Glendale, AZ - Drinking Water Quality

Glendale, AZ

	Water Services Home Page
	Drinking Water Quality
	Water Quality Report (pdf)
	Informe sobre la calidad del agua potable para el año 2011 (pdf)
	FAQs
	Public Notification Process
	Treatment Process
	Taste & Odor
	Reclaimed & Recycled

Water Services - Drinking Water Quality

Public Notification Requirements

What is Public Notification?

Public notification is a federal rule that requires drinking water providers, such as the city of Glendale, to make customers aware of instances where the water provider violates the drinking water standards.
The type, distribution, and timing of the public notices depend largely upon the nature of the violation. Under the new rule, serious violations need to be communicated within 24 hours of discovery.
The Public Notification Rule establishes three tiers of events for which public notice must be provided.

Tier	Type of Event	Federal Requirement
Tier 1	Coliform bacteria Nitrate Chlorine dioxide Turbidity Waterborne disease outbreak Other events as determined by County	24 hours after utility becomes aware of monitoring results, and requires consultation with County. The 24-hour requirement may demand use of radio and television.
Tier 2	All other Maximum Contaminant Level and treatment technique violations Monitoring violations Failure to comply with variance or exemption	30 days after utility becomes aware of monitoring results. Notification can be made by direct mail and newspaper advertisement or posting.
Tier 3	Monitoring and testing procedure violations Operating under a variance or exemption Fluoride Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level violation Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring results	12 months after utility becomes aware of monitoring results. Normally notice would be included in the next annual Consumer Confidence Report.

A violation of the Maximum Contaminant Level drinking water standard occurs when an analyzed sample contains concentrations of a contaminant greater than what the standard allows and a follow-up analysis of a confirmation sample verifies the initial finding.

The Tier 1 requirement to provide public notices within 24 hours for certain events makes compliance a challenge, and will likely require the use television and radio notice.

The city is required to use specific health effects language/wording in their public notifications. The specific wording describes the potential health effects of the contamination event for which the notice is provided.

What plans are in place?

The city prepared a Public Notification: Drinking Water Advisory Plan for Tier 1 Violations. The plan provides the framework and action steps to protect public health. The city periodically updates the plan.