The public notification rule establishes requirements for public water systems to communicate any problems about the water to anyone using the water they produce. Specifically, problems related to meeting drinking water standards, failing to test the water, or other situations related to protecting the health of consumers all require public notice and must meet the requirements in the Colorado Primary Drinking Water Regulations (Regulation 11).
Resources
Public Notice Templates are a great tool for efficiently meeting the regulatory requirements. The templates can be generated using our online public notice generator tool. Using the generator tool ensures that your public notice contains the 10 required elements of a public notice, as well as any specific required language.
Choosing the correct violation category
There are three tiers of public notice:
- Tier 1 is required for the most immediate potential public health impacts.
- Tier 2 is for situations with potential to have serious effects, such as exceeding a maximum contaminant level.
- Tier 3 is for violations and situations that may not directly impact public health.
In addition to the tier levels for public notification, public notices may have different language requirements depending on the specific violation. Field-based violations are those that are identified during sanitary survey inspections. When creating a public notice for a field-based violation, you will select the violation category that lists “sanitary survey identified violations - Tier 2 or 3” (see image below). The template will contain instructions and a link to the Public Notice Health Effects Language for Sanitary Survey Tier 2 Violations chart, which provides the language required to be entered for each violation found on your Sanitary Survey findings letter. You will also need to add the description of each violation, the date the violations need to be corrected, and the steps you are taking to correct them in the table provided in the template you generate. Once completed, you are ready to deliver the notices to your customers per the tier requirements. After you distribute the public notice(s), please submit a final copy, along with a certificate of delivery to the drinking water portal.
Consumer Confidence Reports to Meet Public Notification Requirements
Community public water systems are required to complete a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) each year. Under some circumstances, a Tier 3 public notice requirement can be met using the CCR.
- The CCR must fall within 1 year of learning of the violation.
- The CCR must be delivered using a direct delivery method.
- All 10 public notice elements must be included.
While Tier 2 violations can’t be satisfied with the CCR, all unresolved violations and significant deficiencies are required to be reported on the CCR, this includes those listed on a corrective action plan for a Sanitary Survey deficiency.
Want to learn more?
If you are interested in learning more about field violations during a sanitary survey and how to complete your public notice requirements, sign up for one of our upcoming free Sanitary Survey Preparation Trainings. If you have more specific questions about health-based violations and PN requirements, join us for our Monitoring and Operating for Regulatory Compliance (MORC) training. All of our training is free and offered in virtual or face-to-face formats.
➽ Angela Green Garcia, Drinking Water Training Specialist
