II. Standards of Service
1. General
A. Each Utility shall ensure that its system does all of the following:
(1) Complies with primary and secondary drinking water standards.
(2) Is not subject to backflow under normal operating conditions.
(3) Provides a reliable and adequate supply of pure, wholesome, healthful, and potable water.
(4) Employs or utilizes only water distribution system operators who have been certified by the Department at the appropriate grade for positions in responsible charge of the distribution system.
(5) Places the direct supervision of the water system, including water treatment plants, water distribution systems, or both under the responsible charge of an operator or operators holding a valid certification equal to or greater than the classification of the treatment plant and the distribution system.
5.(6) Source of Supply. Each separately operated water system shall have no less than two independent sources of supply.
2. Water Supply Requirements.
(1)a. General. Any utility serving water for human consumption or for domestic uses shall provide water that is wholesome, potable, in no way harmful or dangerous to health and, insofar as practicable, free from objectionable odors, taste, color and turbidity. Any utility supplying water for human consumption shall hold or make application for a permit as provided by the Health and Safety Code of the State of California and shall comply with the laws and regulations of the state or local Department of Health Services. It is not intended that any rule contained in this paragraph II 1 General Order shall supersede or conflict with the regulations of the State Department of Health Services. A cCompliance by a utility with the regulations of the State Department of Health Services on a particular subject matter shall constitute a compliance with such of these rules as relate to the same subject matter except as otherwise ordered by the Commission.
(2) The Presiding Officer in each General Rate Case (GRC) shall appoint a water quality expert to assist the Commission in making specific findings and recommendations concerning a utility's water quality compliance unless good cause exists to forgo such appointment. Initially, all GRCs will be referred to a water quality expert soon after the GRC is filed, and the water quality expert will provide a preliminary review of a utility's water quality and address the water quality aspects of this general order and other applicable law. We further anticipate that the water quality expert will provide an informal report to the Presiding Officer prior to the pre-hearing conference. If the Presiding Officer determines that a more extensive report is required, the Presiding Officer will order a report and testimony by the same or a different water quality expert in a ruling with the scoping memo. If a water quality expert submits testimony, the expert will be subject to cross-examination. Parties will be permitted to file responses to this aspect of the scoping memo.
(3) In the situation that the utility has met all sampling and testing requirements, has no test results on facilities in active service that exceed certain maximum contaminant levels (MCLs), and no party raises concerns of merit, then no appointment of a water quality expert may be necessary.
b. Water Supply. In the absence of comparable requirements of the State Department of Health Services, the following general rules shall apply:
(1) Source. Water supplied by any utility shall be:
(a) Obtained from a source free from pollution; or obtained from a source adequately purified by natural agencies, or adequately protected by artificial treatment.
(b) From a source reasonably adequate to provide a continuous supply of water.
(c) Of such quality as to meet the United States Environmental Protection Agency Drinking Water Standards and the State of California Safe Drinking Water Act Standards.
(2) Operation of Supply System.
(a) The water supply system, including wells, reservoirs, pumping equipment, treatment and filtration works, mains, meters and service pipes shall be free from sanitary defects.
(b) No physical connection between the distribution system of a public potable water supply and that of any other water supply shall be permitted except in compliance with the Regulations Relating to Cross Connections of the State Department of Health Services contained in Title 17 of the California Administrative Code.
(c) The presence of algae, crenothrix and other growths in the water shall be controlled by proper treatment. The presence of algae and other growths in the water shall be controlled so as to allow the delivery of water that meets all primary and secondary California Safe Drinking Water Standards, including the secondary standards for color of 15 units and odor threshold of 3 units.
(3) A system's facilities shall have the capacity to meet the system's MDD, PHD plus any required fire flow in the system as a whole and in each individual pressure zone. If, at any time, the system does not have this capacity, the system shall request a service connection moratorium until such time as it can demonstrate the source capacity has been increased to meet system requirements.
(4) Requirements for an individual public water system shall be determined from the total source capacity, total storage volume and the total number of service connections.
(5) Requirements for a particular pressure zone shall be determined from the total water supply available from the water sources and interzonal transfers directly supplying the zone, from the total storage volume within the zone and from the number of service connections within the zone.
(6) To determine the system's MDD and PHD See Appendix C of this General Order.
(7) If the system supports fire service, see Section VI of this General Order for fire flow guidelines.
(8) Upon formal complaint to the Commission or the Department alleging that additional facilities are necessary to provide the users of a water utility under the jurisdiction of the Commission with a continuous and adequate supply of water or to bring the water system into conformity with secondary drinking water standards, the Commission may, after hearing, direct the utility to make the changes in its procedures or additions to its facilities as the Commission shall determine are necessary.
