West Virginia Department of Health and Human ResourcesMANUAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROCEDURESSectionDrinking WaterDateJune 6, 2009SubjectBoil Water Notices for Public Water SystemsProcedure #PageDW-231of5On July 1, 2002, the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health (WV BPH) adopted thefederal public notice rule, which significantly alters the public notification procedures thathave historically been used. This rule requires “… notice to the public for violations and othersituations with significant potential to have serious adverse effects on human health as aresult of short-term exposure …” Many acute violations require a Public Notice (PN) that tellsthe water consumer to boil water prior to use. Other PNs, however, will suggest that thepublic purchase bottled water, as boiling will intensify the concentration of some chemicalcontaminants, such as nitrate.Under the PN rule, BWNs are considered a type of required PN which must be issuedby the water system. This policy will address only BWNs and the related Do Not Use (DNU)water notices. The larger topic of PNs will be covered in a separate, but related policy (DW37). (Note: It is recognized that many BWNs will be precautionary pending lab results andconfirmation.)The following is a list of acronyms that may be used throughout this document:WV BPH – West Virginia Bureau for Public HealthBWN – Boil Water NoticeDNU – Do Not UseDO – Environmental Engineering Division District OfficeLHD – Local Health DepartmentMCL – Maximum Contaminant LevelPN – Public NoticePWS – Public Water SystemTCR – Total Coliform RuleUtility Issued Boil Water NoticesWhen is a Boil Water Notice issued?Utility issued BWNs are issued when conditions have the potential to cause adverseeffects on public health. BWNs should be issued by the affected PWS as soon as practical,but no later than 12 hours after the PWS becomes aware of the conditions warranting aBWN. Examples of conditions which may be the basis for the BWN include, but are notlimited to, the following:Any loss of service to customers.A water system’s storage reserve has been depleted to the point customers no longerhave service.DW-23Page 2 of 5Inadequate chlorine residual in the distribution system and/or at the entry point to thedistribution system (less than 0.2 mg/l).An unscheduled, major emergency, necessitating system repair and a potential publichealth threat exists.Water pressure is less than 20 psi.Cloudy water exists.Valid customer complaints about water quality.Routine TCR sample found to be total coliform present, with fecal or E. coli present.No certified operator.Occurrence of a potential or confirmed waterborne illness outbreak.Any condition that produces a potential public health threat.When is a Do Not Use notice issued?Under certain circumstances, boiling water will not insure that it is safe to drink andmay have the opposite effect of concentrating contaminants. In these cases, rather thanissuing a BWN, a PN informing consumers not to use the water is required. This DNU noticemay be targeted to specific populations or may apply to the entire population served by thePWS, depending on the contaminant of concern. Do Not Use notices should be issued bythe affected PWS as soon as practical, but no later than 12 hours after the PWS becomesaware of the conditions warranting a DNU. Consultation with the DO is required as soon aspractical, but no later than 12 hours after any PN, in order to determine any additionalrequired actions. Conditions or situations which require issuance of a DNU notice include,but are not limited to, the following:Nitrate/nitrite concentrations exceeding the MCL (greater than 10.0 mg/l and 1.0 mg/l,respectively.)Any chemical or hydrocarbon contamination of unknown quantity which may pose animmediate public health risk.Any credible threat to the water system.What information must be included in the BWN/DNU?The form of the BWN/DNU will be similar to the accompanying example. Because theBWN/DNU is a form of PN required under the PN Rule, it must include the following requiredelements:1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.A description of the violation or situation causing the PN.When the violation or situation occurred.Potential health effects.Population at risk.Whether alternate water supplies should be used.Actions consumers should take.What is being done to correct the violation or situation.When the system expects to return to compliance.Name, phone number and business address for more information.Standard distribution language.DW-23Page 3 of 5If a PWS has a significant population (more than 10% of any one nationality of theretail customers) that cannot read or understand English, the PWS will also be required todistribute the PN in the understood language of that nationality.How is the public to be notified?The PWS shall contact the DO as soon as practical, but no later than 12 hoursafter deciding to issue a BWN/DNU. Depending on the extent of the BWN/DNU, the publicmay be notified by a number of methods, including the following:Door to door notification of each affected customer.Telephone contact with each affected customer.Local broadcast media (television and radio).Posting of notice in conspicuous locations throughout the affected service area.Electronic media notification of customers (e-mail, text messaging, etc.).Any other effective means of notifying affected customers.Who must be notified?Copies of the BWN/DNU notices will immediately be sent by fax or e-mail to the DOand LHD(s). If the initial notification to the DO is by e-mail, a copy of the notification mustalso be sent by fax or regular mail service. (Note: Current EPA regulations do not allowofficial copies of required documents/PNs