Drinking Water Section

Latest News
Friday, November 2, 2018 Circular Letter 2018-27 was sent to all community water systems (CWS) serving less than 10,000 persons reminding them of the regulatory requirement to have back-up generator(s) installed no later than December 17,2018. The DPH offers subsidized loans for generator systems through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund’s (DWSRF) Emergency Power Generator Program (EPGP) if financial assistance is needed to comply with this requirement. A 12 month extension is being offered to CWS that need financing for their generator installation and submit a EPGP Eligibility Application to the Drinking Water Section no later than December 17, 2018. Monday, October 22, 2018 Presentation - Resiliency, Public Health and Drinking Water, Yale University School of Architecture October 16, 2018 Lori J. Mathieu, Public Health Section Chief, Drinking Water Section Thursday, October 4, 2018 Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances The Drinking Water Section has issued two Circular Letters to update public water systems on the most recent developments regarding Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances or PFAS. Circular Letter #2018-19 contains information for all public water systems regarding the State’s Drinking Water Action Level, monitoring requirements for proposed sources of public drinking water supply and resources available for public water systems. Circular Letter #2018-20 was sent to all public water systems that serve over 1,000 individuals and are required to prepare an individual water supply plan pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes section 25-32d. The DWS is requiring that public water systems update the inventory of land use activities to include potential PFAS generators and include the identified facilities in their annual watershed sanitary survey if they are required to perform one pursuant to the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies section 19-13-B102(b). While many of the public water systems covered by this circular letter have already done so under the United States EPA’s Third Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, the DWS is also recommending that public water systems sample sources of public drinking water for PFAS. Monday, October 1, 2018 The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority and the Department of Public Health’s Joint Report on Streamlining the Takeover Process The Public Utility Regulatory Authority (Authority) and the Department of Public Health (DPH) Uointly, the Departments) are issuing this report in order to develop a more efficient process for the takeover of water companies pursuant to Conn. Gen. Stats. §§16-46 and 16-262n through 16-262q. Tuesday, September 11, 2018 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Draft Amendment #1 to the SFY 2019 Intended Use Plan The Drinking Water Section is proposing to amend the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) State Fiscal Year 2019 Annual Intended Use Plan and Project Priority List. To view the IUP documents please visit the DWSRF webpage. Tuesday, September 11, 2018 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund SFY 2019 Intended Use Plan now Final The Drinking Water Section has finalized the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Program (DWSRF) State Fiscal Year 2019 Annual Intended Use Plan and Project Priority List. These documents, along with the Hearing Report for the Public Hearing held on June 28, 2018, are now available on the DWSRF webpage. Tuesday, September 11, 2018 WebEOC for Community Water Systems With hurricane season upon us and the threat of tropical storms building in the Atlantic, the Department wants to reinforce the importance for all Community Water Systems to ensure they can access WebEOC and be prepared to report their system status prior to, during and following an emergency event. Please see DPH Circular Letter 2018-26 for more information regarding the DPH Statewide Drinking Water Status Controller Board for WebEOC and emergency preparedness for Community Water Systems. Friday, August 31, 2018 Water Utility Coordinating Committee Coordinated Plans The Western, Central Corridor and Eastern Water Utility Coordinating Committee (“WUCC”) coordinated water system plans are currently available for public comment. Interested persons may obtain a copy of the WUCCs’ coordinated water system plans at https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Drinking-Water/WUCC/Water-Utility-Coordinating-Committee. Written comments should be directed to Richard Iozzo, DPH Drinking Water Section, 410 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06134 or may be submitted via electronic mail to richard.iozzo@ct.gov. Wednesday, August 29, 2018 Sustainability Workshop CTAWWA is conducting a sustainability workshop on September 24, 2018 at St. Clement’s Castle located at 1931 Portland-Cobalt Road in Portland, CT. This workshop will convene stakeholders from the water utility sector, health departments and local governments as well as outside experts for the purpose of examining innovative practices and strategies for effective rate-making and water conservation programs. The workshop cost is $80.00 and participants will earn 4.5 CEUs. Please register online at www.ctawwa.org or click here for the registration form. Friday, August 3, 2018 CWS serving less than 10,000 people - Generator Requirements The Department would like to remind community water systems (CWS) regarding the generator requirements under amendments made to Regulations of Connecticut Agencies § 19-13-B102 in December 2015. The Generator Regulations require all CWSs (not regulated by the PURA) to have and maintain generators or Department-approved alternative sources of