(9) Water Supply Requirements for Anticipated Growth. Requirements for planning new source capacity for anticipated growth can be found in the Health and Safety Code.
(10) Service area extensions.
(a) Service area extension requests should be limited to the lands for which specific requests for service have been received. The utility must include the following data to assure the Commission that:
· Fire flows are in conformance with local requirements;
· The Commission can certify to the Department of Real Estate that a subdivision receiving service from a regulated utility has an adequate water supply; and
· The requesting utility can prove due-process requirement of informing customers of actions that could affect water bills or other costs.
(b) All filings for contiguous extension of service should, in addition to the specific material required by GO 96-B (or its successor) and notwithstanding other sections of this General Order, include the following information:
· A statement confirming that a copy of the filing was sent to the appropriate Local Agency Formation Commission,
· Documentation that the requested service has at least preliminary approval of the local permitting agency,
· Documentation (normally in the form of a letter) from the jurisdictional local fire protection entity showing it is satisfied with the water supply capability of the system planned for the new area,
· A fully completed and executed water supply and certification questionnaire form supplied by the Commission, and
· In the event the service area extension will include land for which the owner has not requested service, documentation that the owner has been informed that the property is being included in the utility's service area.
(1) Test. Each utility shall have representative samples of the water supplied by it examined by the state or local Department of Health Services or by an approved water laboratory as defined in Title 17 of the California Administrative Code, at intervals specified by the state or local Department of Health Services, in accordance with the United States Environmental Protection Agency Drinking Water Standards.
(2) Reports of Tests. The Commission shall be promptly notified in writing by the utility and supplied with a preliminary report describing the situation when matters of water quality are under review by the state or local Health Department as a result of not meeting the United States Environmental Protection Agency Drinking Water Standards. A final report shall be submitted to the Commission within a reasonable time after final disposition of the matter.
3.2. Continuity of Service
Each utility shall make all reasonable efforts to prevent interruptions to service and when such interruptions occur shall endeavor to reestablish service with the shortest possible delay consistent with the safety to its customers and the general public. Where an emergency interruption of service affects the service to any public fire protection device, within 60 minutes of discovery of the interruption, the utility shall promptly endeavor to notify the Fire Chief or other public official responsible for fire protection of such interruption and of subsequent restoration of normal service.
Whenever any utility finds it necessary to schedule an interruption to its service, it will shall, where feasible, notify all customers to be affected by the interruption, stating the approximate time and anticipated duration of the interruption. Scheduled interruptions shall be made at such hours as will provide least inconvenience to the customers consistent with reasonable operations. Where public fire protection is provided by the mains affected by the interruptions, the interruption will be reported as soon as the utility knows of the scheduled interruption to the utility shall promptly endeavor to notify the Fire Chief or other officials responsible for fire protection, stating the approximate time and anticipated duration. In addition, the Fire Chief or other official responsible for fire protection shall be notified within 60 minutes promptly upon restoration of service.
Each utility shall keep a complete record of all major interruptions, both emergency and scheduled. This record shall show the cause for interruption, date, time, duration, location, approximate number of customers affected and in cases of emergency interruptions, the remedy and steps taken to prevent recurrence. These records of interruptions are to be kept with the utilities permanent records in accordance with the retentions schedule listed in Appendix B.
The record of the outage shall include:
Date and time of Service Interruption
Date and Time Service is Restored
Number of Customers Affected and Who
Environmental Conditions at Onset of Outage
Equipment that Operated or Failed
Cause of Outage
Actions Required to Restore Service
Identification of Person Reporting
All emergency interruptions involving an entire system, an entire separately operated system of a multi-system utility or a major portion of an entire or separately operated system shall be reported to the Commission by the utility as soon as possible after occurrence by telephone or telegraph e-mail stating the cause, date, time, estimated duration, location, approximate number of customers affected and remedial steps being taken to restore service. Written reports thereof shall be submitted to the Commission within 48 hours after restoration of service giving the information outlined in subparagraph c. above, together with such other data as may be appropriate under the circumstances.
(3. Pressures. moved to the Operation Section)
4. Water Supply Measurement
Each utility shall install a suitable measuring device, or otherwise determine production, at each source of supply in order that a record may be maintained of the quantity of water produced by each source. Measuring devices known as source flow meters will be required for each water system, except at any inactive sources a system may have. Each water system shall:
(1) Install a flow meter at a location between each water source and the entry point to the distribution system;
(2) Meter the quantity of water flow from each source to determine total production; and
(3) Each month, determine and record the total monthly production from each source.
At least once each month, the quantity produced from each source of supply shall be determined. Twelve-month totals by sources shall be recorded and transmitted to the Commission in the utility's annual reports to the Commission.
