North Carolina Administrative Code

15A NCAC 18C .0404 WATER TREATMENT FACILITIES (a) Physical Security and Facility Protection. Treatment equipment and chemicals shall be secured against unauthorized access and shall be protected against the weather as follows: (1) Structures shall comply with provisions of state …

15A NCAC 18C .0405 STORAGE OF FINISHED WATER (a) Ground Level Storage: (1) Finished Water Ground Storage Tank. Finished water ground storage tanks shall be provided with a light-proof and insect-proof cover of concrete, steel, or equivalent material approved by the Department. Th…

15A NCAC 18C .0406 DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS (a) Water Pipe Materials. Water pipes shall be cast iron, ductile iron, reinforced concrete, plastic, or other material designed for potable water system service and shall meet AWWA standards, section C, or be certified as meeting the speci…

15A NCAC 18C .0407 ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS Electrical wiring and equipment shall comply with applicable provisions of the national, state, and local electrical codes. Protection against moisture and overheating shall be provided. History Note: Authority G.S. 130A-315; 130A-317; P.L. 9…

15A NCAC 18C .0408 LEAD FREE CONSTRUCTION (a) All pipe, pipe fitting, solder or flux used in the installation or repair of a public water system shall be lead free. (b) "Lead free" means: (1) not containing more than 0.2 percent lead when used with respect to solder and flux; and…

15A NCAC 18C .0409 SERVICE CONNECTIONS (a) Local Water Supply Plan. Units of local government that are operating under a local water supply plan in accordance with G.S. 143-355(l) shall not be limited in the number of service connections. (b) No local water supply plan. A public …

SECTION .0500 - SUPPLEMENTAL DESIGN CRITERIA Rules .0501 - .0502 of Title 15A Subchapter 18C of the North Carolina Administrative Code (T15A.18C .0501 - .0502); has been transferred and recodified from Rules .1701 - .1702 Title 10 Subchapter 10D of the North Carolina Administrati…

15A NCAC 18C .0502 DESIGN CRITERIA Community and non-transient, non-community water systems and non-community water systems using surface water or ground water under the influence of surface water shall comply with these supplemental design criteria unless alternate design propos…

15A NCAC 18C .0503 OTHER DESIGN STANDARDS In evaluating public water systems or water system design features, in addition to the rules in this Subchapter, the Department shall consider standards from the American Water Works Association or Recommended Standards for Water Works – …

SECTION .0600 - RAW SURFACE WATER FACILITIES 15A NCAC 18C .0601 IMPOUNDMENTS: PRE-SETTLING RESERVOIRS (a) Construction of a pre-settling reservoir shall be required if wide and rapid variations in turbidity, bacterial concentrations, or chemical qualities occur, or where the foll…

15A NCAC 18C .0602 RAW WATER INTAKES (a) Stream Intakes. The intake structure for unimpounded streams shall be constructed so that it will not be affected by flood water or damaged by floating debris. It shall be located and designed to minimize entrance of sand, silt, fish and d…

15A NCAC 18C .0603 INTAKE CONDUITS The pipes, tunnels, or flumes used for intake conduits shall be designed to conduct water at self-cleaning velocities of at least two feet per second. A screen, accessible for cleaning, shall be provided to protect the pumps. History Note: Autho…

15A NCAC 18C .0604 PUMPS: POWER FACILITIES At least two pumping units with necessary check valves, gate valves, piping and appurtenances shall be provided for both raw water and finished water. Auxiliary facilities shall be provided to supply power or to provide other means to sa…

SECTION .0700 - SURFACE WATER TREATMENT FACILITIES Rules .0701 - .0709 of Title 15A Subchapter 18C of the North Carolina Administrative Code (T15A.18C .0701 - .0709); has been transferred and recodified from Rules .1901 - .1909 Title 10 Subchapter 10D of the North Carolina Admini…

15A NCAC 18C .0702 AIR MIXING Diffused air mixing may be used only in conjunction with mechanical or baffled mixers. History Note: Authority G.S. 130A-315; 130A-317; P.L. 93-523; Eff. January 1, 1977; Readopted Eff. December 5, 1977; Pursuant to G.S. 150B-21.3A, rule is necessary…

15A NCAC 18C .0703 MECHANICAL FLOCCULATION (a) Basin Inlet and Outlet. The design of inlets and outlets of flocculation basins shall prevent short circuiting of the water and destruction or deterioration of the floc. (b) Detention Period. The flocculation basins shall have a theo…

15A NCAC 18C .0704 BAFFLED MIXING AND FLOCCULATION BASINS (a) Detention Period. The theoretical detention period of baffled mixing and flocculation shall be at least 25 minutes. (b) Velocities (1) The velocity of the water between the baffles shall be as follows: (A) first third …

