Section 18 AAC 80.405 - Routine monitoring(a) General monitoring requirements for a public water system include the following; (1) the operator of a 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 40 CF.R. 141.853(a) and (b), adopted by reference in 18 AAC 80.010(a), and with 18 AAC 80.410;(2) the minimum number of routine samples required for a public water system is as follows: (A) for a non-community water system that is a groundwater system, that serves 1,000 or fewer individuals, and that operates year-round; one sample per quarter;(B) for a non-community water system that is a groundwater system, that serves 1,000 or fewer individuals, and that is a seasonal system; one sample per month during operation; monitoring may be reduced to quaiterly as allowed under (b)(1) of this section;(C) for a community water system that is a groundwater system and that serves 1,000 or fewer individuals: one sample per month; quarterly monitoring may be allowed as setout under (c)(1) of this section;(D) for a public water system that uses a surface water or GWUDISW source and that serves 1,000 or fewer individuals: one sample per month;(E) for any public water system that serves more than 1,000 individuals: the number of samples per month as shown in the table "Total Coliform Monitoring Frequency for Public Water Systems Serving More than 1,000 People" in 40 C.F.R. 141.857(b), adopted by reference in 18 AAC 80.010(a); and(3) the department will not allow a monitoring frequency for a public water system of less than one sample per quarter.(b) A non-community water system that is a groundwater system and that serves 1,000 or fewer individuals must meet the routine monitoring requirements of 40 C.F.R. 141.854, adopted by reference in 18 AAC 80.010(a). In addition, (1) under 40 C.F.R. 141.854(c), if a system is monitoring monthly as of April 1, 2016, the department will allow quarterly monitoring as follows: (A) for a system that operates year-round that is on increased monitoring under 40 C.F.R. 141.854(f), the department will, in writing, return the system to a monitoring frequency of not less than quarterly if the (i) owner requests the reduction in writing; and(ii) system meets the criteria set out in 40 C.F.R. 141.854(g); the system must be supplied by a protected groundwater source described in (f) of this section;(B) for a seasonal system, the department will, in writing, reduce the monitoring frequency to not less than quarterly if the (i) owner requests the reduction in writing;(ii) system meets the criteria set out in 40 C.F.R. 141.854(g); the system must be supplied by a protected groundwater source described in (f) of this section; and (iii) system meets the applicable requirements of 40 C.F.R. 141.854(1); under 40 C.F.R. 141.854(i)(2)(i), the department will require the system to use the system's periods of highest demand as the site-specific consideration on which the system's sample siting plan is based; and(2) for a seasonal system, the department will require, as part of the seasonal system stait-up information under 40 C.F.R. 141, 854(i)(l), a separate start-up total coliform sample that is negative for coliform bacteria before the system may serve water to the public; the department will not allow a routine total coliform sample to also be used as the start-up siimple.(c) A community water system that is a groundwater system and that serves 1,000 or fewer individuals must meet the routine monitoring requirements of 40 C.F.R. 141.855, adopted by reference in 18 AAC 80.010(a). In addition, (1) under 40 C.F.R. 141.855(b), (c), and (c), the only systems allowed to monitor quarterly as of April 1, 2016, are systems that were on quarterly monitoring under schedules in effect as of March 31,2016, under 40 C.F.R. 141.21, adopted by reference in 18 AAC 80.010(a);(2) as of April 1, 2016, if a system that was on quarterly monitoring returns to routine monthly monitoring under 40 C.F.R. 141.855(e), the system must remain on monthly monitoring afterwards; and(3) a new system that begins operations on or after April 1, 2016, must monitor monthly;(d) A public water system that serves 1,000 or fewer individuals and that uses a surface water or GWUDISW source must meet the routine monitoring requirements of 40 C.F.R, 141.856, adopted by reference in 18 AAC 80.010(a), In addition, (1) for a seasonal system, the department will require, as part of the seasonal system start-up information under 40 C.F.R. 141, 856(a)(4)(i), a separate start-up total coliform sample that is negative for coliform bacteria before the system may serve water to the public; the department will not allow a routine total coliform sample to also be used as the start-up sample; and(2) under 40 C.F.R. 141.856(c), adopted by reference in 18 AAC 80.010(a), for a surface water system that does not practice filtration and has a turbidity measurement exceeding one NTU, the department may extend the 24-hour coliform sample collection time if the department finds that the operator, for logistical reasons outside the operator's control, cannot have the required coliform sample analyzed within 30 hours after collection, or, for a remote area as described 18 AAC 80,350, within 48 hours after collection; the department may extend the 24-hour sample collection schedule as follows, except that the department will not grant a waiver under this paragraph because of a lack of sampling containers; (A) criteria for granting a waiver that extends the sample collection time include one or more of the following: (i) the laboratories available to the public water system cannot analyze the sample within 30 hours after collection, or, for an area described in 18 AAC 80.350, within 48 hours after collection because of limited days of operation or limited laboratory capacity;(ii) weather conditions prevent shipment of the sample to the laboratory and analysis