Public Water Supply Permits

In rural parts of California, not serviced by municipal water utilities, Public Water System (PWS) permits are often required by California State Law. Generally, if a water well or other water supply provides potable water to more than 25 people, it likely will require a PWS permit. Common places where PWS permits are required include truck stops, remote processing or manufacturing plants or agricultural packing houses, and wineries. WEC helps project owners comply with the PWS Permit process, as required by Section 116275 of the California Health and Safety Code. Services that WEC typically provides to complete the permit application include preparation of the required Technical Report, including Technical Managerial and Financial (TMF) plan, preparation of the Drinking Water Source Assessment and Protection Plan (DWSAP), and completion of Title 22 water-quality testing. We often assist well drillers in well-construction design and selection of appropriate screen intervals based on water-quality and production-volume objectives.

When a PWS is anticipated or may be a component of a new project, we recommend that the PWS permitting process commence very early in the development-planning process because the permitting process (by law) can take well in excess of 6 months to complete and the PWS-permit conditions can have a significant impact on the layout of other project components, such as water- treatment systems (e.g., chlorination), drainage facilities, stormwater ponds, wastewater facilities, hazardous material storage areas, etc.