The Revised Total Coliform Rule (RTCR) State …

1 The Revised Total Coliform Rule (RTCR). State Implementation Guidance Final Office of Water (4606M). EPA 816-R-20-003. June 2020. Disclaimer This document provides guidance to states , tribes and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) exercising primary enforcement responsibility under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and contains EPA's current policy recommendations for complying with the Revised Total Coliform Rule (RTCR). Throughout this document, the terms State and states are used to refer to all types of primacy agencies including states , territories, Indian tribes and EPA. The statutory provisions and EPA regulations described in this document contain legally binding requirements.

2 This document is not a regulation itself, nor does it change or substitute for those provisions and regulations. Thus, it does not impose legally binding requirements on EPA, states or the regulated community. This guidance does not confer legal rights or impose legal obligations upon any member of the public. While EPA has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the discussion in this guidance, the obligations of the regulated community are determined by statutes, regulations or other legally binding requirements. In the event of a conflict between the discussion in this document and any statute or regulation, this document would not be controlling. The general description provided here may not apply to a particular situation based upon the circumstances.

3 Interested parties are free to raise questions and objections about the substance of this guidance and the appropriateness of the application of this guidance to a particular situation. EPA and other decision makers retain the discretion to adopt approaches on a case-by-case basis that differ from those described in this guidance, where appropriate. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for their use. This is a living document and may be Revised periodically without public notice. EPA. welcomes public input on this document at any time. Guidance provided in this document reflects provisions published on February 13, 2013, at 78 Federal Register 10269 and the minor corrections published on February 26, 2014, at 79 Federal Register 10665.

4 This Page Intentionally Left Blank Table of Contents Table of Contents .. i List of Tables .. v List of Examples .. vi List of vii Acronyms and Abbreviations .. viii References .. ix Document x Section 1 Introduction to the Revised Total Coliform Rule .. 1. Executive Summary .. 3. Development of the RTCR .. 4. Applicability of the RTCR .. 5. To Whom Does the Rule Apply? .. 5. Changes to Other Drinking Water Regulations .. 6. Applicability and Compliance Dates .. 7. Transition to RTCR [40 CFR (c) and 40 CFR (c)] .. 8. Section 2 RTCR Monitoring Requirements .. 11. General RTCR Monitoring Requirements .. 13. RTCR Monitoring Requirements for PWSs with Various Types of Populations Served.

5 16. Sample Siting Plans [40 CFR (a)] .. 16. Analytical and Laboratory Methods [40 CFR ] .. 18. Expedited Monitoring Results Notification .. 20. Monitoring Requirements for NCWSs Using only Ground Water and Serving 1,000 or Fewer People [40 CFR ] .. 20. Routine 20. Repeat Monitoring [40 CFR ] .. 21. Special Monitoring Evaluation .. 22. Reduced Monitoring .. 22. Increased Monitoring .. 23. Return to Quarterly Monitoring .. 23. Return to Annual 24. Additional Routine 24. Triggered Source Water Monitoring Under the GWR and Repeat Sampling Under the RTCR .. 25. Monitoring Requirements for Ground Water CWSs Serving 1,000 or Fewer People [40 CFR. ] .. 27. Routine 27. Repeat Monitoring [40 CFR ].

6 27. Special Monitoring Evaluation .. 29. Reduced Monitoring .. 29. Return to Monthly 30. Additional Routine 30. Triggered Source Water Monitoring Under the GWR and Repeat Sampling Under the RTCR .. 31. Monitoring Requirements for Subpart H PWSs Serving 1,000 or Fewer People [40 CFR ].. 33. Routine 33. Repeat Monitoring [40 CFR ] .. 33. Monitoring Requirements for PWSs Serving More Than 1,000 People [40 CFR ].. 34. Routine 34. Repeat Monitoring [40 CFR ] .. 35. Triggered Source Water Monitoring Under the GWR and Repeat Sampling Under the RTCR for Ground Water 36. Monitoring Requirements for Seasonal NCWSs [40 CFR (i), 40 CFR (a)(4) and 40 CFR (a)(4)].. 37. Routine 37.

7 Repeat Monitoring [40 CFR ] .. 37. Special Monitoring Evaluation .. 39. Reduced Monitoring .. 39. Increased Monitoring .. 41. Additional Routine 41. Triggered Source Water Monitoring Under the GWR and Repeat Sampling Under the RTCR .. 42. Invalidation of a TC+ or EC+ Distribution System Sample [40 CFR (c)] .. 44. Section 3 Treatment Technique Triggers and Assessment Requirements for All PWSs .. 47. Treatment Technique (TT) Requirements [40 CFR ] .. 49. 49. Sanitary Defects and Corrective Action .. 50. Coliform TT Violations .. 50. Assessment Practices, Procedures and Follow-up [40 CFR ] .. 51. Assessment Elements .. 51. Assessment Forms .. 52. Consultations .. 53.

8 Level 1 Assessments .. 53. Level 2 Assessments .. 53. Integrated Assessments .. 55. Primacy Application Requirements and Considerations .. 55. TT-Trigger and Assessment Scenarios .. 56. Section 4 Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements for PWSs and states .. 61. PWS Reporting Requirements [40 CFR (a)].. 63. PWS Recordkeeping Requirements [40 CFR (b)] .. 64. State Reporting Requirements [40 CFR (c)(3)] .. 64. State Recordkeeping Requirements [40 CFR ] .. 64. RTCR State Implementation Guidance Final ii Section 5 Violations .. 67. E. coli MCL Violations .. 69. TT Violations .. 69. Coliform TT Violations .. 69. Monitoring Failures and Monitoring Violations .. 70. Reporting Violations.

9 71. Section 6 Public Notice of Drinking Water Violations and CCR Requirements .. 73. Public Notification (PN) Requirements [40 CFR Part 141, Subpart Q] .. 75. Tier 1 77. Tier 2 77. Tier 3 79. Public Notice for Hydraulically or Physically Isolated Areas within PWSs .. 79. CCR Requirements [40 CFR ] .. 79. Section 7 State Primacy Revision Application and Implementation Considerations .. 83. State Primacy Program Revision .. 85. The Revision Process .. 87. The Final Review 90. State Primacy Program Revision Extensions .. 90. The Extension Process .. 90. Extension Request Criteria .. 90. Conditions of the Extension .. 91. State Primacy Package .. 95. The State Primacy Revision Checklist [40 CFR (c)(1)].

10 96. Text of the State 's 97. Primacy Revision Crosswalk .. 97. State Reporting and Recordkeeping Checklist [40 CFR and 40 CFR ] .. 98. Special Primacy Requirements [40 CFR ] .. 99. Attorney General's Statement of Enforceability [40 CFR (c)(2)] .. 99. Guidance for the Special Primacy Requirements of the RTCR .. 101. Special Primacy Requirements Regarding Baseline and Reduced Monitoring .. 101. Special Primacy Requirements Regarding Sample Siting 102. Special Primacy Requirements Regarding Reduced Monitoring Criteria .. 104. Special Primacy Requirements Regarding Assessments and Corrective Actions .. 105. Special Primacy Requirements Regarding Invalidation of Routine or Repeat Samples.