within 30 hours after collection, or, for an area described in 18 AAC 80.350, within 48 hours after collection;(iii) shipping services available to the public water system are limited so that the sample cannot be shipped and analyzed within 30 hours after collection, or, for an area described in 18 AAC 80.350, within 48 hours after collection;(iv) another unusual or unpredictable situation, such as a wildfire or a landslide closing the road or knocking out a transmission line, makes it impossible for the public water system to meet either the 30-hour or the 48-hour sample holding time requirement;(B) after determining under (A) of this paragraph that the public water system is unable to meet the 30-hour or the 48-hour sample holding time requirement, the department will grant a sample collection schedule waiver to the owner; the waiver is a written record of communication with the owner or operator describing the logistical problem and identifying an alternative sample collection schedule; the record of the waiver will be placed in the department's water system file; if the department determines that the logistical problems are likely to persist, the department may grant a standing waiver that will remain in effect for that public water system until the department rescinds or revises it; the standing waiver is a written record of the department's evaluation of and determination that the logistical problems are likely to persist; the record of the standing waiver will be placed in the department's water system file.(e) Any public water system that serves more than 1,000 individuals must meet the routine monitoring requirements of 40 C.F.R.141.857, adopted by reference in 18 AAC 80.010(a). In addition, (1) for a seasonal system, the department will require, as part of the seasonal start-up information under 40 C.F.R. 141.857(a)(4)(i), a separate start-up total coliform sample that is negative for coliform bacteria before the system may serve water to the public; the department will not allow a routine total coliform sample to also be used as the start-up sample; and (2) under 40 C.F.R. 141.857(c), for a surface water system that does not practice filtration and has a turbidity measurement exceeding one NTU, the department may extend the 24-hour coliform sample collection time if the department finds that the operator, for logistical reasons outside the operator's control, cannot have the required coliform sample analyzed within 30 hours after collection, or, for a remote area as described 18 AAC 80.350, within 48 hours after collection; the department may extend the 24-hour sample collection schedule as follows, except that the department will not grant a waiver under this paragraph because of a lack of sampling containers: (A) criteria for granting a waiver that extends the sample collection time include one or more of the following: (i) the laboratories available to the public water system cannot analyze the sample within 30 hours after collection, or, for an area described in 18 AAC 80.350, within 48 hours after collection because of limited days of operation or limited laboratory capacity;(ii) weather conditions prevent shipment of the sample to the laboratory and analysis within 30 hours after collection, or, for an area described in 18 AAC 80.350, within 48 hours after collection;(iii) shipping services available to the public water system ate limited so that the sample cannot be shipped and analyzed within 30 hours after collection, or, for an area described in 18 AAC 80.350, within 48 hours after collection;(iv) another unusual or unpredictable situation, such as a wildfire or a landslide closing the road or knocking out a transmission line, makes it impossible for the public water system to meet either the 30-hour or the 48-hour sample holding time requirement;(B) after determining under (A) of this paragraph that the public water system is unable to meet the 30-hour or the 48-hour sample holding time requirement, the department will grant a sample collection schedule waiver to the owner; the waiver is a written record of communication with the owner or operator describing the logistical problem and identifying an alternative sample collection schedule; the record of the waiver will be placed in the department's water system file; if the department determines that the logistical problems are likely to persist, the department may grant a standing waiver that will remain in effect for that public water system until the department rescinds or revises it; the standing waiver is a written record of the department's evaluation of and determination that the logistical problems are likely to persist; the record of the standing waiver will be placed in the department's water system file.(f) For purposes of this section, a protected groundwater source is a public water system source classified as groundwater that is protected from, or shows adequate indications of being protected from, actual or potential contamination, as follows: (1) the source is not GWUDISW, surface water, or groundwater vulnerable to fecal contamination;(2) the source complies with (A) the applicable source water and well protection requirements of 18 AAC 80.015; and(B) the minimum separation distance requirements of 18 AAC 80.020; and(3) at least one of the following is met: (A) the engineering plan review and approval requirements of 18 AAC 80.200 - 18 AAC 80.235 are met, as applicable for the source;(B) the source is in a confined aquifer;(C) the owner, operator, or another entity acceptable to the department implements and maintains applicable source water protection strategies as determined by the department. Eff. 10/1/99, Register 151; am 4/24/2009, Register 190; am 2/11/2017, Register 221, April 2017 Authority:AS 46.03.020
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AS 46.03.070
AS 46.03.710
AS 46.03.720