18 AAC 80.410. Sampling siting plan review and approval

(a) The owner or operator of a Class A or Class B public water system shall submit for department review and approval for compliance with this section a written sample siting plan that includes

(1) the public water system identification number assigned under 18 AAC 80.210(c) ;

(2) the name, address, telephone number, and facsimile number of the public water system;

(3) the name, address, telephone number, and facsimile number of the owner or operator or a designee;

(4) the number of routine samples required each month or quarter;

(5) the number of service connections;

(6) the size of the population served each month;

(7) a list of sites where samples will be taken during each monitoring period, and the reasons for choosing those sites; and

(8) a map of the water system showing the location of source waters and types, water treatment facilities, water storage facilities, distribution lines, pressure zones, the first service connection, pressure reducing stations, booster stations, dead ends and the last service connection, major commercial and industrial areas, and the areas, zones, or actual sites for routine sampling; the owner or operator may provide a hand-drawn map, an as-built map, a street map, or a schematic of the water system; sampling sites must be spread throughout the system, to assure that sampling is done at sites that are representative of the public water system, and must include as many of the locations listed in this paragraph as possible; for a large system, the owner or operator may indicate sampling sites by dividing the distribution system into sampling zones instead of pinpointing sampling taps, and may draw sampling zones according to pressure zones, areas served by a particular source water, or areas served by a particular storage or treatment facility.

(b) The total number of routine sampling sites needed to adequately cover the entire distribution system in one year may be more than the required number of monthly samples. Parts of the distribution system not sampled during one year must be covered in the next year. The owner or operator of a Class A or B public water system shall provide to the department an explanation of rotating sampling locations during those years. If the owner or operator takes more than one sample each month, samples must be collected at evenly-spaced intervals throughout the month.

(c) For an unfiltered surface water system a total coliform sample must be taken at the location of the first service connection shown on the map provided under (a) of this section, whenever the raw turbidity exceeds one NTU. The department will use this sample to determine compliance with the total coliform MCL.

(d) If an owner or operator of a Class A or Class B public water system who collects four or fewer samples per month finds a total coliform positive routine sample during that month, the owner or operator shall collect five routine samples during the next month the public water system provides water to the public and indicate in the sampling plan where the five samples will be taken. These samples must be located throughout the distribution system.

(e) The owner or operator of a Class A or Class B public water system shall designate at least two alternative sampling sites to be used if the sampling site chosen for a particular monitoring period is not accessible, to assure that sampling is always done according to the sample siting plan.

(f) For a Class A or Class B public water system with only one service connection, the owner or operator shall include a narrative statement indicating that the routine sample will be taken from the single service connection and addressing how repeat monitoring will be done in the case of a positive routine sample as provided in 18 AAC 80.415(a) (3). The narrative statement must also indicate the procedures to be used to collect the five routine samples required by (d) of this section in the month following a positive routine sample.

(g) The owner or operator of a community water system, non-transient non-community water system, or transient non-community water system shall keep the approved plan in the system files. The sanitary survey inspector shall review the plan during routine sanitary surveys or during inspections triggered by total coliform positive results and shall note any deficiencies in the plan, making suggestions for improvement.

(h) If a plan submitted under this section has major deficiencies, the department will send the owner or operator a report of these deficiencies within 30 days after receiving the plan. The owner or operator shall submit a revised plan to the department within 30 days after receiving the report, unless the department and the owner or operator agree in writing to another date.

(i) Before the department inspects a Class A or Class B public water system, the department will review bacteriological data to determine if the owner or operator is sampling in more than one location in the water system. As part of the review, the department will consider changes in sampling locations, monthly spacing of samples, and frequency of monitoring. The owner or operator may revise a sample siting plan without prior department approval, if the owner or operator documents the reasons for revising the plan and makes these records available during a sanitary survey.

History: Eff. 10/1/99, Register 151; am 1/11/2006, Register 177

Authority: AS 46.03.020

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