Wisconsin Administrative Code
Department of Natural Resources
NR 800 - Environmental Protection - Water Supply
Chapter NR 810 - Requirements for the operation and maintenance of public water systems
Subchapter II - Surface Water Treatment and Groundwater Under the Direct Influence of Surface Water Treatment Operations
Section NR 810.38 - Monitoring requirements

(a) Fecal coliform or total coliform density measurements as required by s. NR 810.30(1) (a) shall be performed on representative source water samples immediately prior to the first or only point of disinfectant application. The water supplier shall sample for fecal or total coliforms at the following minimum frequency each week the system serves water to the public:

(b) The samples in par. (a) shall be taken on separate days. In addition, one fecal or total coliform density measurement shall be performed every day the system serves water to the public and the turbidity of the source water exceeds one NTU. These samples count toward the weekly coliform sampling requirement.

(c) Turbidity measurements as required by s. NR 810.30(1) (b) shall be performed on representative grab samples of source water immediately prior to the first or only point of disinfectant application every 4 hours, or more frequently, that the system serves water to the public. A public water system may substitute continuous turbidity monitoring for grab sample monitoring if it validates the continuous measurement for accuracy on a regular basis using a protocol approved by the department.

(d) The total inactivation ratio for each day that the system is in operation shall be determined based on the CT values in ss. NR 810.47 to 810.62, as appropriate. The parameters necessary to determine the total inactivation ratio shall be monitored as follows:

(e) For any given disinfectant, the total inactivation ratio shall be calculated as follows:

(f) The residual disinfectant concentration of the water entering the distribution system shall be monitored continuously, and the lowest value shall be recorded each day, except that if there is a failure in the continuous monitoring equipment, grab sampling every 4 hours may be conducted in lieu of continuous monitoring, but for no more than 5 working days following the failure of the equipment, and systems serving 3,300 or fewer persons may take grab samples in lieu of providing continuous monitoring on an ongoing basis at the following prescribed frequencies:

(g) The day's samples to meet par. (f) cannot be taken at the same time. The sampling intervals are subject to department review and approval. If at any time the residual disinfectant concentration falls below 0.2 mg/l in a system using grab sampling in lieu of continuous monitoring, the water supplier for the system shall take a grab sample every 4 hours until the residual concentration is equal to or greater than 0.2 mg/l.

(h) The residual disinfectant concentration of the water in the distribution system shall be measured as follows:

(a) Turbidity measurements as specified in s. NR 810.29 shall be performe don representative samples of the system's combined filter effluent water every 4 hours, or more frequently, that the system serves water to the public. A water supplier may substitute continuous turbidity monitoring for grab sample monitoring if it validates the continuous measurement for accuracy on a regular basis using a protocol approved by the department. For any systems using slow sand filtration or filtration treatment other than conventional filtration treatment, direct filtration or diatomaceous earth filtration, the department may reduce the sampling frequency to once per day if it determines that less frequent monitoring is sufficient to indicate effective filtration performance. For systems serving 500 or fewer persons, the department may reduce the turbidity sampling frequency to once per day, regardless of the type of filtration treatment used, if the department determines that less frequent monitoring is sufficient to indicate effective filtration performance.

(b) Water suppliers for systems using conventional filtration treatment or direct filtration shall conduct continuous monitoring of turbidity for each individual filter using a method approved in s. NR 809.113(1), Tables A and B and shall calibrate turbidimeters using the procedure specified by the manufacturer. Water suppliers shall record the results of individual filter monitoring every 15 minutes. If there is a failure in the continuous monitoring equipment, the water supplier shall conduct grab sampling every 4 hours in lieu of continuous monitoring, until the turbidimeter is repaired and back on-line. The water supplier shall repair the equipment no later than 5 working days after the failure or the system is in violation.

(c) The residual disinfectant concentration of the water entering the distribution system shall be monitored continuously, and the lowest value shall be recorded each day, except that if there is a failure in the continuous monitoring equipment, grab sampling every 4 hours may be conducted in lieu of continuous monitoring, but for no more than 5 working days following the failure of the equipment. Water suppliers for systems serving 3,300 or fewer persons may take grab samples in lieu of providing continuous monitoring on an ongoing basis at the frequencies each day prescribed as follows:

1 The day's samples cannot be taken at the same time. The sampling intervals are subject to department review and approval.

If at any time the residual disinfectant concentration falls below 0.2 mg/l in a system using grab sampling in lieu of continuous monitoring, the water supplier shall take a grab sample every 4 hours until the residual disinfectant concentration is equal to or greater than 0.2 mg/l.

(d) The residual disinfectant concentration in the distribution system shall be measured as follows: