Consumer Confidence Reporting Requirements for Public Water Systems
Each year, community water systems in Idaho must prepare an annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) that informs its customers of where their drinking water comes from and what is in it. A community water system is a public water system that serves at least 15 service connections used by year-round residents or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents (e.g., a municipality, subdivision, mobile home park, apartment complex, or nursing home) (40 CFR 141 Subpart O; IDAPA 58.01.08.151).
Preparing Your Consumer Confidence Report
The CCR may be completed in either of the following ways:
- Follow the instructions contained in the EPA guidance document or
- Generate a web-based report using EPA's CCR iWriter
This information can be found in the CCR Report Writing Assistance Tool.
EPA's CCR iWriter
EPA offers the CCR iWriter to community water systems. This is a web-based computer program for writing CCRs. It allows water system operators or designated personnel to enter data to generate a CCR using a step-by-step interview process to gather information for the report.
To use the program and provide security, designate a user name and password that ensures you and only personnel you authorize are able to access or change the information. (Your "user name" can be any name or just a first name.) CCRs can be created during several sessions—save your work after each session. Once you have entered all of the data, click print and a completed CCR is printed out and ready for distribution.
Electronic Delivery of Consumer Confidence Reports
Idaho now allows all sizes of community public water systems the option to deliver Consumer Confidence Reports (CCRs) electronically. All community public water systems are required to deliver CCRs to their customers by July 1 of every year and provide a certification to DEQ that CCRs were delivered. EPA interprets the requirement to “mail or otherwise directly deliver” to include electronic delivery. Three elements that meet the direct delivery option include the following:
- Electronic delivery must be in a manner that is direct such as utility bill mailings where a web address to the CCR is described and displayed prominently and the web address is a direct link to the CCR.
- The CCR must be provided by an alternative method if you are aware of a customer’s inability to receive a CCR electronically.
- All mail notifications of CCR availability need to display a message and the direct web address to the CCR.
Electronic delivery does not include social media such as Facebook or Twitter or automated phone calls.
How to Submit a Completed CCR
Hand-deliver, mail, fax, or e-mail your completed CCR to the following:
- Your nearest DEQ regional office or
- Public health district assigned to your water system
Certification Form
Certification that the CCR has been distributed as required based on the number of customers served must be submitted to your nearest DEQ regional office no later than October 1. (Form may be submitted with completed CCR.) Access the certification form below in either Word or PDF format.