Oregon Administrative Rules › Chapter 333 - OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY, PUBLIC HEALTH DIVISION › Division 61 - DRINKING WATER › Section 333-061-0050 - Construction Standards

Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 7, July 1, 2024
(1) General:
(a) These standards shall apply to the
			 construction of new public water systems and to major additions or
			 modifications to existing public water systems and are intended to assure that
			 the system facilities, when constructed, will be free of public health hazards
			 and will be capable of producing water which consistently complies with the
			 MCLs;
(b) Facilities at public
			 water systems must comply with the construction standards in place at the time
			 the facility was constructed or installed for use at a public water system. A
			 public water system shall not be required to undertake alterations to existing
			 facilities, unless the standard is listed as a significant deficiency as
			 prescribed in OAR 333-061-0076(4)  or if MCLs are being exceeded.
(c) Non-public and Oregon very small water
			 systems that are converted to community, NTNC or TNC public water systems must
			 be modified as necessary to conform to the requirements of this rule.
(d) Facilities at public water systems shall
			 be designed and constructed in a manner such that contamination will be
			 effectively excluded, and the structures and piping will be capable of safely
			 withstanding external and internal forces acting upon them;
(e) Only materials designed for potable water
			 service and meeting NSF Standard 61: Drinking Water System Components - Health
			 Effects or equivalent shall be used in those elements of the water system which
			 are in contact with potable water;
(f) New tanks, pumps, equipment, pipe valves
			 and fittings shall be used in the construction of new public water systems,
			 major additions or modifications to existing water systems. The Authority may
			 permit the use of used items when it can be demonstrated that they have been
			 renovated and are suitable for use in public water systems;
(g) Prior to construction of new facilities,
			 the water supplier shall submit plans to the Authority for approval as
			 specified in OAR 333-061-0060(1)(a).
(h) Construction may deviate from the
			 requirements of this section provided that documentation is submitted, to the
			 satisfaction of the Authority, that the deviation is equal to or superior to
			 the requirements of this section as specified in OAR 333-061-0055  (variances
			 from construction standards).
(i) A
			 public water system or other Responsible Management Authority using
			 groundwater, or groundwater under the direct influence of surface water,
			 derived from springs, confined or unconfined wells that wish to have a state
			 certified wellhead protection program shall comply with the requirements as
			 specified in OAR 333-061-0057, 0060, and 0065, as well as OAR 340-040-0140  through 0200. Additional technical information is available in the Oregon
			 Wellhead Protection Guidance Manual.
(j) As used in this rule, the following
			 definitions apply:
(A) "Confined well" means a
			 well that is constructed to draw water from a confined aquifer. More
			 specifically, it is a well which produces water from a formation that is
			 overlain by a low permeability material such as clay or unfractured
			 consolidated rock such that the water-level in the well rises above the top of
			 the aquifer. This well shall be constructed according to OAR chapter 690,
			 division 200 "Water Supply Well Construction Standards."
(B) "Impermeable material" means a material
			 that limits the passage of water.
(C) "Impounding reservoir" means an uncovered
			 body of water formed behind a dam across a river or stream, and in which water
			 is stored.
(D) "Pilot study" means
			 the construction and operation of a scaled down treatment system during a given
			 period of time to determine the feasibility of a full-scale treatment
			 facility.
(E) "Sensitivity" means
			 the intrinsic characteristics of a drinking water source such as depth to the
			 aquifer for groundwater or highly erodible soils in a watershed that increase
			 the potential for contamination to take place if a contaminant source is
			 present.
(F) "Unconfined well"
			 means a well that is constructed to draw water from an unconfined aquifer. More
			 specifically, it is a well which produces water from a formation that is not
			 overlain by a low permeability material such that the water-level in the well
			 does not rise above the top of the aquifer. This well shall be constructed
			 according to OAR chapter 690, division 200 "Water Supply Well Construction
			 Standards."
(k) All new
			 groundwater sources, whether additional or modified wells or springs, are
			 subject to consideration for potential direct influence of surface water as
			 prescribed in OAR 333-061-0032(7).