Title 18 . Environmental Conservation

Chapter 80 . Administrative Enforcement

Section 405. Routine monitoring

18 AAC 80.405. Routine monitoring

(a) The owner or operator of a Class A or Class B public water system shall collect total coliform samples at sites that are representative of water throughout the distribution system according to a written sample siting plan that complies with 18 AAC 80.410. Special monitoring and reporting provisions for consecutive public water systems will be determined by the department as necessary to serve the interests of public health.

(b) The monitoring frequency for total coliforms required for a Class A public water system is based on the population expected to be served daily by the system, as set out in Table D in this subsection.

TABLE D TOTAL COLIFORM MONITORING FREQUENCY FOR CLASS A PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS Population expected to Minimum number of be served daily samples per month * 25 to 1,000 a 1 b 1,001 to 2,500 2 b 2,501 to 3,300 3 b 3,301 to 4,100 4 b 4,101 to 4,900 5 4,901 to 5,800 6 5,801 to 6,700 7 6,701 to 7,600 8 7,601 to 8,500 9 8,501 to 12,900 10 12,901 to 17,200 15 17,201 to 21,500 20 21,501 to 25,000 25 25,001 to 33,000 30 33,001 to 41,000 40 41,001 to 50,000 50 50,001 to 59,000 60 59,001 to 70,000 70 70,001 to 83,000 80 83,001 to 96,000 90 96,001 to 130,000 100 130,001 to 220,000 120 220,001 to 320,000 150 320,001 to 450,000 180 450,001 to 600,000 210 600,001 to 780,000 240 780,001 to 970,000 270 970,001 to 1,230,000 300 1,230,001 to 1,520,000 330 1,520,001 to 1,850,000 360 1,850,001 to 2,270,000 390 2,270,001 to 3,020,000 420 3,020,001 to 3,960,000 450 3,960,001 or more 480

Notes to Table D:

a If a Class A public water system has at least 15 service connections, but serves fewer than 25 individuals, the minimum number of samples per month is the number for a system expected to serve 25 - 1,000 individuals daily.

b This number is subject to the requirement for additional routine samples described in 18 AAC 80.410(d) .

* For seasonal operations that include partial months, the owner or operator shall consider the first partial month of operation as an entire month of operation; the owner or operator need not sample during the last partial month of operation.

(c) Upon written request from the owner or operator, the department will, in writing, reduce the monitoring frequency in Table D in (b) of this section for a Class A public water system that is expected to serve 1,000 or fewer individuals daily if the system

(1) in the previous 12 months during which the system in its current configuration provided water to the public did not have a history of total coliform contamination or of total coliform monitoring violations;

(2) within five years before the request underwent a sanitary survey that showed the system to be free of sanitary defects;

(3) is supplied solely by a protected groundwater source; and

(4) has a final approval to operate issued by the department under 18 AAC 80.210(j) .

(d) The department will not reduce the monitoring frequency under (c) of this section to less than one sample per quarter.

(e) The monitoring frequency for total coliforms for a Class B public water system is as follows:

(1) the owner or operator of a Class B public water system that uses only groundwater and that is expected to serve 1,000 or fewer individuals daily shall monitor at least once each calendar quarter that the system provides water to the public;

(2) the owner or operator of a Class B public water system that uses only groundwater and that is expected to serve more than 1,000 individuals daily during any month shall monitor at the same frequency as a Class A public water system expected to serve the same number of individuals, as specified in Table D in (b) of this section;

(3) the owner or operator of a Class B public water system using surface water, in whole or in part, shall monitor at the same frequency as a Class A public water system expected to serve the same number of individuals, as specified in Table D in (b) of this section;

(4) the owner or operator of a Class B public water system using GWUDISW, in whole or in part, shall monitor at the same frequency as a Class A public water system expected to serve the same number of individuals, as specified in Table D in (b) of this section; the owner or operator shall begin monitoring at that frequency beginning six months after the department determines that the groundwater is under the direct influence of surface water;

(f) The owner or operator of a Class A or Class B public water system shall collect the samples required under (b) and (e) of this section at regular time intervals throughout the month. However, the owner or operator of a system using only groundwater and expected to serve 4,900 or fewer individuals daily may collect all required samples on a single day if the samples are taken from different sites.

(g) The owner or operator of a Class A or Class B public water system that uses, in whole or in part, surface water or GWUDISW and that does not filter in accordance with 18 AAC 80.600 - 18 AAC 80.680 and 18 AAC 80.699 shall collect at least one sample for total coliform analysis near the first service connection each day that the turbidity level of the source water, measured as specified in 18 AAC 80.660(e) , exceeds one NTU. If one or more turbidity measurements in any day exceed one NTU, the owner or operator of the system shall collect this coliform sample within 24 hours after the first measurement unless the department finds, as set out in (h) and (i) of this section, that the owner or operator, for logistical reasons outside the owner's or operator's control, cannot have the sample analyzed within 30 hours after collection, or within 48 hours after collection for an area listed in 18 AAC 80.350(a) . The department will not grant a waiver described in this subsection due to a lack of sampling containers. Sample results from this coliform monitoring must be included in determining compliance with the MCL for total coliforms in 18 AAC 80.300(b) (5).

(h) The department will grant a waiver described in (g) of this section if

(1) the laboratories available to the owner or operator cannot analyze the sample within 30 hours after collection, or within 48 hours after collection for an area listed in 18 AAC 80.350(a) , because of limited days of operation or limited laboratory capacity;

(2) weather conditions prevent shipment of the sample to the laboratory and analysis within 30 hours after collection, or within 48 hours after collection for an area described in 18 AAC 80.350(a) ;

(3) shipping services available to the owner or operator are limited so that the sample cannot be shipped and analyzed within 30 hours after collection, or within 48 hours after colection for an area described in 18 AAC 80.350(a) ; or

(4) another unusual or unpredictable situation, such as a landslide closing the road or knocking out a transmission line, makes it impossible for the owner or operator to meet the 30-hour or the 48-hour requirement.

(i) After it has been established under (h) of this section that the owner or operator is unable to meet the 30-hour or the 48-hour requirement, the department will grant a waiver to the owner or operator. The waiver is a written record of telephone communication with the owner or operator describing the logistical problem. The record of the waiver will be placed in the department's water system file. If the logistical problems are likely to persist, the department will grant a standing waiver that will remain in effect until the department rescinds or revises it.

History: Eff. 10/1/99, Register 151

Authority: AS 46.03.020

AS 46.03.050

AS 46.03.070

AS 46.03.710

AS 46.03.720