Hello Drinking Water Folks!
I am new to North Carolina drinking water, and am having some difficulties finding regs to support our city policies. I am a city employee tasked with updating a response plan (emergency and break response). Specifically, I am trying to locate any state (or federal, for that matter) regulations regarding HOW TO REPORT A WATER MAIN BREAK, AND WHO TO REPORT IT TO. Recently, our city experienced a break, and subsequent drop in pressure below the 20 psi mark in the line, due to an outside influence beyond our control. A restaurant was on this line as well as 45 residential customers. We distributed the low pressure advisory flyers and reported it to our PWS regional office, and were told (as we are always told) that we must also report it to our local health department. Well, unfortunately, our county offices were not open that day, and they don't have an emergency call number. The regional inspector required us to report this to the Raleigh office as a result. The state office called the regional health inspector, and sent them out to shut down the restaurant until the bacteriological testing was completed. Several locals were not please about this
. So, of course the next issue became, "we have to do what the state tells us to do", and it's just too bad that someone lost money for one day". I mean, the reality of it is, we need to be concerned about the health of our citizens.
So....I need some back up here. Anybody with any links or copies of OFFICIAL regs regarding break reporting??? I can't even find a rule stating that you must notify PWS within a certain amount of time, never mind finding something about the notifying the health dept. I must not be looking in the righ place. Thank you in advance for your time!
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