COUNTY OF MONTEREY
HEALTH
DEPARTMENT
Nationally Accredited for Providing Quality Health Services
Public Water Systems
Published on March 14, 2017. Last modified on September 23, 2025
Public Water Systems
Public Water System – (California Health and Safety Code (CH&SC), Division 104, Part 12, Chapter 4 (California Safe Drinking Water Act), Article 1, Section 116275(h)) -a system for the provision of water for human consumption through pipes or other constructed conveyances that has 15 or more service connections or regularly serves at least 25 individuals daily at least 60 days out of the year. Public Water Systems* include the following water system sub-classifications:- 112 – Community Water System – Serves drinking water to at least 15 connections used by yearlong residents or regularly serves at least 25 yearlong residents (i.e., subdivisions, apartments, employee housing, etc).
- 1130 – Nontransient Noncommunity – Serves drinking water to at least the same 25 persons over 6 months per year, but does not meet the requirements of a community water system. (i.e., businesses, schools, etc).
- 1030 – Transient Noncommunity – Serves drinking water to at least 25 individuals daily (same or different people) at least 60 days out of the year, but does not meet the requirements of a community or nontransient noncommunity water system (i.e., small business with less than 25 employees, restaurants, parks, campgrounds, etc)
* Individuals count towards user if they have access to the water (i.e., restrooms, break-rooms) whether they use it or not.
Effective September 1, 2025, Monterey County ended the delegation agreement with the State Water Board and transferred regulatory oversight of public water systems that serve less than 200 connections back to the State Water Board. The State Water Board Website is:Drinking Water Program | California State Water Resources Control Board
Maps
| Map | Description |
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| Public Water Systems-Statewide |
Drinking Water Supply Service Area Lookup Tool for water systems in California (State Water Board website) |
Forms
| Form | Description |
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Use this list to look the up the name of the water system that an address or parcel is connected to. Last updated September 1, 2025. |
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The Bacteria Sample Siting Plan Form - State Water Board Website. Information on sample site plans is available here. |
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| Level 1 Assessments |
Under the RTCR, a water system which exceeds one of the trigger levels in the table above must conduct a Level 1 Assessment within 30 days. The completed assessment must be submitted to the Monterey County Health Department, Environmental Health Bureau within 30 days of exceeding the trigger 1 |
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Operation plan templates available on the State Water Board website |
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List of Operators, Samplers, and Laboratories - English/Spanish |
List of operating and sampling services with whom Monterey County Health Department, Environmental Health Bureau, has recently worked. The list may not be complete and should only be used as a guide. |
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A partial list of engineering firms with whom Monterey County Health Department, Environmental Health Bureau has recently worked. The list is not complete and should only be used as a guide in starting the search for an engineering firm. |
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| Cross-Connection Control Policy Handbook |
Templates for Cross-Connection Control Plan (CCC Plan) for transient noncommunity water systems, nontransient noncommunity water systems and small community water system with 200 or fewer connections. The Cross-Connection Control Policy Handbook (CCCPH) took effect July 1, 2024. |
Permits
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| Preliminary Technical Report Guidance and Form |
As of January 1, 2017, Senate Bill 1263 requires new public water system applicants to prepare a Preliminary Technical Report for review and acceptance by the State Water Resource Board at least 6 months prior to any water related construction. |
| SB 1263-FAQ’s | In January 2017, the State Water Resources Control Board (State Board), Division of Drinking Water (DDW) sent out a summary of Senate Bill 1263 (SB 1263), effective January 1, 2017, to planning departments, environmental health departments and local area formation commissions in each California County. SB 1263 amended section 116540 and added section 116527 to the California Health and Safety Code (CHSC) and added section 106.4 to the Water Code. |
| Documents for Permit Application | |
| TMF (Technical, Managerial, and Financial Capacity) Requirements | Supporting Documentation that must be submitted with Permit Application |
Additional Resources - For Public Water Systems
The state website for public water systems is waterboards.ca.gov
State Board Drinking Water Homepage
You can find additional information from the State Water Board Here.
Drinking Water Watch - Water System Information
Look up tool for water system information including water quality history, monitoring schedules, consumer confidence reports: Click here.
Funding Opportunities for Public Water Systems
The State Water Board has funding programs, including the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, for water system improvement projects: Click here!
Electronic Annual Report
The Electronic Annual Report is required to be submitted by all public water systems: Click here!
SAFER Clearinghouse
Database for reporting public water system production and usage data. Click here!
Consumer Confidence Reports
Consumer Confidence reports are also required for all community and nontransient-noncommunity systems: Click here for more information.
Regulations
State Regulations: California Drinking Water-Related Laws
Tech Briefs
Click Here for Tech Briefs. "Tech Briefs" are four-page fact sheets included in On Tap magazine produced by the National Environmental Services Center (NESC). Each fact sheet provides concise, technical information about a drinking water treatment technology or issue relevant to small systems. "Tech Briefs" are written for drinking water professionals, particularly small system operators. Tables and descriptive illustrations are provided, as well as sources for more information
Geotracker - find out about nearby contamination
Geotracker is a great tool for all systems and well contractors who want to know about nearby contamination: Click onGeotracker to start your search.