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Strengthening Tier 1 public notice, improving operation and maintenance and emergency response plans, and revising delivery methods for effective communication.
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Purpose of Revisions • Strengthen public notice (PN) requirements for imminent threats and situations (known as Tier 1). • Enhance existing planning requirements for both the Emergency Response Plan (ERP) and the Operation and Maintenance (O & M) Plan. • Revise Tier 1 PN delivery requirements according to type and size of the water system.
Concerns with Current PN Rule • Tier 1 PN delivery options did not guarantee that consumers received important notices. • Consumers were dissatisfied with media notices for the following reasons: • Some notices were incomplete, some were inaccurate. • Notices weren’t received because: • The notices were delivered too infrequently, • Consumers had to be watching TV or listening to the radio to receive the notice.
Operation & Maintenance Plan Revisions • Water suppliers need to maintain EPA contaminant fact sheets that include acute health effects language.
Emergency Response Plan Revisions • Provided the information that must be included in the plan. • Expanded the list of groups suppliers need to communicate and coordinate with during an emergency to include: • Local EMAs • Government agencies • Sensitive sub-populations • Provided clarification of a requirement for procedures for providing an approved alternate water source.
Delivery Methods for Tier 1 PN Revisions • Direct delivery to each service connection by: • Hand delivery • E-mail • Automatic telephone dialing system • Systems serving 3,301 or more persons are not permitted to use hand delivery unless approved by DEP because this method could not meet the required 24 hour timeframe. • Use broadcast media to notify transient and nontransient users.
“Problem Corrected” Notice Revision • Suppliers must issue a “Problem Corrected” notice for Tier 1 imminent threats or situations.
Content of Abbreviated Public Notices Revision • DEP is specifying the minimum content elements that must be used when employing: • Automated telephone dialing systems, • TV scrollers, • Bullhorn announcements, or • Radio station new flashes. • Systems that use an abbreviated message must also: • post the entire Tier 1 PN on a website, or • record the message on a dedicated telephone line.
One Hour Reporting Revisions • Examples of situations that require systems to report to DEP within one hour: • An overfeed of a drinking water treatment chemical • A situation that causes negative pressure in the distribution system. • A lack of resources that affect operations such as: • staff shortages, • notification by power plant of planned lengthy power outages, or • imminent depletion of treatment chemical inventories.
Summary Revisions will correct the current concerns with the existing regulations by improving the: • Planning requirements for Operation & Maintenance and Emergency Response plans. • Delivery of Tier 1 public notices.