United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
<
1 The June 1989 Rule was
revised as follows: Corrections and
Technical Amendments, 6/19/90
and Partial Stay of Certain Provision
(Variance Criteria) 56 FR1556-1557,
Vol56, No 10.
Note: The TCR is currently undergoing
the 6 year review process and may be
subject to change.
Total Coliform Rule:
A Quick Reference
Overview of the R
Title
Purpose
General
Utilities
Covered
Total Coliform Rule (TCR)
54 FR 27544-27568, June 29, 1989, Vol. 54, No. 1241
Improve public health protection by reducing fecal pathogens to minimal levels
through control of total coliform bacteria, including fecal conforms and Escherichia
co// (E. co//).
Establishes a maximum contaminant level (MCL) based on the presence or absence
of total conforms, modifies monitoring requirements including testing for fecal
conforms orE. co//, requires use of a sample siting plan, and also requires sanitary
surveys for systems collecting fewer than five samples per month.
The TCR applies to all public water systems.
Public Health Benefits
Implementation
of the TCR has
resulted in ...
Reduction in risk of illness from disease causing organisms associated with sewage
or animal wastes. Disease symptoms may include diarrhea, cramps, nausea, and
possibly jaundice, and associated headaches and fatigue.
What are the Major Provisions?
ROUTINE Sampling Requirements
Total coliform samples must be collected at sites which are representative of water quality throughout
the distribution system according to a written sample siting plan subject to state review and revision.
Samples must be collected at regular time intervals throughout the month except groundwater
systems serving 4,900 persons or fewer may collect them on the same day.
Monthly sampling requirements are based on population served (see table on next page for the
minimum sampling frequency).
A reduced monitoring frequency may be available for systems serving 1,000 persons or fewer and
using only ground water if a sanitary survey within the past 5 years shows the system is free of
sanitary defects (the frequency may be no less than 1 sample/quarter for community and 1 sample/year
for non-community systems).
Each total coliform-positive routine sample must be tested for the presence of fecal conforms or
E. co//.
If any routine sample is total coliform-positive, repeat samples are required.
REPEAT Sampling Requirements
Within 24 hours of learning of a total coliform-positive ROUTINE sample result, at least 3 REPEAT
samples must be collected and analyzed for total conforms:
>• One REPEAT sample must be collected from the same tap as the original sample.
^ One REPEAT sample must be collected within five service connections upstream.
^- One REPEAT sample must be collected within five service connections downstream.
^- Systems that collect 1 ROUTINE sample per month or fewer must collect a 4th REPEAT sample.
If any REPEAT sample is total coliform-positive:
^ The system must analyze that total coliform-positive culture for fecal conforms or E.coli.
> The system must collect another set of REPEAT samples, as before, unless the MCL has been
violated and the system has notified the state.
Additional ROUTINE Sample Requirements
A positive ROUTINE or REPEAT total coliform result requires a minimum of five ROUTINE
samples be collected the following month the system provides water to the public unless
waived by the state.
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For additional information on
the TCR
Call the Safe Drinking Water
Hotline at 1-800-426-4791; visit
the EPA web site at www.epa.
gov/safewater/disinfection/tcr/
index.html; or contact your state
drinking water representative.
Public Water System ROUTINE Monitoring Frequent
Population
25-1,000*
1,001-2,500
2,501-3,300
3,301-4,100
4,101-4,900
4,901-5,800
5,801-6,700
6,701-7,600
7,601-8,500
8,501-12,900
12,901-17,200
17,201-21,500
Minimum
Samples/
Month
1
10
15
20
Population
21,501-25,000
25,001-33,000
33,001-41,000
41,001-50,000
50,001-59,000
59,001-70,000
70,001-83,000
83,001-96,000
96,001-130,000
130,001-220,000
220,001-320,000
320,001-450,000
Minimum
Samples/
Month
25
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
120
Population
450,001-600,000
600,001-780,000
780,001-970,000
970,001-1,230,000
1,230,001-1,520,000
1,520,001-1,850,000
1,850,001-2,270,000
2,270,001-3,020,000
3,020,001-3,960,000
> 3,960,001
150
Minimum
Samples/
Month
210
240
270
300
330
360
390
420
450
480
180
"Includes PWSs which have at least 15 service connections, but serve <25 people.
What are the Other Provisions?
Systems collecting fewer than 5
ROUTINE samples per month . . .
Systems using surface water or
ground water under the direct
influence of surface water (GWUDI)
and meeting filtration avoidance
criteria . . .
Must have a sanitary survey every 5 years (or every 10 years if it
is a non-community water system using protected and disinfected
ground water).**
Must collect and have analyzed one coliform sample each day the
turbidity of the source water exceeds 1 NTU. This sample must be
collected from a tap near the first service connection.
** As per the IESWTR, states must conduct sanitary surveys for community surface water and GWUDI systems in this category
every 3 years (unless reduced by the state based on outstanding performance).
How is Compliance De
?termined?
> Compliance is based on the presence or absence of total conforms.
> Compliance is determined each calendar month the system serves water to the public (or
each calendar month that sampling occurs for systems on reduced monitoring).
> The results of ROUTINE and REPEAT samples are used to calculate compliance.
A Monthly MCL Violation is Triggered if:
A system collecting fewer than 40
samples per month ...
A system collecting at least 40
samples per month ...
Has greater than 1 ROUTINE/REPEAT sample per month which
is total coliform-positive.
Has greater than 5.0 percent of the ROUTINE/REPEAT samples
in a month total coliform-positive.
An Acute MCL Violation is Triggered if:
Any public water system ...
Has any fecal coliform- or £. co/i-positive REPEAT sample or
has a fecal coliform- or £. co//-positive ROUTINE sample
followed by a total coliform-positive REPEAT sample.
What are the Public Notification and Reporting Requirements?
For a Monthly MCL Violation
For an Acute MCL Violation
Systems with ROUTINE or
REPEAT samples that are fecal
coliform- or E. co//-positive ...
The violation must be reported to the state no later than the end
of the next business day after the system learns of the violation.
The public must be notified within 30 days after the system
learns of the violation.
>• The violation must be reported to the state no later than the end
of the next business day after the system learns of the violation.
> The public must be notified within 24 hours after the system
learns of the violation.
Must notify the state by the end of the day they are notified of the
result or by the end of the next business day if the state office is
already closed.
:fice of Water (4606)
EPA816-F-01-035
www.epa.gov/safewater
Rev. March 2010
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