S.C. Code Regs. § § 61-58.16.F

Current through Register Vol. 48, 12, December 27, 2024

Section 61-58.16.F - Treatment Technique Requirements For Ground Water Systems

(1) Ground water systems with significant deficiencies or source water fecal contamination.

(a) The treatment technique requirements of R.61-58.16.F must be met by ground water systems when a significant deficiency is identified or when a ground water source sample collected under R.61-58.16.E(1)(c) is fecal indicator positive.

(b) If directed by the Department, a ground water system with a ground water source sample collected under R.61-58.16.E(1)(b), R.61-58.16.E(1)(d), or R.61-58.16.E(2) that is fecal indicator positive must comply with the treatment technique requirements of R.61-58.16.F.

(c) When a significant deficiency is identified at a Subpart H public water system that uses both ground water and surface water or GWUDI, the system must comply with R.61-58.16.F except in cases where the Department determines that the significant deficiency is in a portion of the distribution system that is served solely by surface water or GWUDI.

(d) Unless the Department directs the ground water system to implement a specific corrective action, the ground water system must consult with the Department regarding the appropriate corrective action within 30 days of receiving written notice from the Department of a significant deficiency, written notice from a laboratory that a ground water source sample collected under R.61-58.16.E(1)(c) was found to be fecal indicator positive, or direction from the Department that a fecal indicator positive sample collected under R.61-58.16.E(1)(b), R.61-58.16.E(1)(d), or R.61-58.16.E(2) requires corrective action. For the purposes of R.61-58.16, significant deficiencies include, but are not limited to, defects in design, operation, or maintenance, or a failure or malfunction of the sources, treatment, storage, or distribution system that the Department determines to be causing, or have the potential for causing, the introduction of contamination into the water delivered to consumers.

(e) Within 120 days, or earlier if directed by the Department, of receiving written notification from the Department of a significant deficiency, written notice from a laboratory that a ground water source sample collected under R.61-58.16.E. (1)(c) was found to be fecal indicator positive, or direction from the Department that a fecal indicator positive sample collected under R.61-58.16.E(1)(b), R.61-58.16.E(1)(d), or R.61-58.16.E(2) requires corrective action, the ground water system must either:

(i) Have completed corrective action in accordance with applicable Department plan review processes or other Department guidance or direction, if any, including Department-specified interim measures; or

(ii) Be in compliance with a Department-approved corrective action plan and schedule subject to the following conditions:

(A) Any subsequent modifications to a Department-approved corrective action plan and schedule must also be approved by the Department.

(B) If the Department specifies interim measures for the protection of public health pending Department approval of the corrective action plan and schedule or pending completion of the corrective action plan, the system must comply with these interim measures as well as with any schedule specified by the Department.

(f) Corrective action alternatives. Ground water systems that meet the conditions of R.61-58.16.F(1)(a) or (b) must implement one or more of the following corrective action alternatives:

(i) Correct all significant deficiencies.

(ii) Provide an alternate source of water.

(iii) Eliminate the source of contamination.

(iv) Provide treatment that reliably achieves at least 4-log treatment of viruses (using inactivation, removal, or a Department-approved combination of 4-log virus inactivation and removal) before or at the first customer for the ground water source.

(g) Special notice to the public of significant deficiencies or source water fecal contamination.

(i) In addition to the applicable public notification requirements of R.61-58.6.E(2), a community ground water system that receives notice from the Department of a significant deficiency or notification of a fecal indicator positive ground water source sample that is not invalidated by the Department must inform the public served by the water system under R.61-58.12.C(11)(f) of the fecal indicator positive source sample or of any significant deficiency that has not been corrected. The system must continue to inform the public annually until the significant deficiency is corrected or the fecal contamination in the ground water source is determined by the Department to be corrected under R.61-58.16.F(1)(e).

(ii) In addition to the applicable public notification requirements of R.61-58.6.E(2), a non-community ground water system that receives notice from the Department of a significant deficiency must inform the public served by the water system in a manner approved by the Department of any significant deficiency that has not been corrected within 12 months of being notified by the Department, or earlier if directed by the Department. The system must continue to inform the public annually until the significant deficiency is corrected. The information must include:

(A) The nature of the significant deficiency and the date the significant deficiency was identified by the Department.

(B) The Department-approved plan and schedule for correction of the significant deficiency, including interim measures, progress to date, and any interim measures completed.

(C) For systems with a large proportion of non-English speaking consumers, as determined by the Department, information in the appropriate language(s) regarding the importance of the notice or a telephone number or address where consumers may contact the system to obtain a translated copy of the notice or assistance in the appropriate language.

(iii) If directed by the Department, a non-community water system with significant deficiencies that have been corrected must inform its customers of the significant deficiencies, how the deficiencies were corrected, and the dates of correction under R.61-58.16.F(1)(g)(ii).

(2) Compliance monitoring.

