Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 49, December 7, 2024
Section 120.8 - Service interruptions(a) A plan shall include provisions for the implementation of temporary service interruptions. This action would be necessary to achieve water use reductions to prevent a public water supply agency from depleting its water supply to the point that vital service demands, such as public health and safety, firefighting and health care facilities, cannot be met.(b) The following governs the implementation of service interruptions:(1) To effectuate compliance with a plan, the public water supply agency is authorized and required to plan and implement service interruptions to all or part of its water supply system, as the public water supply agency deems appropriate, when one or more of the following conditions are determined by the public water supply agency to exist as to its water supply system: (i) The specified reduction in systemwide water usage has not been achieved.(ii) The specified reduction in systemwide water usage has been achieved, but has failed to have a significant impact in extending limited water supplies.(iii) Service interruption are necessary to further extend limited or dwindling water supplies.(2) If the public water supply agency determines that service interruptions are necessary, the public water supply agency shall notify its water customers through the public media, such as newspapers, radio, telephone and television, serving the water customers in its service area at least 1 day prior to the service interruptions, that a planned service interruption is to be imposed. In addition, the public water supply agency shall notify the local coordinator of emergency management; PEMA; the Commonwealth Drought Coordinator; the regional office of the Department of Environmental Protection; and the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, Bureau of Fixed Utility Services, if the public water supply agency is subject to the jurisdiction of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. The notice shall: (i) State the days when the planned service interruptions will occur.(ii) State the time when the planned service interruptions will commence and the time the interruptions will cease.(iii) State whether the planned service interruptions are to be imposed on the entire system or a part thereof. If only part of the system will experience planned service interruptions, identify the geographical boundaries within which the planned service interruptions will occur.(iv) Advise the customers within the area affected by planned service interruptions how to treat water received from the system for human consumption during the period of planned service interruptions and for additional time as necessary until full pressure is restored to the system.(3) If the public water supply agency imposes planned service interruptions as authorized and required by a plan, it shall provide for the continued delivery of water to health care facilities within the service area affected by the interruptions, by means of adequate, alternative delivery measures that may be necessary.(4) If the public water supply agency implements temporary service interruptions, it shall provide, by any means possible, for the continued delivery of the water, as may be necessary, for the proper operation of sewage collection, treatment and disposal systems and facilities.The provisions of this § 120.8 adopted July 24, 1991, effective 7/30/1991, 21 Pa.B. 3495; amended July 6, 2001, effective 7/7/2001, 31 Pa.B. 3534.