to be accepted by e-mail. All official documentsmust be submitted by either facsimile or regular mail.)In addition to notifying the affected customers, the DO, and the LHD(s), the PWSshould consider directly notifying the following entities (as applicable):The local Office(s) of Emergency Services.The local Board(s) of Education.Private schools.Child and adult day care centers.Colleges or universities.Any health care facilities within the affected service area, including: hospitals, medicalclinics, dialysis facilities, residential care facilities, dental offices, etc.Housing authorities.The West Virginia Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification (304-558-0050).What actions/conditions are required for lifting the BWN/DNU notice?Logic dictates that the condition or situation which created the need to issue theBWN/DNU must be remedied or corrected prior to the BWN/DNU being lifted. The DO mustbe consulted and grant approval prior to public notification that the BWN/DNU has been lifted.There may be certain conditions or circumstances which make consultation with the DOespecially critical when lifting a BWN/DNU. In addition to any remedial action that has beentaken, water quality samples must be collected and analyzed, with appropriate resultsreported from the certified laboratory, prior to lifting the BWN/DNU. The type and number ofwater quality samples are to be determined in consultation with the DO. The following tableDW-23Page 4 of 5provides the minimum number of samples to be collected and analyzed prior to theBWN/DNU being lifted for cases not involving an acute TCR violation. The DO may requireadditional samples depending on the circumstances necessitating the BWN/DNU.MINIMUM NUMBER OF SAMPLES TO BE COLLECTED TO LIFT A BWN/DNUPopulation AffectedMinimum Number of Samples1 – 1,00011,001 – 2,00022,001 – 3,00033,001 – 4,00044,001 – 5,00055,001 – 7,50067,501 – 10,000710,001 – 25,000825,001 – 50,0009>50,00010When a BWN is issued due to an acute TCR violation and the PWS wishes to lift theBWN during the same month, the system must collect at least five special purpose samples,with absent results. The five special purpose samples may be collected on the same day butat different locations in the distribution system, as long as at least one is from the samelocation of the previous fecal/E. coli present sample. If at least five special purpose samplesare not collected after the problem is identified and corrected, then the system must take atleast five routine compliance samples the following month, with absent results, in order to liftthe BWN.Note: It is clearly the responsibility of the PWS to insure all actions needed to lift theBWN/DNU are completed and assure that safe drinking water is offered to the consumingpublic; however, there may be times or situations in which the water system may request orbe offered assistance in collecting the special purpose samples required for lifting aBWN/DNU. Appropriately trained individuals employed by both the LHD (i.e. Sanitarians)and the WV BPH (i.e. Engineers and/or Sanitarians) are considered authorized collectors, butdue to the nature of their employment cannot be certified as water operators. All specialpurpose samples collected by employees of the LHD or WV BPH must be appropriatelyidentified on the sample history form and may not be submitted to the laboratory as “RC” orregulatory check samples. The water system is responsible for all laboratory and othercharges associated with the special purpose samples required for lifting the BWN/DNU.How is the public to be notified that the BWN/DNU has been lifted?While notifying the public that a BWN/DNU has been issued is extremely important, ofequal importance is notifying the consuming public that the water system has returned tonormal operations and the water is now safe to use without additional treatment. To this end,the public is to be notified that the BWN/DNU has been lifted in the same manner as it wasoriginally notified of the BWN/DNU. Additionally, the DO, LHD and all other entities that weredirectly notified that a BWN/DNU was issued shall be directly notified that the BWN/DNU hasbeen lifted.DW-23Page 5 of 5Health Department Issued Boil Water NoticesThe DO or the LHD may issue a BWN/DNU when existing conditions produce thepotential for a public health threat and it is known that the PWS has not issued a BWN/DNUor PN. It is especially likely that the LHD may issue a BWN/DNU notice during emergency ordisaster situations. Generally, the LHD will consult with the DO regarding the need to issue aBWN/DNU. The PWS will be issued a PN violation for failure to perform the PN.When the DO or LHD issues a BWN/DNU, every effort will be made to provide asmuch information as possible; however, due to incomplete information, all ten elements of aPN may not be included. Local broadcast media is the most likely method to be employed bythe DO or LHD when notifying the public of both the issuing and lifting of the BWN/DNU. TheDO or LHD will also attempt to directly notify the local emergency services and boards ofeducation as well as other local critical customers/entities. Conditions for lifting theBWN/DNU will be the same as if the water system issued the BWN/DNU.ReferencesWV 64 CSR 3, Public Water Systems40 CFR Part 141, Subpart Q, The Public Notification RuleDW-18, Guidance for Public Facilities Affected by Boil Water NoticesDW-37, Public NoticesHistoryReplaces DW-23 dated July 8, 1998Attachments10 Required Elements of a Public NoticeSample Utility Issued Boil Water NoticeSample Health Department Issued Boil Water NoticeSample Utility Issued Do Not Use Water NoticeSample “Do Not Use” Notice for NitrateSample “Do Not Use” Notice for Chemical SpillSample BWN/DNU Lifted Notice