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Transient Noncommunity Water Systems: Compliance Resources
A transient noncommunity (TNC) public water system (PWS) meets all of these criteria:
- Provides water for human consumption.
- Has at least 15 service connections or serves 25 people or more at least 60 days out of the year.
- Does not meet the definition of a community or nontransient noncommunity water system.
Human consumption includes, but is not limited to, drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, bathing, washing hands, washing dishes, and preparing foods.
Parks, recreational vehicle (RV) parks, convenience stores, restaurants, and other businesses are often TNC public water systems.
Your public water system must have a Texas-licensed professional engineer (P.E.) prepare and submit plans and specifications for your system. This includes information about your water source, distribution system, and any equipment that is part of your system.
- Find more information at the following webpages:
- Establishing a New Public Water System – requirements that new water systems must meet before construction may begin.
- Submit PWS Plans for Review – how to submit PWS plans to TCEQ for review.
- Forms and Checklists for PWS Plans – documents with guidelines for wells, pressure tanks, and distribution systems to assist you and your engineer.
- Requesting an Exception to Rules and Regulations for PWS – information on requesting exceptions if you cannot obtain all the necessary information.
- Is Regionalization an Option?
– guidance on requesting service and connecting to a neighboring system or combining existing systems into one regional water system. - Requirements for Water Haulers – if you distribute drinking water for human consumption by tank truck or trailer and serve 25 people or more at least 60 days out of the year, you must obtain approval for your system and meet the requirements of 30 TAC § 290.44(i).
All public water systems are subject to complaint and routine compliance investigations by the TCEQ. The information and equipment reviewed will depend on the type of investigation or nature of the complaint. In general, you will need to show you are meeting all operational, sampling, monitoring, and record-keeping requirements.
Typically, a TCEQ investigator will contact you to schedule any routine, non-complaint investigation and send you a list of items they plan to review.
- TNC Compliance Notebook – the compliance notebook is a record keeping tool to help you gather and organize documentation required to be available during an inspection.
- Required Records – this list includes all records required to be available during a PWS investigation. Not all records will be required for your system.
- Compliance Checklists for PWS Investigations – copies of the checklists TCEQ investigators use for common investigations at public water systems.
As a public water system, you must keep records, provide disinfection for your water, keep the system maintained and in working order, and meet other requirements.
Operations Guidance
- You’re a Public Water System…Now What? (RG-496) – a guide for rules and regulations that apply to public water systems, especially those who have recently learned they own a PWS.
- Managing Small Public Water Systems (RG-501) – a five-part series helping owners, managers, or operators of small water systems understand and comply with rules and develop tools for planning and operation.
- Special Precautions Flowchart: Responding to a Loss of Pressure in Your Distribution System
- After the Flood: Is Your Water Safe to Drink?
- Using Bleach for Disinfecting Drinking Water and Water Wells – guidance for determining which bleaches may be used for disinfecting drinking water.
- Water Conservation – tips for consumers, businesses, and governments to encourage conservation and plan ahead for water shortages.
- Drought Emergency Planning – drought and emergency management resources, including a video presentation of a drought emergency planning workshop.
- What to Do in a Water Crisis – what your PWS must do and how to contact TCEQ when immediate action is needed, as with a loss of supply, loss of pressure, or contamination.
Operations Templates and Forms
Use the following templates and forms to meet certain requirements:
- Operations and Maintenance Manual Template
– use this template to develop your operations and maintenance manual. - Chemical Use Log – record the amount of each chemical you use.
- Water Use Log – record the volume of water treated and distributed.
- Dead End Main Flushing Log – record dates, times, and volumes of flushing events.
- Facilities Cleaning Log – record dates when water system facilities were cleaned.
- Residual Analyzer Verification Log – record dates and results of calibration checks for residual analyzers.
- Complaint Log – record water system customer complaints and the results of any investigation from those complaints.
- Tampering with a PWS Warning Sign Template – you can provide this template to a sign company to have signs made for your system.
- Water Tank Inspection Log – record dates and tank conditions during tank inspections.
Operations for Seasonal Public Water Systems
Seasonal public water systems have modified operations, sampling, and reporting requirements and must complete specific start-up procedures before the operating season begins. A seasonal PWS meets all of the following criteria:
- Fits the definition of a noncommunity water system.
- Is not operated as a PWS year-round.
- Stars up and shuts down at the beginning and end of each operating season.
Read TCEQ's Start-up Procedures for Seasonal Public Water Systems guidance for more information.
Any new system in Harris County and Fort Bend County that is also an affected utility must have an approved emergency preparedness plan (EPP) before serving water to customers.
An existing water system needs to submit an emergency preparedness plan within 90 days of being notified that it is an affected utility.
An affected utility is a retail public utility, exempt utility, or provider or conveyor of potable or raw water service that services more than one customer.
Nitrification can occur in water systems that contain chloramines. To ensure the protection of public health, systems that have chloramines are required to develop and maintain a nitrification action plan (NAP).
- Controlling Nitrification in Public Water Systems with Chloramines – how to detect, prevent, and stop nitrification in a water distribution system.
- NAP Guidance – a one-page document that provides basic information about developing a NAP, including controls, goals, baselines, triggers, and an example template.
- NAP Summary – more in-depth look at the information in the NAP Guidance.
- NAP Template
– provides explanation, examples, and a template to help your system develop a NAP.
All water systems must develop monitoring and sample siting plans to show how you intend to comply with monitoring requirements.
- Surface water and GUI systems must submit a copy of the monitoring plan for review and approval after initial development and any revisions.
