level (MCL)--The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to maximum contaminant level goals as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

    (E) Maximum residual disinfectant level goal (MRDLG)--The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.

    (F) Maximum residual disinfectant level (MRDL)--The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.

  (2) The following terms and their descriptions must be included when they appear in the report:

    (A) MFL--million fibers per liter (a measure of asbestos);

    (B) mrem/year--millirems per year (a measure of radiation absorbed by the body);

    (C) NTU--nephelometric turbidity units (a measure of turbidity);

    (D) pCi/L--picocuries per liter (a measure of radioactivity);

    (E) ppb--parts per billion, or micrograms per liter (µg/L);

    (F) ppm--parts per million, or milligrams per liter (mg/L);

    (G) ppq--parts per quadrillion, or picograms per liter (pg/L); and

    (H) ppt--parts per trillion, or nanograms per liter (ng/L).

  (3) A report for a community water system operating under a variance or an exemption of the Safe Drinking Water Act must include a description of the variance or the exemption granted under §290.102(b) of this title (relating to General Applicability).

  (4) A report that contains data on a contaminant for which the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set a treatment technique (TT) or an action level (AL) must include, depending on the contents of the report, the following definitions.

    (A) AL--The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that a water system must follow.

    (B) TT--A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

(c) Information on detected contaminants.

  (1) This subsection specifies the requirements for information to be included in each report for detected contaminants subject to mandatory monitoring, excluding Cryptosporidium. Mandatory monitoring is required for:

    (A) regulated contaminants subject to an MCL, MRDL, AL, or TT; and

    (B) unregulated contaminants for which monitoring is required by 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §141.40, and found in §290.275(4) of this title (relating to Appendices A - D).

  (2) The data relating to these detected contaminants must be displayed in one table or in several adjacent tables. Any additional monitoring results that a community water system chooses to include in its reports must be displayed separately.

  (3) The data must be derived from data collected to comply with EPA and the commission monitoring and analytical requirements during the previous calendar year, except when a system is allowed to monitor for regulated contaminants less often than once per year. In that case, the table(s) must include the date and results of the most recent sampling, and the report must include a brief statement indicating that the data presented in the report is from the most recent testing done in accordance with the regulations. The report does not need to include data that is older than five years.

  (4) For detected regulated contaminants listed under §290.275 of this title, the table(s) must contain:

    (A) the MCLs for those contaminants expressed as a number equal to or greater than 1.0 (as provided under §290.275 of this title);

    (B) the MCLGs for those contaminants expressed in the same units as the MCLs (as provided for under §290.275 of this title);

    (C) if there is no MCL for a detected contaminant, the TT or specific AL applicable to that contaminant; and

    (D) for contaminants subject to an MCL, except turbidity, total coliform, fecal coliform, and E. coli the highest contaminant level used to determine compliance with National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWR) and the range of detected levels.

      (i) For contaminants subject to MCLs, except turbidity, total coliform, fecal coliform, and E. coli , when sampling takes place once per year or less often, the table(s) must contain the highest detected level at any sampling point and the range of detected levels expressed in the same units as the MCL.

      (ii) When sampling takes place more than once per year at each sampling point, the table(s) must contain the highest average of any of the sampling points and the range of all sampling points expressed in the same units as the MCL.

      (iii) In accordance with date requirements included in the table under §290.115(a) of this title (relating to Stage 2 Disinfection Byproducts (TTHM and HAA5)), entitled "Date to Start Stage 2 Compliance," for the MCLs for total trihalomethanes (TTHM) and haloacetic acids (HAA5), systems must include the highest locational running annual average for TTHM and HAA5 and the range of individual sample results for all monitoring locations expressed in the same units as the MCL. If more than one location exceeds the TTHM or HAA5 MCL, the system must include the locational running annual averages for all sampling points that exceed the MCL.

      (iv) When compliance with any MCL is determined on a system-wide basis by calculating a running annual average of all samples at all sampling points, the table(s) must include the average and range of detections expressed in the same units as the MCL.

      (v) When the executive director allows the rounding of results to determine compliance with the MCL, rounding should be done after multiplying the results by the factor listed under §290.275 of this title.

    (E) When turbidity is reported under §290.111 of this title (relating to Surface Water Treatment), the table(s) must contain the highest single measurement and the lowest monthly percentage of samples meeting the turbidity limits specified in that section for the filtration technology being used. The report should include an explanation of the reasons for measuring turbidity.

    (F) When lead and copper are reported, the table(s) must contain the 90th percentile value of the most recent round of sampling and the number of sampling sites exceeding the AL.

    (G) When E. coli is reported, the table(s) shall contain the total number of E. coli -positive samples.

Cont'd...

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