Rules and Regulations
Rules and regulations for water, sewer, recycled water, and natural treatment system service. Adopted December 16, 2019.
Availability of service subject to these rules and regulations
Water, sewer, recycled water, and natural treatment system service by the Irvine Ranch Water District, subject to the availability of facilities, adequate capacity in facilities, or funds or financing for the construction thereof, or all of the foregoing, is available on the following terms and conditions including all fees and charges established under Exhibit B, Schedule of Rates and Charges. Service will be made available to each member of the public or each segment of the public on the same basis to the extent applicants, owners, or customers are similarly situated and desire to be served and may be served in an equal and comparable manner.
Review the full document
You can browse through the official Rules and Regulations document, which was adopted by IRWD in 2019.
Related policies and helpful information
Water quality regulations
State and federal water quality regulations are complicated and often not well understood. To help our customers understand the scientific research behind water quality regulations, we put together an information sheet that details both the safety of IRWD drinking water and explains the different types of health standards and goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the California State Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water establish science-based standards that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided in public water systems. These limits are called maximum contaminant levels (MCLs). An MCL is the maximum amount of a contaminant that can be present while still ensuring that the water meets state and federal standards. MCLs are designed to ensure that drinking water is safe to consume. MCLs are based on stringent scientific research and are evaluated and set through a very public process. An MCL is different from a Public Health Goal.
In California, MCLs are adopted as regulations. They are health protective drinking water standards to be met by public water systems such as IRWD. MCLs take into account not only chemicals’ health risks but also factors such as their detectability and treatability, as well as the costs of treatment. California Health & Safety Code §116365(a) requires a contaminant’s MCL to be established at a level as close to its Public Health Goal (see below) as is technologically and economically feasible, placing primary emphasis on the protection of public health. Along with the MCL, a regulated chemical also has a detection limit for purposes of reporting.
Public Health Goals are established by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA). PHGs are concentrations of drinking water contaminants that pose no significant health risk if consumed for a lifetime, based on current risk assessment principles, practices, and methods. OEHHA establishes PHGs pursuant to California Health & Safety Code §116365(c) for contaminants with MCLs, and for those for which MCLs will be adopted. Public water systems such as IRWD use PHGs to provide information about drinking water contaminants in their annual Consumer Confidence Reports.
Once OEHHA establishes or revises a PHG for a contaminant with an existing MCL, the California State Water Resources Control Board determines whether the MCL should be considered for possible revision. For chemicals so designated, an in-depth risk management analysis is conducted to determine whether or not to propose a revision. For more information, see MCL review status.
The California Health and Safety Code, Section 116470, requires public water systems with more than 10,000 service connections to prepare a brief written report that provides information regarding the detection of any contaminants above the PHGs adopted by the OEHHA or the MCLs set by the USEPA. This report is intended to provide information to the public in addition to the Consumer Confidence Report (see below). This report is presented to the IRWD Board of Directors in a publicly noticed hearing. You can download a copy of the most current report here.
Public water agencies such as IRWD are required to provide annual Consumer Confidence Reports (CCRs) to their customers that detail local water quality information. The reports are prepared in accordance with state and federal regulations and include information about the sources of drinking water supplies, what contaminants, if any, are in those supplies, and how those contaminants may affect public health. The reports also indicate how a district’s water supplies compare with state and federal standards. More information about CCRs can be found on the EPA’s website at epa.gov/ccr.