Owners and operators of public water systems need to ensure that chemicals used in treating public water supplies, and other products or coatings in contact with drinking water do not inadvertently cause contamination. In order to ensure such safety, DES requires that such treatment chemicals and products meet purity standards and are manufactured under appropriate levels of cleanliness.

These standards are commonly known as the ANSI/NSF Standards 60 and 61. Chemical purity is addressed by standard 60. The purity of products in contact with water is addressed by standard 61. The formal rule requirement is Env-Ws 305. This rule is shown on the reverse. This certification of chemicals and products is required by most other state drinking water programs that implement the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Currently there are at least two entities providing the certification of treatment chemicals and products in accordance with the protocol of Standards 60/61:

NSF, International                           Underwriters Laboratory (UL)

Owners or operators of public water systems in New Hampshire are responsible for ensuring that chemicals and other products in contact with potable water are certified in accordance with NSF Standards 60 or 61 as appropriate. Chemicals or devices having this certification show the "logo" of the certifier on products or packaging, and thus it is very easy to identify if such products are certified. The "logo" for each of these certifying entities is shown above.

REPACKAGING OF STANDARD 60 CHEMICALS
Concerning the repackaging of ANSI/NSF standard 60 certified chemicals. In many cases local suppliers purchase standard 60 certified chemicals in bulk and repackage in smaller increments for local needs. If there is no modification of the ANSI/NSF certified chemical, than DES will accept self-certification by the repackager that the material is equivalent to the ANSI/NSF standard 60 certified chemical in purity. If the chemical is in any way modified by the addition or removal of other ingredients or the addition or removal of water, direct recertification to the ANSI/NSF standard 60 is required.

SUGGESTED BID STATEMENT
The product shall have been produced in accordance with the ANSI/NSF standard 60. A copy of the manufacturers certification document shall be submitted with the bid. If the product has been repackaged, the repacker shall certify in writing, that the purity of the product remains equal to that when shipped. This repackager certification shall be signed by a principal of the repackaging firm and shall be on the repackager's letterhead.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Please call DES's Water Supply Engineering Bureau at 271-3139 if you have further questions. We would appreciate your suggestions concerning this Fact Sheet. For a complete list of all Fact Sheets please request WD-WSEB-15-2. Drinking water fact sheets are available through the DES web site at: www.des.state.nh.us/ws.htm then select fact sheets.