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TITLE 30ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
PART 1TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
CHAPTER 290PUBLIC DRINKING WATER
SUBCHAPTER FDRINKING WATER STANDARDS GOVERNING DRINKING WATER QUALITY AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS
RULE §290.110Disinfectant Residuals

(a) Applicability. All public water systems shall properly disinfect water before it is distributed to any customer and shall maintain acceptable disinfectant residuals within the distribution system.

(b) Minimum and maximum acceptable disinfectant concentrations. All public water systems shall provide the minimum levels of disinfectants in accordance with the provisions of this section. Public water systems shall not exceed the maximum residual disinfectant levels (MRDLs) provided in this section.

  (1) The disinfection process used by public water systems must ensure that water has been adequately disinfected before it enters the distribution system.

    (A) The disinfection process used by public water systems treating surface water sources or groundwater sources that are under the direct influence of surface water must meet the requirements of §290.111(d) of this title (relating to Surface Water Treatment).

    (B) The executive director may require the disinfection process used by public water systems treating groundwater sources that are not under the direct influence of surface water to meet the requirements of §290.116 of this title (relating to Groundwater Corrective Actions and Treatment Techniques).

    (C) The disinfection process at other types of treatment plants shall provide the level of disinfection required by the executive director.

  (2) The residual disinfectant concentration in the water entering the distribution system shall be at least 0.2 milligram per liter (mg/L) free chlorine or 0.5 mg/L chloramine (measured as total chlorine).

  (3) The chlorine dioxide residual of the water entering the distribution system shall not exceed an MRDL of 0.8 mg/L.

  (4) The residual disinfectant concentration in the water within the distribution system shall be at least 0.2 mg/L free chlorine or 0.5 mg/L chloramine (measured as total chlorine).

  (5) The running annual average of the free chlorine or chloramine residual (measured as total chlorine) of the water within the distribution system shall not exceed an MRDL of 4.0 mg/L.

(c) Monitoring requirements. All public water systems shall monitor the performance of the disinfection facilities to ensure that appropriate disinfectant levels are maintained. All monitoring conducted pursuant to the requirements of this section must be conducted at sites designated in the public water system's monitoring plan.

  (1) Entry point compliance monitoring for surface water and groundwater under the direct influence of surface water. Public water systems that treat surface water or groundwater under the direct influence of surface water must verify that they meet the disinfection requirements of subsection (b)(2) of this section.

    (A) Public water systems that treat surface water or groundwater under the direct influence of surface water and sell treated water on a wholesale basis or serve more than 3,300 people must continuously monitor and record the disinfectant residual of the water at each entry point. If there is a failure in the continuous monitoring equipment, grab sampling every four hours may be conducted in lieu of continuous monitoring, but for no more than five working days following the failure of the equipment.

    (B) Public water systems that treat surface water or groundwater under the direct influence of surface water, serve 3,300 or fewer people and do not sell treated water on a wholesale basis must monitor and record the disinfectant residual of the water at each entry point with either continuous monitors or grab samples.

      (i) If a system uses grab samples, the samples must be collected on an ongoing basis at the frequency prescribed in the following table.

Attached Graphic

      (ii) The grab samples cannot be taken at the same time and the sampling interval is subject to the executive director's review and approval.

      (iii) Treatment plants that use grab samples and fail to detect an appropriate disinfectant residual must repeat the test at four-hour or shorter intervals until compliance has been reestablished.

    (C) Continuous monitors must record the disinfectant residual of the water every 30 minutes.

  (2) Entry point compliance monitoring for groundwater and purchased water. Public water systems that treat groundwater or that purchase and resell treated water must, upon the request of the executive director, verify that they meet the disinfection requirements of subsection (b)(2) of this section.

    (A) A public water system that uses free chlorine must measure free chlorine.

    (B) A public water system that has a chloramine residual must measure total chlorine.

  (3) Chlorine dioxide compliance monitoring. Each treatment plant using chlorine dioxide must monitor and record the chlorine dioxide residual of the water entering the distribution system at least once each day. If the chlorine dioxide residual in the water entering the distribution system exceeds the MRDL contained in subsection (b)(3) of this section, the treatment plant must conduct additional tests.

    (A) If the public water system does not have additional chlorination facilities in the distribution system, it must conduct three additional tests at the service connection nearest the treatment plant where an elevated chlorine dioxide residual was detected. The first additional test must be conducted within two hours after detecting an elevated chlorine dioxide residual at the entry point to the distribution system. The two subsequent tests must be conducted at six-hour to eight-hour intervals thereafter.

    (B) If the public water system has additional chlorination facilities in the distribution system, it must conduct an additional test at the service connection nearest the treatment plant where an elevated chlorine dioxide residual was detected, an additional test at the first service connection after the point where the water is rechlorinated, and an additional test at a location in the far reaches of the distribution system. The additional test at the location nearest the treatment plant must be conducted within two hours after detecting an elevated chlorine dioxide residual at the entry point to the distribution system. The two other tests must be conducted at six-hour to eight-hour intervals thereafter.

  (4) Distribution system compliance monitoring. All public water systems shall monitor the disinfectant residual at various locations throughout the distribution system.

    (A) Public water systems that use groundwater or purchased water sources only and serve fewer than 250 connections and fewer than 750 people daily, must monitor the disinfectant residual at representative locations in the distribution system at least once every seven days.

    (B) Public water systems that serve at least 250 connections or at least 750 people daily, and use only groundwater or purchased water sources must monitor the disinfectant residual at representative locations in the distribution system at least once per day.

    (C) Public water systems using surface water sources or groundwater under the direct influence of surface water must monitor the disinfectant residual tests at least once per day at representative locations in the distribution system.

    (D) All public water systems must monitor the residual disinfectant concentration at the same time and at the same sampling site a bacteriological sample is collected, as specified in §290.109 of this title (relating to Microbial Contaminants) in addition to the residual disinfectant concentration monitoring requirements as described in this subsection and chapter.

    (E) All public water systems with a chloramine residual must monitor the total chlorine residual downstream of any chlorine and ammonia injection points, in conjunction with the chloramine effectiveness sampling in paragraph (5)(C) of this subsection, in the distribution system weekly and whenever the chemical dose is changed.

  (5) Chloramine effectiveness sampling. Public water systems with a chloramine residual shall monitor to ensure that monochloramine is the prevailing chloramine species and that nitrification is controlled. Sample sites and procedures used for chloramine effectiveness sampling must be documented in the system's nitrification action plan (NAP) required by §290.46(z) of this title (relating to Minimum Acceptable Operating Practices for Public Drinking Water Systems). Sample results determined by monitoring required under this paragraph will not be used to determine compliance with the maximum contaminant levels, MRDLs, action levels, or treatment techniques of this subchapter.

Cont'd...

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