backup power capable of providing sufficient power to supply the power demands of the CWS at each of the CWS’s facility locations. By December 23, 2018, CWS serving less than 10,000 people are required to have installed and maintained a generator or Department-approved alternative source of backup power. Please refer to Circular Letter 2018-23 for more information or contact Michael Hage at (860) 509-7333 or michael.hage@ct.gov. Friday, July 27, 2018 Public Act 18-168 - New Asset and Fiscal Management Plan Requirements, Hydropneumatic Tank Requirement, Civil Penalties Revision The Department would like to make all community public water systems aware of new, upcoming requirements regarding asset and fiscal management plans, hydropneumatic tanks, and revisions to civil penalties as a result of Public Act 18-168. Asset and Fiscal Management (does not apply to small community water systems regulated by the PURA, are subject to CGS § 25-32d, or are a state agency. Not later than January 1, 2021, each small community water systems (which regularly serves at least 25, but not more than 1,000, year round residents) shall prepare a fiscal and asset management plan of all of the system’s capital assets, to be updated annually; Not later than May 2, 2019, each small community water systems shall complete, on a form developed by the Department, a fiscal and asset management plan assessment review of its hydropneumatic pressure tanks. The form will be made available this Fall. Civil Penalties (Effective October 1, 2018) Subsections (a) to (e) of CGS §25-32e are repealed and substituted with provisions which relate to a water company violating any provision of section 25-32, 25-32d or any regulation adopted under §25-32d, or any provision of title 19 or 25 or any regulation promulgated pursuant to these titles that relate to purity and adequacy of water supplies. Please refer to the Circular Letter #2018-21 for more details on these upcoming changes. The Department is in the process of developing and updating guidance materials and training opportunities with regard to the implementation of the new provisions of these laws. Please look for more information in forthcoming circular letters and future communications. Tuesday, June 26, 2018 Emergency Notification Requirements The DPH Drinking Water Section reminds Public Water Systems that should an event occur that requires notification to the DPH (per Sections 19-13-B46 and 19-13-B102 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies), they are to immediately call the Drinking Water Section (DWS) at (860) 509-7333 during normal business hours or (860) 509-8000 after hours. The “8000 line” is not staffed by DWS staff after hours, so please be explicit and direct when relaying information, identifying an emergency situation and if an immediate response from DWS is needed. Emails, voice mails without a discussion with a representative of DPH, faxes, written notices, etc. are not an acceptable substitute for direct phone contact. These procedures are described in DWS Circular Letter 2018-18. Thursday, June 7, 2018 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Amendment #1 to the SFY 2018 Intended Use Plan now Final The DPH has amended the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) Program’s SFY 2018 Intended Use Plan (IUP). To view the IUP documents go to the Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund page and click on Call for Projects, Review and Ranking of Projects and scroll down to the section titled Intended Use Plan and Project Priority List. Tuesday, May 29, 2018 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Public Hearing Announced The Drinking Water Section will hold a Public Hearing/ Open Forum on Tuesday, June 28, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. to hear testimony regarding the Draft Intended Use Plan (IUP) for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) Program during State Fiscal Year 2019. To view the IUP documents and the public hearing announcement please click on Call for Projects, Review and Ranking of Projects and scroll down to the section titled “Draft SFY 2019 IUP Public Hearing/Open Forum.” Thursday, May 5, 2018 Circular Letter 2018-10 - Drinking Water Vulnerability Assessment and Resiliency Plan (DWVAR Plan) Community Water System (CWS) Resiliency Survey The DPH Drinking Water Section is encouraging CWS to participate in an important resiliency survey. The University of Connecticut’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is conducting a survey of community water systems to understand how they prepare for and respond to storms, droughts, and extreme events. This work is part of the DWVAR Plan described in DWS Circular Letter #2016-32. Survey responses will be received until Friday May 11, 2018. More information is available here. Thursday, April 26, 2018 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Draft Amendment #1 to the SFY 2018 Intended Use Plan The DPH his proposing to amend the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) Program’s SFY 2018 Intended Use Plan (IUP). To view the IUP documents go to the Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund page and click on Call for Projects, Review and Ranking of Projects and scroll down to the section titled Intended Use Plan and Project Priority List. Friday, April 6, 2018 CT DPH Comments to EPA’s Long-Term Revision of the Lead and Copper Rule EPA is working on the long-term revision of the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) and had requested the State and Local Government Officials to provide comments by March 8, 2018 on potential revisions to key areas of the LCR. The Drinking Water Section had submitted our comments to EPA on March 8, 2018. The comments document is available on the Lead and Copper Rule page.