(a) Existing ground water sources. A ground water system that is not required to meet the source water monitoring requirements of R.61-58.16 because it provides at least 4-log treatment of viruses (using inactivation, removal, or a Department-approved combination of 4-log virus inactivation and removal) before or at the first customer for any ground water source before December 1, 2009, must notify the Department in writing that it provides at least 4-log treatment of viruses (using inactivation, removal, or a Department-approved combination of 4-log virus inactivation and removal) before or at the first customer for the specified ground water source and begin compliance monitoring in accordance with R.61-58.16.F(2)(c) by December 1, 2009. Notification to the Department must include engineering, operational, or other information that the Department requests to evaluate the submission. If the system subsequently discontinues 4-log treatment of viruses (using inactivation, removal, or a Department-approved combination of 4-log virus inactivation and removal) before or at the first customer for a ground water source, the system must conduct ground water source monitoring as required under R.61-58.16.E.

(b) New ground water sources. A ground water system that places a ground water source in service after November 30, 2009, that is not required to meet the source water monitoring requirements of R.61-58.16 because the system provides at least 4-log treatment of viruses (using inactivation, removal, or a Department-approved combination of 4-log virus inactivation and removal) before or at the first customer for the ground water source must comply with all of the requirements of R.61-58.16.F(2)(b)(i) to (iii).

(i) The system must notify the Department in writing that it provides at least 4-log treatment of viruses (using inactivation, removal, or a Department-approved combination of 4-log virus inactivation and removal) before or at the first customer for the ground water source. Notification to the Department must include engineering, operational, or other information that the Department requests to evaluate the submission.

(ii) The system must conduct compliance monitoring under R.61-58.16.F(2)(c) within 30 days of placing the source in service.

(iii) The system must conduct ground water source monitoring under R.61-58.16.E if the system subsequently discontinues 4-log treatment of viruses (using inactivation, removal, or a Department-approved combination of 4-log virus inactivation and removal) before or at the first customer for the ground water source.

(c) Monitoring requirements. A ground water system subject to the requirements of R.61-58.16.F(1), R.61-58.16.F(2)(a), or R.61-58.16.F(2)(b) must monitor the effectiveness and reliability of treatment for that ground water source before or at the first customer as follows:

(i) Chemical disinfection.

(A) A ground water system that serves greater than 3,300 people must continuously monitor the residual disinfectant concentration using analytical methods specified in 40 CFR 141.74(a)(2) at a location approved by the Department and must record the lowest residual disinfectant concentration each day that the water from the ground water source is served to the public. The ground water system must maintain the Department-determined residual disinfectant concentration every day the ground water system serves the water from the ground water source to the public. If there is a failure in the continuous monitoring equipment, the ground water system must conduct grab sampling every four hours until the continuous monitoring equipment is returned to service. The system must resume continuous residual disinfectant monitoring within 14 days.

(B) A ground water system that serves 3,300 or fewer people must monitor the residual disinfectant concentration using analytical methods specified in 40 CFR 141.74(a)(2) at a location approved by the Department and record the residual disinfection concentration each day that the water from the ground water source is served to the public. The ground water system must maintain the Department-determined residual disinfectant concentration every day the ground water system serves water from the ground water source to the public. The ground water system must take a daily grab sample during the hour of peak flow or at another time specified by the Department. If any daily grab sample measurement falls below the Department-determined residual disinfectant concentration, the ground water system must take follow up samples every four hours until the residual disinfectant concentration is restored to the Department-determined level. Alternatively, a ground water system that serves 3,300 or fewer people may monitor continuously and meet the requirements of R.61-58.16.F. (2)(c)(i)(A).

(ii) Membrane filtration. A ground water system that uses membrane filtration to meet the requirements of R.61-58.16 must monitor the membrane filtration process in accordance with all Department-specified monitoring requirements and must operate the membrane filtration in accordance with all Department-specified compliance requirements. A ground water system that uses membrane filtration is in compliance with the requirement to achieve at least 4-log removal of viruses when the following conditions are met:

(A) The membrane has an absolute molecular weight cut-off or an alternate parameter that describes the exclusion characteristics of the membrane that can reliably achieve at least 4-log removal of viruses.

(B) The membrane process is operated in accordance with Department-specified compliance requirements.

(C) The integrity of the membrane is intact.

(iii) Alternative treatment. A ground water system that uses a Department-approved alternative treatment to meet the requirements of R.61-58.16 by providing at least 4-log treatment of viruses (using inactivation, removal, or a Department-approved combination of 4-log virus inactivation and removal) before or at the first customer must:

(A) Monitor the alternative treatment in accordance with all Department-specified monitoring requirements.

(B) Operate the alternative treatment in accordance with all compliance requirements that the Department determines to be necessary to achieve at least 4-log treatment of viruses.

(3) A ground water system may discontinue 4-log treatment of viruses (using inactivation, removal, or a Department-approved combination of 4-log virus inactivation and removal) before or at the first customer for a ground water source if the Department determines and documents in writing that 4-log treatment of viruses is no longer necessary for that ground water source. A system that discontinues 4-log treatment of viruses is subject to the source water monitoring and analytical methods requirements of R.61-58.16.E.

(4) Failure to meet the monitoring requirements of R.61-58.16.F(2) is a monitoring violation and requires the ground water system to provide public notification under R.61-58.6.E(4).

S.C. Code Regs. § 61-58.16.F

Amended by State Register Volume 38, Issue No. 9, eff. 9/26/2014.