Illinois Administrative Code › Title 35 - ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION › Part 611 - PRIMARY DRINKING WATER STANDARDS › Subpart V - PUBLIC NOTIFICATION OF DRINKING WATER VIOLATIONS › Section 611.908 - Special Notice for Exceedance of the Fluoride Secondary Standard

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 28, July 12, 2024
a) When to Give
				Special Notice. A CWS supplier that exceeds the federal fluoride secondary MCL
				of 2 mg/l (see
				40 CFR
				143.3 )) (determined by the last single
				sample taken in accordance with Section
				611.603
				), but does not exceed the maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 4 mg/l for
				fluoride (as specified in Section
				611.301
				), must provide the public notice in subsection (c) to persons served. Public
				notice must be provided as soon as practical but no later than 12 months from
				the day the supplier learns of the exceedance. A copy of the notice must also
				be sent to all new billing units and new customers at the time service begins
				and to the Department of Public Health. The PWS supplier must repeat the notice
				at least annually for as long as the SMCL is exceeded. If the public notice is
				posted, the notice must remain in place for as long as the fluoride SMCL is
				exceeded, but in no case less than seven days (even if the exceedance is
				eliminated). On a case-by-case basis, the Agency may require an initial notice
				sooner than 12 months and repeat notices more frequently than annually.
BOARD NOTE: The federal regulations provide at
				  40 CFR
				  143.1 that secondary MCLs relate to the
				  aesthetic qualities of water; they are not enforceable standards. The National
				  Primary Drinking Water Regulations, however, include an enforceable
				  requirement, at corresponding
				  40 CFR
				  141.208, that requires public notice upon
				  exceedance of the secondary MCL for fluoride.
b) The Form and Manner of a Special Notice.
				The form and manner of the public notice (including repeat notices) must follow
				the requirements for a Tier 3 public notice in Section
				611.904(c),
				(d)(1), and (d)(3).
c) Mandatory Language in a Special Notice.
				The notice must contain the following language, including the language
				necessary to fill in the blanks:
This is an alert about your drinking water and a cosmetic
				  dental problem that might affect children under nine years of age. At low
				  levels, fluoride can help prevent cavities, but children drinking water
				  containing more than 2 milligrams per liter (mg/l) of fluoride may develop
				  cosmetic discoloration of their permanent teeth (dental fluorosis). The
				  drinking water provided by your community water system (name) has a fluoride
				  concentration of (insert value) mg/l. Dental fluorosis, in its moderate or
				  severe forms, may result in a brown staining or pitting of the permanent teeth.
				  This problem occurs only in developing teeth, before they erupt from the gums.
				  Children under nine should be provided with alternative sources of drinking
				  water or water that has been treated to remove the fluoride to avoid the
				  possibility of staining and pitting of their permanent teeth. You may also want
				  to contact your dentist about proper use by young children of
				  fluoride-containing products. Older children and adults may safely drink the
				  water.
Drinking water containing more than 4 mg/l of fluoride (the
				  USEPA's drinking water standard) can increase your risk of developing bone
				  disease. Your drinking water does not contain more than 4 mg/l of fluoride, but
				  we're required to notify you when we discover that the fluoride levels in your
				  drinking water exceed 2 mg/l because of this cosmetic dental problem.
For more information, please call (name of water system
				  contact) of (name of community water system) at (phone number). Some home water
				  treatment units are also available to remove fluoride from drinking water. To
				  learn more about available home water treatment units, you may call NSF
				  International at 1-877-8-NSF-HELP.
BOARD NOTE: Derived from
					 40 CFR
					 141.208.