Latest News

Friday, November 2, 2018

Circular Letter 2018-27 was sent to all community water systems (CWS) serving less than 10,000 persons reminding them of the regulatory requirement to have back-up generator(s) installed no later than December 17,2018. The DPH offers subsidized loans for generator systems through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund’s (DWSRF) Emergency Power Generator Program (EPGP) if financial assistance is needed to comply with this requirement. A 12 month extension is being offered to CWS that need financing for their generator installation and submit a EPGP Eligibility Application to the Drinking Water Section no later than December 17, 2018.

Monday, October 22, 2018

Presentation - Resiliency, Public Health and Drinking Water, Yale University
School of Architecture October 16, 2018

Lori J. Mathieu, Public Health Section Chief, Drinking Water Section

Thursday, October 4, 2018

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances

The Drinking Water Section has issued two Circular Letters to update public water systems on the most recent developments regarding Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances or PFAS. Circular Letter #2018-19 contains information for all public water systems regarding the State’s Drinking Water Action Level, monitoring requirements for proposed sources of public drinking water supply and resources available for public water systems.

Circular Letter #2018-20 was sent to all public water systems that serve over 1,000 individuals and are required to prepare an individual water supply plan pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes section 25-32d. The DWS is requiring that public water systems update the inventory of land use activities to include potential PFAS generators and include the identified facilities in their annual watershed sanitary survey if they are required to perform one pursuant to the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies section 19-13-B102(b). While many of the public water systems covered by this circular letter have already done so under the United States EPA’s Third Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, the DWS is also recommending that public water systems sample sources of public drinking water for PFAS.

Monday, October 1, 2018

The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority and the Department of Public Health’s Joint Report on Streamlining the Takeover Process

The Public Utility Regulatory Authority (Authority) and the Department of Public Health (DPH) Uointly, the Departments) are issuing this report in order to develop a more efficient process for the takeover of water companies pursuant to Conn. Gen. Stats. §§16-46 and 16-262n through 16-262q.

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Draft Amendment #1 to the SFY 2019 Intended Use Plan

The Drinking Water Section is proposing to amend the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) State Fiscal Year 2019 Annual Intended Use Plan and Project Priority List. To view the IUP documents please visit the DWSRF webpage.

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Drinking Water State Revolving Fund SFY 2019 Intended Use Plan now Final

The Drinking Water Section has finalized the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Program (DWSRF) State Fiscal Year 2019 Annual Intended Use Plan and Project Priority List. These documents, along with the Hearing Report for the Public Hearing held on June 28, 2018, are now available on the DWSRF webpage.

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

WebEOC for Community Water Systems

With hurricane season upon us and the threat of tropical storms building in the Atlantic, the Department wants to reinforce the importance for all Community Water Systems to ensure they can access WebEOC and be prepared to report their system status prior to, during and following an emergency event.

Please see DPH Circular Letter 2018-26 for more information regarding the DPH Statewide Drinking Water Status Controller Board for WebEOC and emergency preparedness for Community Water Systems.

Friday, August 31, 2018

Water Utility Coordinating Committee Coordinated Plans

The Western, Central Corridor and Eastern Water Utility Coordinating Committee (“WUCC”) coordinated water system plans are currently available for public comment. Interested persons may obtain a copy of the WUCCs’ coordinated water system plans at https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Drinking-Water/WUCC/Water-Utility-Coordinating-Committee. Written comments should be directed to Richard Iozzo, DPH Drinking Water Section, 410 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06134 or may be submitted via electronic mail to richard.iozzo@ct.gov.

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Sustainability Workshop

CTAWWA is conducting a sustainability workshop on September 24, 2018 at St. Clement’s Castle located at 1931 Portland-Cobalt Road in Portland, CT. This workshop will convene stakeholders from the water utility sector, health departments and local governments as well as outside experts for the purpose of examining innovative practices and strategies for effective rate-making and water conservation programs. The workshop cost is $80.00 and participants will earn 4.5 CEUs. Please register online at www.ctawwa.org or click here for the registration form.

Friday, August 3, 2018

CWS serving less than 10,000 people - Generator Requirements

The Department would like to remind community water systems (CWS) regarding the generator requirements under amendments made to Regulations of Connecticut Agencies § 19-13-B102 in December 2015.

The Generator Regulations require all CWSs (not regulated by the PURA) to have and maintain generators or Department-approved alternative sources of backup power capable of providing sufficient power to supply the power demands of the CWS at each of the CWS’s facility locations.

