Header:
CALIFORNIA CODE OF REGULATIONS
TITLE 22. SOCIAL SECURITY
DIVISION 4. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
CHAPTER 15. DOMESTIC WATER QUALITY AND MONITORING REGULATIONS
ARTICLE 18. NOTIFICATION OF WATER CONSUMERS AND THE DEPARTMENT
Date:
08/31/2009
Document:
ยง 64465. Public Notice Content and Format
(a) Each public notice given pursuant to this article, except Tier 3 public notices for variances and exemptions pursuant to subsection (b), shall contain the following:
(1) A description of the violation or occurrence, including the contaminant(s) of concern, and (as applicable) the contaminant level(s);
(2) The date(s) of the violation or occurrence;
(3) Any potential adverse health effects from the violation or occurrence, including the appropriate standard health effects language from appendices 64465-A through G;
(4) The population at risk, including subpopulations particularly vulnerable if exposed to the contaminant in drinking water;
(5) Whether alternative water supplies should be used;
(6) What actions consumers should take, including when they should seek medical help, if known;
(7) What the water system is doing to correct the violation or occurrence;
(8) When the water system expects to return to compliance or resolve the occurrence;
(9) The name, business address, and phone number of the water system owner, operator, or designee of the water system as a source of additional information concerning the public notice;
(10) A statement to encourage the public notice recipient to distribute the public notice to other persons served, using the following standard language: "Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this public notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this public notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail"; and
(11) For a water system with a monitoring and testing procedure violation, this language shall be included: "We are required to monitor your drinking water for specific contaminants on a regular basis. Results of regular monitoring are an indicator of whether or not your drinking water meets health standards. During [compliance period dates], we ['did not monitor or test' or 'did not complete all monitoring or testing'] for [contaminant(s)], and therefore, cannot be sure of the quality of your drinking water during that time."
(b) A Tier 3 public notice for a water system operating under a variance or exemption shall include the elements in this subsection. If a water system has violated its variance or exemption conditions, the public notice shall also include the elements in subsection (a).
(1) An explanation of the reasons for the variance or exemption;
(2) The date on which the variance or exemption was issued;
(3) A brief status report on the steps the water system is taking to install treatment, find alternative sources of water, or otherwise comply with the terms and schedules of the variance or exemption; and
(4) A notice of any opportunity for public input in the review of the variance or exemption.
(c) Each public notice given pursuant to this article shall contain information in Spanish regarding the importance of the notice, or contain a telephone number or address where Spanish-speaking residents may contact the water system to obtain a translated copy of the public notice or assistance in Spanish. For each non-English speaking group other than Spanish-speaking that exceeds 1,000 residents or 10% of the residents in the community served, whichever is less, the public notice shall:
(1) Contain information in the appropriate language(s) regarding the importance of the notice, or
(2) Contain a telephone number or address where such residents may contact the water system to obtain a translated copy of the notice or assistance in the appropriate language.
(d) Each public notice given pursuant to this article shall:
(1) Be displayed such that it catches people's attention when printed or posted and be formatted in such a way that the message in the public notice can be understood at the eighth-grade level;
(2) Not contain technical language beyond an eighth-grade level or print smaller than 12 point; and
(3) Not contain language that minimizes or contradicts the information being given in the public notice.
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