&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 ------- |