&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
»:
Consumer Confidence Report Rule:
A Quick Reference Guide
Overview of the Rule
Title
Purpose
General
Description
Utilities
Covered
Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) Rule, 40 CFR, Part 141, Subpart O.
Improve public health protection by providing educational material to allow
consumers to make educated decisions regarding any potential health risks
pertaining to the quality, treatment, and management of their drinking water
supply.
The CCR Rule requires all community water systems to prepare and distribute a
brief annual water quality report summarizing information regarding source, any
detected contaminants, compliance, and educational information.
Community water systems (CWSs), all size categories.
enefit
Implementation of
the CCR Rule will
result in . ,
Increased consumer knowledge of drinking water quality, sources,
susceptibility, treatment, and drinking water supply management.
Increased awareness of consumers to potential health risks, so they
may make informed decisions to reduce those risks, including taking
steps toward protecting their water supply.
Increased dialogue with drinking water utilities and increased
understanding of consumers to take steps toward active participation in
decisions that affect public health.
CWSs with 15 or
more connections or
serving at least 25
year round residents
must prepare and
distribute a CCR to
all billing units or
service connections.
> April 1 - Deadline for CWS that sells water to another CWS to deliver
the information necessary for the buyer CWS to prepare their CCR
(req. outlined in 40 CFR 141.152).
> July 1 - Deadline for annual distribution of CCR to customers and
State or local primacy agency for report covering January 1 - December
31 of previous calendar year.
> October 1 - (or 90 days after distribution of CCR to customers,
whichever is first) - Deadline for annual submission of proof of
distribution to State or local primacy agency.
> A system serving 100,000 or more persons must also post its current
year's report on a publicly accessible site on the Internet. Many
systems choose to post their reports at the following EPA website
http://yosemite.epa.gov/ogwdw/ccr.nsf/america.
> All systems must make copies of the report available on request.
> With the permission of the Governor of a State (or designee), or where the tribe has primacy,
in lieu of mailing, systems serving fewer than 10,000 persons may publish their CCR in a local
newspaper.*
> With the permission of the Governor of a State (or designee), or where the tribe has primacy,
in lieu of mailing and/or publication, systems serving 500 or fewer persons may provide a
notice stating the report is available on request.*
*Questions regarding whether the necessary permission has been granted should be addressed to the
local State or primacy agency.
-------
For additional information
on the CCR Rule
Call the Safe Drinking Water Hotline
at 1-800-426-4791; visitthe EPA
website atwww.epa.gov/safewater/
ccrl .html; log onto the CCRiWriter
website to use EPA's template at
www.CCRiWriter.com; view 40
CFR 141 subpart O; or contact your
State or local primacy agency's
drinking water representative.
Water System Information
Name/phone number of contact person.
Information on public participation opportunities (time and place for meetings or hearings).
Information for non-English speaking populations (if applicable).
Source of Water
Type (ex. groundwater or surface water), commonly used name, and location of water
sources (ex. Potomac River, Snake River Plain Aquifer, etc.) (Exact locations/coordinates of
wells and intakes should not be included for security reasons.)
Availability of source water assessment.
Brief summary on potential sources of contamination (if available).
Definitions
Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL).
Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG).
Treatment Technique (TT) (if applicable).
Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL) (if applicable).
Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG) (if applicable).
Action Level (AL) (if applicable).
Variances and Exemptions (if applicable).
Detected Contaminants
Table summarizing data on detected regulated and unregulated contaminants that were
detected during the last round of sampling.
Known or likely source of each detected contaminant.
Health effects language for any violations, exceedances or when Arsenic levels are > 0.01
mg/L or < 0.05 mg/L.
Information on Cryptosporidium, Radon, and other contaminants (if applicable).
Compliance with Drinking Water Regulations
Explanation of violations, length of violations, potential health effects, and steps taken to
correct the violations.
Explanation of variance/exemption (if applicable).
Required Educational Information
Explanation of contaminants and their presence in drinking water including bottled water.
Warning for vulnerable or immunocompromised populations about Cryptosporidium.
Informational statements on arsenic, nitrate, lead, and TTHM (if applicable).
EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline Number of (1-800-426-4791).
Office of Water (4606M)
EPA816-F-02-026
www. e p a. g ov/s afe wate r
November 2002
------- |