Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 18, September 24, 2024
A. Any person undertaking a public water
system project shall submit an application to the department and shall not use
the new or modified facility to produce, treat, store or distribute water for
human consumption until the department has approved the application in writing
except that:
(1) a person conducting the
activities under Subsection B of this section need not submit an application or
obtain department approval; and
(2)
a person undertaking a water projects under Subsection C of this section must
submit an application but may undertake the project without written approval
from the department; the department will respond to each application within the
period specified in Subsection K of Section 201 of this part.
B. The following activities are
considered on-going operation and routine maintenance procedures. These
activities are not considered public water system projects. There is no
requirement to notify or seek approval of the department for these activities:
(1) pipeline leak repair;
(2) replacement of existing deteriorated
pipeline, or addition of distribution pipeline, if such replacements or
additions, or both, total less than 1,000 feet in any 60 calendar day
period;
(3) entry into a drinking
water storage facility for the purposes of cleaning and maintenance;
(4) the replacement of chemical feed pumps
and associated appurtenances;
(5)
the replacement of electrical or mechanical equipment in an existing public
water supply system; and
(6) the
replacement of equipment or pipeline appurtenances with the same type, size and
rated capacity (fire hydrants, valves, pressure regulators, meters, service
laterals, chemical feeders and booster pumps including deep well
pumps).
C. Any person
proposing to undertake the following public water system projects must give the
department written notice by submitting an application; department approval is
not required:
(1) a modification that
involves only the replacement or construction of more than 1,000 feet of
distribution lines, or of appurtenances, pump stations, or pressure regulating
facilities for which the public water system employs, either by contract or
direct employment, a registered professional engineer who is responsible for
the project; or
(2) installation of
a hypochlorination system, including an on-site hypochlorination generation
system, in a public water system under the following conditions:
(a) water is supplied by ground water that is
not under the direct influence of surface water;
(b) the owner or operator of the system
employs, by contract or direct employment, a water operator certified in New
Mexico at the level required in the Utility Operator Certification Regulations,
20.7.4 NMAC; and
(c) the certified
operator is responsible for the project and certifies the inactivation ratio
achieved by the hypochlorination system; the water system operator shall
calculate the inactivation ratio and document the calculation on a form
provided by the department.
D. In order to expedite future public water
system projects, a public water system with the legal authority to adopt
construction plans, details, and specifications by ordinance or resolution may
submit a master design plan to the department for approval. Such plan must at a
minimum contain:
(1) identification of
existing system components and service area;
(2) a complete set of plans, details, and
specifications for any component or facility to be eligible for a consideration
under this section; and
(3) written
verification that the plans, details, and specifications have been adopted by
ordinance or resolution in such a manner as to require their use in all
associated projects.
E.
The approval requirement in Subsection A of Section 201 of this part is
satisfied when a transmission, storage, or distribution project is proposed for
implementation that is certified to be in conformance with a master design plan
previously approved by the department. For a project to be considered under
this subsection, the owner or operator of the system must submit in lieu of the
application materials in Section 201 of this part, a written summary of the
project and certification that the project will be installed in accordance with
the approved drawings and specifications, signed by a registered professional
engineer who is responsible for the design, development, or maintenance of the
public water system. A project request under this subsection shall include all
of the documentation listed in this subsection.