By December 23, 2018, CWS serving less than 10,000 people are required to have installed and maintained a generator or Department-approved alternative source of backup power.

Please refer to Circular Letter 2018-23 for more information or contact Michael Hage at (860) 509-7333 or michael.hage@ct.gov.

Friday, July 27, 2018

Public Act 18-168 - New Asset and Fiscal Management Plan Requirements, Hydropneumatic Tank Requirement, Civil Penalties Revision

The Department would like to make all community public water systems aware of new, upcoming requirements regarding asset and fiscal management plans, hydropneumatic tanks, and revisions to civil penalties as a result of Public Act 18-168.

Asset and Fiscal Management (does not apply to small community water systems regulated by the PURA, are subject to CGS § 25-32d, or are a state agency.
- Not later than January 1, 2021, each small community water systems (which regularly serves at least 25, but not more than 1,000, year round residents) shall prepare a fiscal and asset management plan of all of the system’s capital assets, to be updated annually;
- Not later than May 2, 2019, each small community water systems shall complete, on a form developed by the Department, a fiscal and asset management plan assessment review of its hydropneumatic pressure tanks. The form will be made available this Fall.
Civil Penalties (Effective October 1, 2018)
Subsections (a) to (e) of CGS §25-32e are repealed and substituted with provisions which relate to a water company violating any provision of section 25-32, 25-32d or any regulation adopted under §25-32d, or any provision of title 19 or 25 or any regulation promulgated pursuant to these titles that relate to purity and adequacy of water supplies.

Please refer to the Circular Letter #2018-21 for more details on these upcoming changes. The Department is in the process of developing and updating guidance materials and training opportunities with regard to the implementation of the new provisions of these laws. Please look for more information in forthcoming circular letters and future communications.

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Emergency Notification Requirements

The DPH Drinking Water Section reminds Public Water Systems that should an event occur that requires notification to the DPH (per Sections 19-13-B46 and 19-13-B102 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies), they are to immediately call the Drinking Water Section (DWS) at (860) 509-7333 during normal business hours or (860) 509-8000 after hours. The “8000 line” is not staffed by DWS staff after hours, so please be explicit and direct when relaying information, identifying an emergency situation and if an immediate response from DWS is needed.

Emails, voice mails without a discussion with a representative of DPH, faxes, written notices, etc. are not an acceptable substitute for direct phone contact. These procedures are described in DWS Circular Letter 2018-18.

Thursday, June 7, 2018

Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Amendment #1 to the SFY 2018 Intended Use Plan now Final

The DPH has amended the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) Program’s SFY 2018 Intended Use Plan (IUP). To view the IUP documents go to the Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund page and click on Call for Projects, Review and Ranking of Projects and scroll down to the section titled Intended Use Plan and Project Priority List.

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Public Hearing Announced

The Drinking Water Section will hold a Public Hearing/ Open Forum on Tuesday, June 28, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. to hear testimony regarding the Draft Intended Use Plan (IUP) for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) Program during State Fiscal Year 2019. To view the IUP documents and the public hearing announcement please click on Call for Projects, Review and Ranking of Projects and scroll down to the section titled “Draft SFY 2019 IUP Public Hearing/Open Forum.”

Thursday, May 5, 2018

Circular Letter 2018-10 - Drinking Water Vulnerability Assessment and Resiliency Plan (DWVAR Plan) Community Water System (CWS) Resiliency Survey

The DPH Drinking Water Section is encouraging CWS to participate in an important resiliency survey. The University of Connecticut’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is conducting a survey of community water systems to understand how they prepare for and respond to storms, droughts, and extreme events. This work is part of the DWVAR Plan described in DWS Circular Letter #2016-32. Survey responses will be received until Friday May 11, 2018. More information is available here.

Thursday, April 26, 2018

Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Draft Amendment #1 to the SFY 2018 Intended Use Plan

The DPH his proposing to amend the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) Program’s SFY 2018 Intended Use Plan (IUP). To view the IUP documents go to the Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund page and click on Call for Projects, Review and Ranking of Projects and scroll down to the section titled Intended Use Plan and Project Priority List.

Friday, April 6, 2018

CT DPH Comments to EPA’s Long-Term Revision of the Lead and Copper Rule

EPA is working on the long-term revision of the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) and had requested the State and Local Government Officials to provide comments by March 8, 2018 on potential revisions to key areas of the LCR. The Drinking Water Section had submitted our comments to EPA on March 8, 2018. The comments document is available on the Lead and Copper Rule page.

Connecticut State Department of Public Health