(1) The department and the health officer for each local health jurisdiction may develop a joint plan of operation. Responsibility for administering these rules shall remain with the department of health unless there is a joint plan of operation in place. This plan shall:
(a) List the roles and responsibilities and specifically designate those systems for which the department and local health officer have primary responsibility;
(b) Provide a list of water system requirements and procedures which the local board of health may waive for systems within its jurisdiction;
(c) Provide for a level of water system supervision necessary to effectively achieve listed responsibilities;
(d) Be signed by the department and the local health department or district; and
(e) Be reviewed at least once every five years and updated as needed.
Wherever in these rules the term "department" is used, the term "health officer" may be substituted based on the terms of this joint plan of operation.
(2) The local board of health may adopt rules pursuant to RCW
70.05.060 governing public water systems for which the health officer has assumed primary responsibility. Adopted local board of health rules shall be:
(a) No less stringent and may be more stringent than this chapter; and
(b) Revised, if necessary, within twelve months after the effective date of revised state board of health rules. During this time period, existing local rules shall remain in effect, except provisions of the revised state board of health rules which are more stringent than the local board of health rules shall apply.
(3) For residential systems with only two services, the department may eliminate any or all requirements of these rules.
(4) For any residential system, the department may eliminate all ongoing requirements of these rules, except for recordkeeping and reporting requirements under WAC
246-291-260, provided the system has been granted an initial approval or an existing system has been categorized as fully approved/adequate or provisionally approved.
(5) The health officer may approve design reports and water system plans which reflect good engineering practice such as those found in the department guideline titled
Group B Water System Approval, for those public water systems where the health officer has assumed primary responsibility.
(6) The health officer may allow system owners to substitute results of a calculated fixed radius method and a ten year time of travel criteria instead of using the six hundred foot radius prescribed in WAC
246-291-100 (2)(f) and 246-291-110 (3)(f).
(7) The department may develop and distribute guidelines to clarify sections of the rules as needed.
(8) Fees may be charged by the department of health as authorized in RCW
43.20B.020 and by local health agencies as authorized in RCW
70.05.060 to recover all or a portion of the costs incurred in administering these rules.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 43.20.050. 95-20-078, § 246-291-030, filed 10/4/95, effective 11/4/95; 94-14-002, § 246-291-030, filed 6/22/94, effective 7/23/94.]
(Effective January 1, 2014.)WAC 246-291-030
General administration.
(1) The department administers this chapter unless:
(a) A local board of health adopts rules under RCW
70.05.060 or
70.46.060 to implement this chapter that are at least as stringent as this chapter; or
(b) The local health jurisdiction has accepted primary responsibility for administering this chapter in a JPR.
(2) Existing local rules shall remain in effect, except requirements of this chapter that are more stringent than the local board of health rules.
(3) In addition to the requirements of this chapter for Group B systems, local board of health rules may include, but are not limited to:
(a) System operations and maintenance;
(b) Ongoing water quality and water use monitoring;
(c) Reporting of water quality and water use monitoring data to the local health jurisdiction;
(d) System inspections or sanitary surveys;
(e) Public notification;
(f) Additional requirements for existing systems to be considered in compliance; and
(g) Regulation of systems with one or two service connections.
(4) A local board of health may adopt rules that require a purveyor of a Group B system to obtain an annual operating permit as authorized under RCW
70.119A.130.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 43.20.050 and chapter 70.119A RCW. 12-24-070, § 246-291-030, filed 12/4/12, effective 1/1/14. Statutory Authority: RCW 43.20.050. 95-20-078, § 246-291-030, filed 10/4/95, effective 11/4/95; 94-14-002, § 246-291-030, filed 6/22/94, effective 7/23/94.]