Enforcing Drinking Water Regulations
The mission of the
Department of Health Office of Drinking Water is to protect the
health of the people of Washington State by assuring safe and
reliable drinking water.
Formal Enforcement
A critical step in meeting this mission is the department's efforts to ensure water
systems comply with state and federal drinking water regulations
that protect public health. In general, regulations are enforced in
a step-by-step manner. In order of severity, the steps are:
- Notifying the water system of a violation and offering technical
assistance
- Coming to an informal compliance agreement
- Issuing a departmental order
- Issuing fines
To support these formal enforcement efforts, the office also uses less punitive
methods of compelling water systems to meet requirements. One of the
most powerful of these tools is the operating permit program, which
requires all Group A water systems in the state to obtain an annual
operating permit.
The color-coded
operating permit system provides an easy method for water consumers
to understand the status of the system providing their drinking
water:
Red
|
A
Red operating permit category indicates that the water system is
inadequate. This could result in building permits, on-site sewage
disposal permits, food service permits, liquor licenses and other
permits or licenses being denied for properties connected to or to
be connected to the water system. In addition, lending institutions
may choose not to finance loans associated with these properties. |
Blue
|
Adequate for existing uses, but not
adequate for adding new service connections. |
Yellow
|
Adequate for existing uses and new
service connections up to the number of approved service
connections unless otherwise limited by a compliance
agreement. |
Green
|
Adequate for existing uses and
adding new service connections up to the number of approved
service connections. |
Annual Violation Reports
to the federal Environmental Protection Agency
Operating Permits for Drinking Water Systems fact sheet
|
