Environmental Health

Safe Water

This page contains information about making private (individual and/or domestic) water and public water safe to drink.

Private (Individual, Domestic) Wells

The following web site provides information for residents whose drinking water comes from their own well: http://wellwater.orst.edu/

Public Water Systems

Technical Assistance for Public Water System Operators

Public water systems are those drinking water systems that serve:

• public facilities (such as restaurants, campgrounds, schools, workplaces)
• residential areas (such as cities, subdivisions, mobile home parks)

Public water systems are regulated to assure that the water delivered to water users meets safe drinking water standards.

Public water system operators can download frequently requested forms and documents for the following topics:

• Public water systems must have their water tested by an approved lab. Use this link is to get a list of labs approved by the state of Oregon.

• Public water systems must monitor and report for contaminants on a regular schedule. Each category of public water system (community, non-transient non-community, transient, or non-public (“state”) has its own schedule for monitoring and reporting.
  
  These fact sheets provide the minimum monitoring and reporting schedules for each type of system.
  
  Coliform and Turbidity Monitoring for All Systems
  
  Chemical Monitoring Schedule for Community and NonTransient Non-Community
  
  Routine Monitoring for Transient and Non-Public
  
  Coliform Sampling Technique

• New public water systems, and those undergoing major modifications/additions, must submit plans to the state of Oregon Drinking Water Program prior to construction. The Drinking Water Program contact person for plan review of Linn County public water systems is Tom Charbonneau (971) 673-0406. The following documents describe plan review requirements and fees.
  
  Plan Review Requirements
  
  Land Use Compatibility Statement

• Community and non-transient non-community public water systems must have an operator that has been certified by the state of Oregon Drinking Water Program. The following documents describe certification requirements and include the form used to apply for certification.
  
  Small Groundwater System Operator Certification Rules
  
  Small Groundwater System Operator Application

• When a public water system exceeds a maximum contaminant level or is delinquent in required monitoring or reporting, the system must provide public notification to its users. The following documents provide the required templates for public notification and instructions on their use.
  
  Unresolved Total Coliform Public Notice
  
  Fecal Coliform E. coli Public Notice
  
  Monitoring and Reporting Violation Pubic Notice