(1) The purpose of this section is to establish a uniform process for purveyors to:

(a) Demonstrate system capacity as defined in WAC 246-290-010;

(b) Demonstrate how the system will address present and future needs in a manner consistent with other relevant plans and local, state, and federal laws, including applicable land use plans;

(2) Purveyors of the following categories of community public water systems shall submit a water system plan for review and approval by the department:

(a) Systems serving 1,000 or more service connections;

(b) Systems required to develop water system plans under the Public Water System Coordination Act of 1977,chapter 70A.100 RCW;

(d) All new systems;

(e) Any system proposing to:

(i) Increase or otherwise modify the service area identified in a previously approved planning document; or

(ii) Increase the geographical area where direct service is provided if a planning or engineering document has not been previously approved; or

(iii) Install additions, extensions, or changes to existing source, storage, or transmission facilities and increase the approved number of service connections.

(f) Any system proposing to use the document submittal exception process in WAC 246-290-125; or

(g) Any system operating under or proposing to operate under an unspecified number of service connections.

(3) The purveyor shall work with the department to establish the relative priority and level of detail for each element of the water system plan. The priority and level of detail must be related to size, complexity, water supply characteristics, forecasted demand characteristics, past performance, planning history, and use of the water system. Project reports may be combined with a water system plan.

(4) The purveyor shall, at a minimum, address the following elements in the water system plan:

(a) Description of the water system, including:

(i) Ownership and management, including the current names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the owners, operators, and emergency contact persons for the system;

(ii) System history and background;

(iii) Related plans, such as coordinated water system plans, abbreviated coordinated water system plans, local land use plans, groundwater management plans, and basin plans;

(iv) Service area maps, including retail service area and future service area, if applicable, and areas where wholesale water is provided to other public water systems. Municipal water suppliers shall identify the area that will expand their water rights' place of use if the requirements under WAC 246-290-107 have been met;

(v) Service area characteristics, agreements, and policies;

(vi) Satellite management, if applicable.

(b) Basic planning data, including:

(i) Current population, service connections, water use, and equivalent residential units; and

(ii) Sufficient water production and consumption data to identify trends including the following elements:

(A) Monthly and annual production totals for each source, including water purchased from another public water system;

(B) Annual usage totals for each customer class as determined by the purveyor;

(D) For systems serving 1,000 or more total connections, a description of the seasonal variations in consumption patterns of each customer class defined by the purveyor.

(iii) Designated land use, zoning, population, and water demand within the water system's service area for the plan approval period, and at least a 20-year planning period.

(c) Demand forecasts, developed under WAC 246-290-221, for the plan approval period, and at least a 20-year planning period. These must show future use with and without savings expected from the system's water use efficiency program.

(d) For systems serving 1,000 or more total connections, a demand forecast for the plan approval period and at least a 20-year planning period that projects demand if the measures deemed cost-effective per WAC 246-290-810 were implemented.

(e) System analysis, including:

(i) System design standards;

(ii) Water quality analysis;

(iii) Inventory and analysis of water system facilities; and

(iv) Summary of system deficiencies.

(f) Water resource analysis for the plan approval period and at least a 20-year planning period, including:

(i) A water use efficiency program. Municipal water suppliers must meet the requirements in WAC 246-290-810;

(ii) Source of supply analysis, which includes:

(A) An evaluation of water supply alternatives if additional water rights will be pursued within 20 years; and

(B) A narrative description of the system's water supply characteristics and the foreseeable effect from current and future use on the water quantity and quality of any body of water from which its water is diverted or withdrawn based on existing data and studies;

(iii) A water shortage response plan as a component of the reliability and emergency response requirements under WAC 246-290-420;

(iv) Water right self-assessment;

(v) Water supply reliability analysis;

(vi) Interties; and

(vii) For systems serving 1,000 or more total connections, an evaluation of opportunities for the use of reclaimed water, where they exist, as defined in RCW 90.46.120.

(g) Source water protection program under WAC 246-290-135.

(h) Operation and maintenance program under WAC 246-290-415 and 246-290-654(5), as applicable.

(i) Improvement program, including a capital improvement schedule that identifies all capital improvements scheduled within the plan approval period and any major projects or other capital improvements planned within at least a 20-year planning period.

(j) Financial program, including demonstration of financial viability by providing:

(i) A summary of past income and expenses;

(ii) A balanced operational budget for the plan approval period;

(iii) A plan for collecting the revenue necessary to maintain cash flow stability and to fund the capital improvement program and emergency improvements; and

(iv) An evaluation that has considered:

(A) The affordability of water rates; and

(B) The feasibility of adopting and implementing a rate structure that encourages water demand efficiency.

(k) Other documents, such as:

(i) Documentation of SEPA compliance;

(ii) Agreements; and

(iii) Comments from each local government with jurisdiction and adjacent utilities.

(l) Systems serving 1,000 or more connections, a climate resilience element as required under RCW 43.20.310.

(5) Purveyors intending to implement the project report and construction document submittal exceptions authorized under WAC 246-290-125 must include:

(a) Standard construction specifications for distribution mains; and/or

(b) Design and construction standards for distribution-related projects, including:

(i) Description of project report and construction document internal review procedures, including engineering design review and construction completion reporting requirements;

(ii) Construction-related policies and requirements for external parties, including consumers and developers;

(iii) Performance and sizing criteria; and

(iv) General reference to construction materials and methods.

(6) Purveyors shall submit reports identifying the progress in developing their water system plans if required by the department.

(7) Purveyors shall transmit water system plans to adjacent utilities and each local government with jurisdiction, to assess consistency with ongoing and adopted planning efforts.

(8) Prior to department approval of a water system plan or a water system plan update, the purveyor shall:

(a) Hold an informational meeting for the water system consumers and notify consumers in a way that is appropriate to the size of the water system; and

(b) Obtain approval of the water system plan from the purveyor's governing body or elected governing board.

(9) Department approval of a water system plan is effective for 10 years from the date of written approval unless:

(a) The purveyor requests and receives a plan approval period of less than 10 years; or

(b) The department requests an updated plan.

(10) The purveyor shall update the water system plan and obtain department approval at or before the expiration of the current plan approval if the system meets any of the conditions of subsection (2) of this section.

(11) Water system plan amendments. A purveyor may submit an amendment to its current approved water system plan for department approval at any time during the plan approval period. Project reports may be included in a water system plan amendment to meet the requirements under WAC 246-290-110(3). Department approval of a water system plan amendment does not alter the current plan approval period in accordance with subsection (9) of this section and does not satisfy the requirement of subsection (2) of this section to update the water system plan.

PDFWAC 246-290-100

Water system plan.