§ 109.602. Acceptable design.
(a) A public water system shall be designed to provide an adequate and reliable quantity and quality of water to the public. The design must ensure that the system will, upon completion, be capable of providing water that complies with the primary and secondary MCLs, MRDLs and treatment techniques established in Subchapters B, K, L and M except as further provided in this section.
(1) The Department may approve control techniques such as nonremoval processes, which abate the problems associated with a secondary contaminant and achieve the objective of the secondary MCL.
(2) The Department may approve a design which may cause an exceedance of a secondary MCL if the exceedance directly results from a treatment method used to achieve compliance with a primary MCL, the level of the secondary contaminant in the finished water does not represent an unreasonable risk to health nor otherwise adversely affect the normal uses of the finished water.
(b) Designs of public water facilities shall conform to accepted standards of engineering and design in the water supply industry and shall provide protection from failures of source, treatment, equipment, structures or power supply.
(c) The Department’s Public Water Supply Manual sets forth design standards which the Department finds to be acceptable designs. Other designs may be approved by the Department if the applicant demonstrates the alternate design is capable of providing an adequate and reliable quantity and quality of water to the public.
(d) Filtration facilities permitted after May 16, 1992, unless otherwise authorized under § 109.507 (relating to permits for innovative technology), shall be designed to include individual sampling ports or turbidimeters on the raw source water line, on the influent line to the filters and on the effluent lines for each filter bed.
(e) Point-of-use devices which are treatment devices applied to a single tap are not an acceptable treatment method for complying with an MCL, MRDL or treatment technique requirement.
(f) A public water system that provides filtration of surface water or GUDI sources must be equipped with alarm capabilities that meet the requirements of subsection (i) by August 19, 2019. The Department may approve in writing an alternate compliance schedule if the water supplier submits a written request with supporting documentation by August 19, 2019.
(g) A public water system that provides filtration of surface water or GUDI sources and that is not staffed continuously while the plant is operating must be equipped with alarm and shutdown capabilities that meet the requirements of subsection (i) by August 19, 2019. The Department may approve in writing an alternate compliance schedule if the water supplier submits a written request with supporting documentation by August 19, 2019.
(h) In addition to public water systems covered under subsection (f) or (g), the Department may require a public water system to meet the requirements of subsection (i), according to a schedule set forth in a permit or order issued by the Department.
(i) Alarm and shutdown capabilities must conform to all of the following:
(1) Be set forth in the water system’s operation and maintenance plan and set at a level no less stringent than the level needed for the facility to continuously maintain compliance with applicable MCLs, MRDLs and treatment technique requirements.
(2) Be established for the following parameters, at a minimum:
(i) Individual filter effluent turbidity and combined filter effluent turbidity for filter plants treating surface water or GUDI sources.
(ii) Entry point disinfectant residual.
(iii) Water levels to maintain adequate CT for Giardia inactivation.
(3) Be capable of notifying the available operator on duty of events triggering an alarm or plant shutdown.
(j) PFAS.
(1) The Department identifies the following treatment technologies as acceptable for achieving compliance with the MCLs for PFAS, established under § 109.202(a) (relating to State MCLs, MRDLs and treatment technique requirements):
(i) GAC.
(ii) Ion exchange.
(iii) Reverse Osmosis.
(2) Other treatment technologies may be approved by the Department if the applicant demonstrates the alternate technology is capable of providing an adequate and reliable quantity and quality of water to the public.
Authority The provisions of this § 109.302 amended under section 4 of the Pennsylvania Safe Drinking Water Act (35 P.S. § 721.4); and section 1920-A of The Administrative Code of 1929 (71 P.S. § 510-20).
Source The provisions of this § 109.602 adopted December 7, 1984, effective December 8, 1984, 14 Pa.B. 4479; amended May 15, 1992, effective May 16, 1992, 22 Pa.B. 2621; amended July 20, 2001, effective July 21, 2001, 31 Pa.B. 3895; amended December 24, 2009, effective December 26, 2009, 39 Pa.B. 7279; amended August 17, 2018, effective August 18, 2018, 48 Pa.B. 4974; amended January 13, 2023, effective January 14, 2023, 53 Pa.B. 333. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (393305) to (393306).
Cross References This section cited in 25 Pa. Code § 109.703 (relating to facilities operation); and 25 Pa. Code § 109.705 (relating to system evaluations and assessments).
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