Group B water systems -- purveyor's responsibilities

Perform routine testing on water produced by your system or make arrangements for sampling to be completed. For most Group B water systems, this is a bacteriological sample at least once each year; a nitrate sample at least once every three years.

Complete any other sampling required for your specific system.

• Your water system may have had specific additional sampling required as part of a waiver approval, or if it is a spring source. Check with the Public Health - Seattle & King County (Public Health) if you are unsure about any additional sampling requirements for your system, and/or review the quarterly sampling notice we will be sending to all water systems to remind them of routine sampling.
  
  
• Complete any follow-up monitoring when a sample shows the presence of coliform bacteria, or other unsatisfactory result.

Send copies of all sampling results directly to Public Health. Do not depend on water testing labs (except for samples taken to Public Health) to submit these results. Be sure to include a check or money order for $7.00 with each sampling result sent in.

• "Fully approved" water system status, for example, depends on keeping current on the required routine monitoring. The fee required with each sampling result goes toward entering and maintaining on computer water quality data and other information concerning your Group B water system. It will also help pay for quarterly mailings to remind you when sampling is due.

Notify Public Health in the event that you have sample results that do not meet drinking water standards. Additionally, notify users of your water system in the event of a confirmed water quality problem.

• Informing Public Health and the people who drink the water from your system when you receive a unsatisfactory water sample result is important so that precautions can be made to minimize the chances of a health problem arising. In some cases, boiling water before drinking may be an appropriate temporary solution.

Notify the health department of any changes to the water system.

• This includes, at a minimum, annually informing the department who the manager/purveyor is, when a new manager/purveyor takes over responsibility for the system and how and where he/she can be contacted, when any physical change is made, when a user of the system connects to public water, etc.

Work with the health department to fix system problems when they occur.

• Even the best water systems have problems from time to time. Public Health can offer valuable guidance in helping you reach a solution.

Work with all the water system users to enforce a protective radius around your water source in accordance withwith all the water system users to enforce a protective radius around your water source in accordance with King County Board of Health Title 12.24.010.

• Provide for routine maintenance of the physical components of the water system either directly yourself, through another party using the system, or by contract with a water system maintenance company.
• Keep key records for your water system accessible for review by water system users and Public Health for the time period indicated.
• Records of any corrective action and public notification along with other records of operation and analyses for three (3) years; all bacteriological analyses collected from houses and other locations served by the water system and any turbidity analyses for a minimum of five (5) years; system evaluations and related material for ten (10) years; and all chemical analyses (e.g. nitrate tests) for as long as the system is in operation.

Expect periodic inspections by Public Health.

• Public Health may from time to time inspect your water system. In the case of "Inadequate" systems, an inspection will be performed approximately once every three years. "Provisionally Adequate" systems will be inspected every five years. In most cases, "Fully Approved/Adequate" systems will be looked at less often than once every five years. You will be contacted prior to any inspection and you are encouraged to be present during inspections. After every inspection a report will be sent to you detailing what was found. In some cases this may include recommendations to remedy deficiencies with the system. Please make copies of the report available to the other users of your water system.