Regulations
Regulations
This domain tests the legal framework: Safe Drinking Water Act and Clean Water Act requirements as administered by North Dakota DEQ, operator certification, monitoring, reporting, public notice, permits, and records. Expect questions on MCLs, sample handling, violation classification, and what must be reported and when.
Core rules
- MCLs are enforceable limits; MCLGs are health goals, not compliance limits.
- Monitoring must follow the approved site, method, frequency, and chain of custody.
- Acute violations such as nitrate above 10 mg/L require prompt public notice, generally within 24 hours under Tier 1.
- NPDES/state discharge permits set effluent limits and monitoring; DMRs must be accurate and timely.
- Certified operators are required for system operation; report significant changes and bypasses.
Worked example
A nitrate result is 11 mg/L as N, above the 10 mg/L MCL. The operator should verify the result and sampling error, notify the primacy agency as required, and issue Tier 1 public notice within the required timeframe. The reasoning: 11 > 10 is an exceedance, not a goal; nitrate is an acute risk, so delay is a violation.
Traps
Treating an MCLG as an MCL; reporting only in the annual consumer confidence report; missing a DMR deadline; sampling at a non-approved location; assuming a certified operator is optional on small systems.