2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWELVE - Conservation (§§ 1-16 — 8162) › Subtitle 3 - Water Protection (§§ 231 — 417) › Chapter 28 - Protection of Drinking Water Purity (§§ 405 — 415) › § 406 - Definitions

The following terms and phrases shall mean:
(1) Department.— Is the Department of Health of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
(2) Secretary.— Is the Secretary of Health of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
(3) Drinking water system.— Is a system that provides drinking water through pipes and other mechanisms for human consumption, if such system has at least fifteen (15) service connections or regularly serves at least twenty-five (25) persons a day for at least sixty (60) days a year. Such term includes:
(a) Any water collection, treatment, storage, and distribution facilities under control of an operator for such system if the water is used primarily in connection with such system, and
(b) any collection or pretreatment facilities not under the control of the operator of the system, but which are used primarily in connection with such system.
(4) Person.— Is any individual, corporation, company, association, partnership, municipality, and state or federal agency.
(5) Federal agency.— Is any department, agency or instrumentality of the Government of the United States.
(6) Supplier of water.— Is any person who owns or operates a public water system for human use.
(7) Contaminant.— Is any physical, chemical, biological or radiological substance or matter in water which is unauthorized or exists in quantities that exceed the limits authorized by the Secretary.
(8) Administrator.— Is the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States.
(9) Federal Law.— Is Public Law 93-523, “Safe Drinking Water Act”.
(10) Drinking water.— Is water for human use which complies with the requirements of this chapter.
(11) Drinking water regulations.— Means the regulations which:
(a) Apply to public water systems;
(b) specify contaminants which, in the judgment of the Secretary, may have an adverse effect on the health of persons;
(c) specify for each of such contaminants:
(i) The maximum contaminant level permitted, if, in the judgment of the Secretary, it is economically and technically feasible to ascertain the level of such contaminants in public drinking water systems, or
(ii) if, in the judgment of the Secretary, it is not economically and technically feasible to so ascertain the level of such contaminant, to apply the treatment technique known to him which leads to a substantial reduction of the level of such contaminant, sufficient to satisfy the requirements of this chapter, and
(d) contain criteria and procedures to assure a supply of drinking water which dependably complies with such maximum contaminant levels, including quality control and testing procedures to insure compliance with such levels, and the proper operation and maintenance of the system, and the requirements as to:
(i) The minimum quality of water which may be taken into the system, and
(ii) the location for new facilities for public water systems.
(12) National Drinking Water Regulations.— The drinking water regulations promulgated by the Administrator under the provisions of the Federal Law.
(13) Drinking Water State Revolving Fund of Puerto Rico.— Shall mean the “Drinking Water State Revolving Fund of Puerto Rico”, created pursuant to §§ 1901 et seq. of Title 3, and which shall be constituted independently and separately from any other fund of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, pursuant to the provisions of law and for the exclusive purposes established by Title I of the Safe Drinking Water Act, as amended.
(14) Safe Drinking Water Act.— Shall mean the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act, P.L. 104-182, as amended, including the regulations promulgated under said act.
(15) Environmental Quality Board.— Shall mean the Environmental Quality Board of Puerto Rico, created by Act No. 9 of June 18, 1970..
(16) Authority.— Means the Infrastructure Financing Authority of Puerto Rico, created by §§ 1901 et seq. of Title 3.
History —July 21, 1977, No. 5, p. 547, § 2; Dec. 26, 1997, No. 193, § 1.