The following definitions shall apply in the interpretation and enforcement of these standards.

1. (1) Approved laboratory--A laboratory certified and approved by the Texas Department of Health to analyze water samples to determine their compliance with maximum allowable constituent levels.
2. (2) Commission--The Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission.
3. (3) Community water system--A public water system which has a potential to serve at least 15 service connections on a year-round basis or serves at least 25 individuals on a year-round basis. Service connections shall be counted as one for each single family residential unit or each commercial or industrial establishment to which drinking water is supplied from the system.
4. (4) Compliance cycle--The nine-year (calendar year) cycle during which public water systems must monitor. Each compliance cycle consists of three three-year compliance periods. The first calendar-year cycle begins January 1, 1993, and ends December 31, 2001; the second begins January 1, 2002, and ends December 31, 2010; the third begins January 1, 2011, and ends December 31, 2019.
5. (5) Compliance period--A three-year (calendar year) period within a compliance cycle. Each compliance cycle has three three-year compliance periods. Within the first compliance cycle, the first compliance period is called the initial compliance period and runs from January 1, 1993, to December 31, 1995; the second from January 1, 1996, to December 31, 1998; the third from January 1, 1999, to December 31, 2001.
6. (6) Control tests--Chemical, physical, or microbiological tests made by the operator of the water system to control the quality or quantity of water served to the public and recorded regularly in the operating records.
7. (7) Drinking water--All water distributed by any agency or individual, public or private, for the purpose of human consumption or which may be used in the preparation of foods or beverages or for the cleaning of any utensil or article used in the course of preparation or consumption of food or beverages for human beings. The term "drinking water" shall also include all water supplied for human consumption or used by any institution catering to the public.
8. (8) Entry point--An entry point to the distribution system is a point which is representative of the water from each well after treatment or for surface water systems or a combination of surface and groundwater systems; a point which is representative of each source or treatment point after any application of treatment.
9. (9) Executive director--The executive director of the commission.
10. (10) Human consumption--Uses by humans in which water can be ingested into or absorbed by the human body. Examples of these uses include, but are not limited to, drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, bathing, washing hands, washing dishes, and preparing foods.
11. (11) MCL--An acronym for Maximum Contaminant Level.
12. (12) Monthly reports of water works operations--The daily record of data relating to the operation of the system facilities compiled in a monthly report.
13. (13) Non-community water system--Any public water system which is not a community water system.
14. (14) Non-transient non-community water system or NTNCWS--A public water system that is not a community water system and that regularly serves at least 25 of the same persons over six months per year.
15. (15) Public water system--A system for the provision to the public of piped water for human consumption. Such a system must have a potential to serve at least 15 service connections or 25 individuals at least 60 days out of the year. This term includes any collection, treatment, storage, and distribution facilities under control of the operator of such system and used primarily in connection with such system; and any collection or pretreatment storage facilities not under such control which are used primarily in connection with such system. Two or more water systems with each having a potential to serve less than 15 connections or less than 25 individuals but owned by the same person, firm, or corporation and located on adjacent land will be considered a public water system when the total potential service connections in the combined systems are 15 or greater or if the total number of individuals served by the combined systems total 25 or more at least 60 days out of the year. Without excluding other meanings of the terms "individual" or "served," an individual shall be deemed to be served by a water system if he resides in, uses as his place of employment, or works in a place to which drinking water is supplied from the system. A public water system is either a "community water system" or a "non-community water system" as defined in this section.
16. (16) Repeat compliance period--Any subsequent compliance period after the initial compliance period.
17. (17) Sanitary survey--An on-site review of the water source, facilities, equipment, operation, and maintenance of a public water system, for the purpose of evaluating the adequacy for producing and distributing safe drinking water.

Source Note:The provisions of this §290.102 adopted to be effective April 15, 1994, 19 TexReg 2282.