15A NCAC 18C .0705 CONDUITS: PIPES AND FLUMES: GATES AND VALVES Conduits conducting flocculated or coagulated water to sedimentation basins shall have sufficient capacity to limit velocity of flow to 0.5 feet per second. The optimum velocity to prevent both the breaking up and th…

15A NCAC 18C .0706 SEDIMENTATION BASINS (a) Inlets. Inlets to sedimentation basins shall be designed to dissipate inlet velocities before the diffusion walls or before other entrance arrangements designed to provide uniform flow across the basins. (b) Detention Period. A theoreti…

15A NCAC 18C .0707 SOLIDS CONTACT OR UP-FLOW UNITS (a) Approval of Solids Contact or Up-Flow Units. Solids contact or up-flow clarification units shall be approved only if raw water characteristics are constant and shall not be approved for raw waters that have wide and rapid var…

15A NCAC 18C .0708 GRAVITY FILTERS (a) Filtration Rates. The standard rate of filtration for a single media filter shall be two gallons per minute per square foot. Higher filtration rates up to four gallons per minute per square foot may be approved for dual media or multi-media …

15A NCAC 18C .0709 PREVENTION OF BACKFLOW AND BACK-SIPHONAGE The following methods and devices for prevention of backflow or back-siphonage shall be provided for the conditions indicated: (1) Dry Chemical Feeders. Dry chemical feeders with submerged water inlets shall have a non-…

15A NCAC 18C .0710 OTHER WATER TREATMENT PLANTS Water treatment plants which provide conventional filtration treatment, as defined in Rule .0102 of this Subchapter, but do not meet the minimum design criteria for process flow times established in this Rule, may be approved to tre…

15A NCAC 18C .0711 ALTERNATIVE FILTRATION TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES A public water system may propose an alternative filtration treatment technology as provided in Rule .2003 of this Subchapter. The Department shall approve alternative filtration treatment technologies when the foll…

15A NCAC 18C .0712 DIRECT FILTRATION Water treatment plants which use direct filtration may be approved to treat high quality source waters derived from uninhibited watersheds classified WS-I. A proposal, including an engineering report as described in Rule .0710 Item (1) of this…

15A NCAC 18C .0713 PRESSURE FILTERS (a) Pressure filters shall not be used in treatment of surface waters without prior coagulation and flocculation. (b) Pressure filters shall be approved for treatment of existing groundwater sources under the influence of surface water under th…

15A NCAC 18C .0714 PILOT PLANT STUDIES (a) A pilot plant study proposal shall be submitted to the Department for approval before the study is conducted. The proposal shall be approved if it meets all of the following conditions and includes all of the following information: (1) A…

15A NCAC 18C .0715 OTHER DESIGN STANDARDS History Note: Authority G.S. 130A-315; 130A-317; P.L. 93-523; Eff. July 1, 1994; Amended Eff. April 1, 2014; Pursuant to G.S. 150B-21.3A, rule is necessary without substantive public interest Eff. November 23, 2015; Repealed Eff. July 1, …

SECTION .0800 - HYDROPNEUMATIC STORAGE TANKS Rules .0801 - .0805 of Title 15A Subchapter 18C of the North Carolina Administrative Code (T15A.18C .0801 - .0805); has been transferred and recodified from Rules .2001 - .2005 Title 10 Subchapter 10D of the North Carolina Administrati…

15A NCAC 18C .0802 CAPACITIES: DETERMINING PEAK DEMAND (a) The following charts shall be used to determine the peak demand for campground, residential community, and mobile home park water systems: PEAK DEMAND FOR CAMPGROUND WATER SYSTEMS (Number of Connections vs Gallons per Min…

15A NCAC 18C .0803 CAPACITIES: DETERMINING TOTAL VOLUME The total volume of a pressure tank shall be calculated by applying the principle of Boyle's Law as set forth in this Rule. (1) For a mobile home park, the total volume measured in gallons shall be not less than 25 times the…

15A NCAC 18C .0804 CAPACITIES: GROUND STORAGE PLUS HYDROPNEUMATIC TANKS When ground level storage tanks and high-service pumps are to be used, hydropneumatic tanks shall be sized in relation to peak demand and the high-service pump capacity. History Note: Authority G.S. 130A-315;…

15A NCAC 18C .0805 CAPACITIES: ELEVATED STORAGE (a) Where feasible, elevated storage capacity shall meet the requirements of the ISO Commercial Risk Services, Inc. Fire Suppression Rating Schedule that are hereby incorporated by reference including any subsequent amendments and e…

