Section 604.135  Repair Work and Emergency Operation

a)         The community water supply must be protected from contamination when any part of the system is out of service for repair, construction, alteration or replacement.

b)         Disinfection Following Repair

1)                  Any part of a community water system that has direct contact with finished water and has been out of service for repair, alteration or replacement must be disinfected and sampled as required by 35 Ill. Adm. Code 602.310 before being returned to service. 

2)         Equipment that does not come in contact with finished water, such as raw surface water pumps, raw surface water transmission lines, chemical mixing tanks and clarifiers, need only be flushed before being returned to service. 

3)         Filters must be disinfected. 

4)         Wells, water storage tanks, water treatment plants, and water mains must be disinfected in accordance with AWWA C651, C652, C653 or C654, incorporated by reference in 35 Ill. Adm. Code 601.115.

c)         Emergency Operation 

1)         Boil Order

A)        Whenever microbiological contamination is determined to persist in a community water supply, as demonstrated by microbiological analysis results, the owners or official custodians of the supply must notify all consumers as required by subsection (c)(2) to boil for five minutes all water used for consumption or culinary purposes. 

B)        This boil order will remain in effect until appropriate corrective action approved by the Agency is taken and microbiological samples demonstrate that the water is safe for domestic use.

C)        If the owner or official custodian of the supply fails to take the required action, the Agency may issue a boil order directly to the consumers affected.

D)        Issuance of a boil order does not relieve the water supply from making public notification in accordance with 35 Ill. Adm. Code 611.Subpart V.

2)         Required Notification

A)        Owners and operators of community water supplies must immediately notify the Agency at the appropriate Regional Office, in accordance with 35 Ill. Adm. Code 602.104(f), when there is knowledge or suspicion that a water supply has become contaminated or the community water supply's finished water quality is negatively impacted due to water treatment equipment malfunction. 

B)        Whenever the safety of a supply is endangered for any reason, including spillage of hazardous substances, the community water supply owner, official custodian, or Responsible Operator in Charge must take appropriate action to protect the community water supply, and immediately notify the Agency. 

C)        The Agency will require the community water supply to notify all consumers of appropriate actions to protect themselves if the water supply has become contaminated or the consumers' safety may be endangered. If the community water supply fails to make these notifications, the Agency must notify directly the consumers affected.

D)        On weekends, holidays and after office hours, the Agency must be notified through the Illinois Emergency Management Agency at 1-800-782-7860.

3)         When the water pressure falls below 20 pounds per square inch on any portion of the distribution system for any amount of time, the owner or official custodian of the community water supply must issue a boil order as required by subsection (c)(2) to those consumers affected unless the Agency has issued a SEP and:

A)        There is a historical record of adequate chlorine residual as required by Section 604.725(a) and approved turbidity levels in the general area affected covering at least 12 monthly readings;

B)        Samples for bacteriological examination are taken in the affected area immediately and approximately 12 hours later; and

C)        Tests for residual chlorine and turbidity taken at not more than hourly intervals in the affected area for several hours do not vary significantly from the historical record.  If significant decrease in chlorine residual or increase in turbidity occurs, a boil order as required by subsection (c)(2) must be issued.

d)         Emergency Operations Plan

1)         Each community water supply must develop an emergency operations plan for the provision of water under emergency circumstances, including earthquakes, floods, tornados, and other disasters.  The emergency operations plan must include a review of the methods and means by which alternative supplies of drinking water could be provided in the event of destruction, impairment or contamination of community water supply.   

2)         The community water supply must review its emergency operations plan at least every three years and revise the plan as necessary.  The community water supply must maintain the emergency operations plan on site and make it available to the Agency, upon request.