Group B Rulemaking
Group B Public Water Systems
The state Department of Health's Office of Drinking Water and local health agencies share responsibility for
regulating Group B public water systems in Washington.
Group B water systems serve fewer than 15 connections and fewer than 25 people per day. The state's 13,000 Group B water systems serve about 110,000 people.
That's about 2 percent of our population.
Group B water systems are regulated
under chapter 246-291 (PDF) of the Washington Administrative Code.
We have developed guidance documents
to assist you in complying with the rule and for designing a water system.
Legislative Change - New Direction for Rulemaking
In 2009, the Governor and the Legislature set a
new direction for regulating Group B public water systems by
eliminating all state funding for this program and providing
regulatory flexibility. They did this because Group B systems serve
a small population, and the cost to provide regulatory oversight is
relatively high. View Substitute Senate
Bill 6171 (PDF)
The law authorizes the State Board of Health (Board) to:
- Establish requirements for the initial design and
construction of a Group B water system. This change allows the Board
to eliminate ongoing requirements after initial approval of the
system.
Allow local health jurisdictions (health department or
health district) to establish Group B requirements that are more
stringent than state requirements.
- The law also authorizes the Board to eliminate
some, or all, regulatory requirements for Group B systems serving
four or fewer connections. The current draft only eliminates
requirements for some one and two connection Group B systems.
Next Steps
We are preparing analysis documents and are finalizing rule
language for the Board’s consideration.
Group
B Rule Development Timeline
When we schedule the Board briefing, we will notify the people
who have signed up on our
e-mail list.
For More Information
You can join the
Group B Water System Information
e-mail
list to receive updates.
For more information, contact:
David Christensen,
Policy Unit Supervisor and Rule Lead (360) 236-3153
Theresa Phillips,
Rules Coordinator (360) 236-3147
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