SECTION .0900 - DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS Rules .0901 - .0907 of Title 15A Subchapter 18C of the North Carolina Administrative Code (T15A.18C .0901 - .0907); has been transferred and recodified from Rules .2101 - .2107 Title 10 Subchapter 10D of the North Carolina Administrative Code …

15A NCAC 18C .0902 NUMBER OF RESIDENCES ON A WATER MAIN (a) No more than 20, or the equivalent of 20 residences shall be connected to a two-inch diameter water line, unless the main is looped or otherwise supplied from two connections with mains of adequate capacities. (b) A loop…

15A NCAC 18C .0903 DEAD-END WATER MAINS Where installation of dead-end water mains cannot be avoided, a hydrant or a valve of adequate size for flushing shall be installed at the terminal end of the line. The flush valves shall have an above-ground discharge and shall be protecte…

15A NCAC 18C .0904 PIPE LAYING (a) Trenching, pipe laying, and backfilling shall be accomplished in a manner to prevent damage to and misalignment of the pipe. Water mains shall be buried to a depth below the frost line or to a depth sufficient to provide a minimum of 30 inches c…

15A NCAC 18C .0905 TESTING NEW WATER MAINS New water mains shall be tested for leakage and any necessary repairs and re-testing shall be accomplished as specified in AWWA standards. History Note: Authority G.S. 130A-315; 130A-317; P.L. 93-523; Eff. January 1, 1977; Readopted Eff.…

15A NCAC 18C .0906 RELATION OF WATER MAINS TO NON-POTABLE WATER LINES (a) For the purposes of this Rule, sewer shall mean any existing or proposed gravity or force main used to convey sanitary or industrial process waste. (b) Lateral Separation of Sewers and Water Mains. Water ma…

15A NCAC 18C .0907 VALVES (a) Valves should be installed on all branches from feeder mains, and between mains and hydrants according to the following schedule: (1) three valves at x (crosses), (2) two valves at T's (tees), and (3) one valve on single hydrant branch. (b) All valve…

SECTION .1000 - DISINFECTION OF WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS Rules .1001 - .1004 of Title 15A Subchapter 18C of the North Carolina Administrative Code (T15A.18C .1001 - .1004); has been transferred and recodified from Rules .2201 - .2204 Title 10 Subchapter 10D of the North Carolina Admi…

15A NCAC 18C .1002 DISINFECTION OF WELLS (a) After construction, servicing, maintenance, or any other activity or event that might lead to contamination of the water, wells shall be disinfected in accordance with ANSI/AWWA C654-13, "Disinfection of Wells." Copies may be obtained …

15A NCAC 18C .1003 DISINFECTION OF STORAGE TANKS AND DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS (a) Water distribution systems, including storage tanks and water mains, after flushing to remove sediment and other foreign matter, and after testing for leaks, shall be disinfected in accordance with ANSI…

15A NCAC 18C .1004 DISINFECTION OF WATER TREATMENT FACILITIES (a) New water treatment facilities and existing water treatment facilities taken out of service for cleaning, inspection, maintenance, painting, repair, or other activities or events that might lead to contamination of…

SECTION .1100 - PROTECTION OF UNFILTERED PUBLIC WATER SUPPLIES Rules .1101 - .1108 of Title 15A Subchapter 18C of the North Carolina Administrative Code (T15A.18C .1101 - .1108); has been transferred and recodified from Rules .1201 - .1208 Title 10 Subchapter 10D of the North Car…

15A NCAC 18C .1102 AUTHORIZED PERSONS WITHIN WATERSHED AREA No persons, other than a duly authorized representative of the person or company supplying the water from an unfiltered public water system or a representative of the local health department, or the Department, or a game…

15A NCAC 18C .1103 HUNTING: FISHING: OR HIKING Hunting, fishing, or hiking shall not be permitted within the watershed area. History Note: Authority G.S. 130A-315; 130A-320; P.L. 93-523; Eff. January 1, 1977; Readopted Eff. December 5, 1977; Amended Eff. September 1, 1990; Pursua…

15A NCAC 18C .1104 DISPOSAL OF CARCASSES The carcass of any dead animal found within the watershed area of an unfiltered community water system shall be buried by the owner or person in charge of the animal and by the person owning or in charge of the land upon which the animal d…

15A NCAC 18C .1105 PROHIBITED CONDUCT ON WATERSHED No timbering, lumbering, construction, or reforestation operations shall be permitted on the watershed of an unfiltered public water system unless the Department determines that the project will provide for the sanitary and physi…

15A NCAC 18C .1106 INSPECTION OF WATERSHEDS The person or company supplying water from the watershed of an unfiltered source shall employ an adequate number of responsible inspectors and cause satisfactory inspection of the watershed to be made at least at quarterly intervals to …