North Carolina Administrative Code › Title 15A - Environmental Quality › Chapter 18 - ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH › Subchapter A - SANITATION › Section .2800 - SANITATION OF CHILD CARE CENTERS › Section 18A .2815 - WATER SUPPLY

Current through Register Vol. 39, No. 2, July 15, 2024
(a) A child care
				  center's water supply shall meet the requirements of
				  15A NCAC
				  18C or
				  15A NCAC
				  18A .1700, as applicable. The operator of a
				  child care center using a groundwater supply that serves 25 or more people
				  shall provide the local health department serving the county in which the child
				  care center is located with documentation from the Department of Environmental
				  Quality, Division of Water Resources, Public Water Supply Section that the well
				  meets the requirements of
				  15A NCAC
				  18C. In child care centers that use a
				  non-community water supply, a water sample shall be collected by the Department
				  once a year and submitted to the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public
				  Health or other laboratory certified by the North Carolina State Laboratory of
				  Public Health under
				  10A NCAC
				  42C .0102 to perform bacteriological
				  examinations.
The Department may collect additional samples for tests of
					 water quality, as indicated by possible additional sources of
					 contamination.
(b) Water
				  under pressure shall be provided to meet the child care center's needs of
				  cooking, cleaning, drinking, toilets, and outside uses.
(c) A child care center's water supply
				  plumbing shall not include cross-connections as set out in
				  15A NCAC
				  18C .0102(c)(8). If the
				  potential for back siphonage or backflow conditions exist, an atmospheric
				  vacuum breaker or backflow prevention device shall be installed.
(d) Water heating equipment shall be provided
				  to meet the hot water requirements set forth in this Rule. The capacity and
				  recovery rates of water heating equipment shall be based on number and size of
				  sinks, capacity of dishwashing machines, capacity of laundering machines,
				  diaper changing facilities, and other food service and cleaning needs for child
				  care centers not located in a residence. Child care centers licensed for fewer
				  than 13 children and located in a residence shall be allowed to use an existing
				  water heater, or the equivalent replacement, if the water temperature
				  requirements set forth in this Rule are met. Hot and cold water under pressure
				  shall be provided in all rooms where food is prepared, rooms in which utensils
				  or equipment are washed, and other areas where water is required for cleaning
				  and sanitizing, including diaper changing areas.
(e) Hot water used for cleaning and
				  sanitizing utensils and laundry shall be provided at a minimum temperature of
				  120 degrees Fahrenheit at the point of use. Water in areas accessible to
				  children shall be tempered between 80 degrees Fahrenheit and 110 degrees
				  Fahrenheit. Hot water that exceeds 120 degrees Fahrenheit is a burn hazard and
				  shall not be provided in areas accessible to children. For handwash lavatories
				  used exclusively by school-age children, the requirement to provide water
				  tempered between 80 degrees Fahrenheit and 110 degrees Fahrenheit shall not
				  apply. In the event of the loss of hot water at the child care center, the
				  operator shall immediately notify the local health department that serves the
				  county in which the child care center is located.
(f) Drinking fountains, if provided, shall be
				  separate from handwash lavatories and kept clean. The water pressure of a
				  drinking fountain shall be regulated so that an individual's mouth does not
				  come in contact with the nozzle and so that water does not splash on the floor.
				  Other devices used to dispense drinking water shall be kept clean.
(g) Outdoor drinking fountains shall be
				  constructed to protect the spout from contamination by hazards and shall be
				  kept clean.
Authority
					 G.S.
					 110-91;
Eff. July 1,
					 1991;
Amended Eff. February 1, 1995;
Temporary
					 Amendment Eff. April 15, 1998;
Amended Eff. April 1,
					 1999;
Temporary Amendment Eff. December 1, 1999;
Amended Eff. July 1, 2006; January 1, 2006; April 1,
					 2001.