- All water systems must submit a copy of the sample siting plan for review and approval after initial development and any revisions. You can mail a copy to TCEQ’s Drinking Water Quality Team or email it to TCRDATA@tceq.texas.gov.
TCEQ has developed templates and examples to help you develop your system’s monitoring and sample siting plans:
- Monitoring Plan Template
- Sample Siting Plan Template
- Sample Siting Plan Map: Example – use this template to develop and maintain routine and repeat coliform sample locations in the distribution system. Mail a copy of the sample siting plan to TCEQ or email to TCRDATA@tceq.texas.gov.
Each PWS must regularly conduct sampling for microbial contaminants.
- Guidance for Bacteriological Sample Collection – use this standard operating procedure (SOP) guide to ensure that bacterial samples are taken correctly.
- RTCR Repeat Sampling Requirements Flowchart – use this flowchart to determine your repeat sampling requirements when notified of a positive routine bacteriological sample.
- Level 1 Assessment Form – use this form if any of the following apply to you:
- Collect 40 or more distribution samples per month and more than 5.0% of samples collected in a month are total coliform-positive.
- Collect fewer than 40 distribution samples per month and 2 or more samples collected in a month are total coliform-positive.
- Failed to collect all required repeat samples after a total coliform-positive result.
- Level 2 Assessment Form – use this form if any of the following apply to you:
- Had an E. coli-positive repeat sample after a total coliform-positive routine sample.
- Had a total coliform-positive repeat sample following an E. coli-positive routine sample.
- Failed to collect all required repeat samples following an E. coli-positive routine sample.
- Failed to test for E. coli when any repeat sample tests positive for total coliform.
- Trigger a second Level 1 assessment within a rolling 12-month period.
Each PWS must regularly conduct sampling for certain chemical contaminants. Monitoring frequency and requirements are based on a number of factors, including PWS classification, population served, water source, and the level of chemicals in your water based on previous sampling. TCEQ contractors will conduct most chemical contaminant samples of concern to TNC systems. The contractors should call before the end of your monitoring period to set up a time to take the required samples.
- PWS Chemical Sampling and Monitoring Frequency – information about chemical sampling requirements and monitoring schedules for PWS.
- Calculating Your Annual Cost of Chemical Compliance Sampling – calculate your water system’s cost of chemical compliance sampling.
- Understanding Chemical Analysis Results – how to read and interpret the lab results of chemical sample analyses.
Public water systems must submit the Lab Approval Form to be approved to analyze the following analytes themselves:
- turbidity
- pH
- temperature
- total organic carbon (TOC)
- UV
- alkalinity
- disinfectant
- chlorite (at point of entry)
- calcium
- phosphate
All public water systems must monitor the disinfectant residual in their distribution system.
If you serve surface water, groundwater under the influence of surface water, or at least 750 customers, you must monitor your disinfectant residual daily.
If you serve groundwater or purchased water and less than 750 customers, you must monitor your disinfectant residual weekly.
Your disinfectant reporting requirements depend on your water source.
- Disinfectant Residual Reporting for PWS (RG-407) – information about maximum and minimum disinfectant levels, reporting requirements, and the “when, where, how, and who” of disinfectant sampling.
- Disinfectant Level Quarterly Operating Report (DLQOR) Form – TNC systems serving groundwater or purchased water must complete this operating report each quarter and keep a copy for your records.
- Surface Water Monthly Operating Report (SWMOR) Form – surface water or GUI systems must complete an SWMOR and submit it to TCEQ each month.
- Filter Reports for Individual Filers – describes what type of filter report must be submitted when a filter begins performing below required operational standards.
- Recycling Practices Report – the “when, where, how, and who” of water treatment plant recycling practices reports.
You must notify your customers of certain conditions that could affect their drinking water.
- Public Notice Language for Drinking Water Compliance – templates of language that PWS must use to notify customers of violations of microbial, primary chemical, or surface water treatment standards for drinking water and monitoring, reporting, and treatment technique violations.
- Notifying Customers of Blending Chlorine and Chloramine Disinfectants – instructions and language that PWS must use to notify customers if the system blends free chlorine and chloramine disinfectants.
Rules and regulations for public water systems are in Title 30 of the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Chapter 290
, Subchapters D-H.
If you are an establishment that prepares and serves food, you may also be regulated by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS).
If you are an investor-owned utility, water supply corporation, or if you bill customers for submetered or allocated water and sewer utility services, you may also be regulated by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC).
Drinking Water Watch
Drinking Water Watch (DWW) – search the database for your water system to find analytical results, schedules, violations, and more. To ensure that communication and compliance information is addressed to the appropriate personnel at your public water system, owners and operators should notify TCEQ of any changes to contact information by emailing PWSInven@tceq.texas.gov.
Free Workshops and Onsite Assistance
Free Assistance for Public Water and Wastewater Systems – TCEQ’s Financial, Managerial, and Technical (FMT) Assistance Program can help you comply with regulations, prevent and address problems, perform consolidation and capacity assessments, provide technical training, and more.
TNC Reporting and Record-keeping Workshop – A free workshop for owners and operators of small transient noncommunity public water systems to explain reporting and record-keeping requirements and prepare you for compliance investigations.
- Transient Noncommunity Water System Notebook Webinar - Recording of the full webinar.
Small Business and Local Government Assistance
TCEQ's Small Business and Local Government Assistance Section offers free, confidential help to small businesses and local governments working to comply with state environmental regulations. Call us at (800) 447-2827 or visit our Web page at TexasEnviroHelp.org.