(1) No person may operate a group A public water system unless the person first submits an application to the department and receives an operating permit as provided in this section. A new application must be submitted upon any change in ownership of the system. Any person operating a public water system on July 28, 1991, may continue to operate the system until the department takes final action, including any time necessary for a hearing under subsection (3) of this section, on a permit application submitted by the person operating the system under the rules adopted by the department to implement this section.

     (2) The department may require that each application include the information that is reasonable and necessary to determine that the system complies with applicable standards and requirements of the federal safe drinking water act, state law, and rules adopted by the department or by the state board of health.

     (3) Following its review of the application, its supporting material, and any information received by the department in its investigation of the application, the department shall issue or deny the operating permit. The department shall act on initial permit applications as expeditiously as possible, and shall in all cases either grant or deny the application within one hundred twenty days of receipt of the application or of any supplemental information required to complete the application. The applicant for a permit shall be entitled to file an appeal in accordance with chapter 34.05 RCW if the department denies the initial or subsequent applications or imposes conditions or requirements upon the operator. Any operator of a public water system that requests a hearing may continue to operate the system until a decision is issued after the hearing.

     (4) At the time of initial permit application or at the time of permit renewal the department may impose such permit conditions, requirements for system improvements, and compliance schedules as it determines are reasonable and necessary to ensure that the system will provide a safe and reliable water supply to its users.

     (5) Operating permits shall be issued for a term of one year, and shall be renewed annually, unless the operator fails to apply for a new permit or the department finds good cause to deny the application for renewal.

     (6) Each application shall be accompanied by an annual fee as follows:

     (a) The annual fee for public water supply systems serving fifteen to forty-nine service connections shall be twenty-five dollars.

     (b) The annual fee for public water supply systems serving fifty to three thousand three hundred thirty-three service connections shall be based on a uniform per service connection fee of one dollar and fifty cents per service connection.

     (c) The annual fee for public water supply systems serving three thousand three hundred thirty-four to fifty-three thousand three hundred thirty-three service connections shall be based on a uniform per service connection fee of one dollar and fifty cents per service connection plus ten cents for each service connection in excess of three thousand three hundred thirty-three service connections.

     (d) The annual fee for public water supply systems serving fifty-three thousand three hundred thirty-four or more service connections shall be ten thousand dollars.

     (e) In addition to the fees under (a) through (d) of this subsection, the department may charge an additional one-time fee of five dollars for each service connection in a new water system.

     (f) Until June 30, 2007, in addition to the fees under (a) through (e) of this subsection, the department may charge municipal water suppliers, as defined in RCW 90.03.015, an additional annual fee equivalent to twenty-five cents for each residential service connection for the purpose of funding the water conservation activities in RCW 70.119A.180.

     (7) The department may phase-in the implementation for any group of systems provided the schedule for implementation is established by rule. Prior to implementing the operating permit requirement on water systems having less than five hundred service connections, the department shall form a committee composed of persons operating these systems. The committee shall be composed of the department of health, two operators of water systems having under one hundred connections, two operators of water systems having between one hundred and two hundred service connections, two operators of water systems having between two hundred and three hundred service connections, two operators of water systems having between three hundred and four hundred service connections, two operators of water systems having between four hundred and five hundred service connections, and two county public health officials. The members shall be chosen from different geographic regions of the state. This committee shall develop draft rules to implement this section. The draft rules will then be subject to the rule-making procedures in accordance with chapter 34.05 RCW.

     (8) The department shall notify existing public water systems of the requirements of RCW 70.119A.030, 70.119A.060, and this section at least one hundred twenty days prior to the date that an application for a permit is required pursuant to RCW 70.119A.030, 70.119A.060, and this section.

     (9) The department shall issue one operating permit to any approved satellite system management agency. Operating permit fees for approved satellite system management agencies shall be one dollar per connection per year for the total number of connections under the management of the approved satellite agency. The department shall define by rule the meaning of the term "satellite system management agency." If a statutory definition of this term exists, then the department shall adopt by rule a definition consistent with the statutory definition.

     (10) For purposes of this section, "group A public water system" and "system" mean those water systems with fifteen or more service connections, regardless of the number of people; or a system serving an average of twenty-five or more people per day for sixty or more days within a calendar year, regardless of the number of service connections.

[2003 1st sp.s. c 5 § 18; 1991 c 304 § 5.]

NOTES:

     Severability -- 2003 1st sp.s. c 5: See note following RCW 90.03.015.

     Requirements effective upon adoption of rules -- 1991 c 304: See note following RCW 70.119A.100.