Water System Records Retention

At times, owning, operating, and maintaining a public water system can seem a daunting challenge. The paperwork requirements alone can feel overwhelming. Keeping complete, well organized records can greatly simplify the task of running a water public system. Records prove compliance, track system trends, and assist in the overall planning, operation, maintenance, and management of the water system. You cannot effectively run a water system and keep it in compliance without keeping and maintaining good records.

This document is designed to assist you in managing your systems records. Records should be kept in a safe secure place and readily available for use by the system operator or to be provided to a state or federal inspector upon request. If the ownership, management, or the operator of your system changes, all records are required to be transferred to the new responsible party.

The following is a summary of records that water systems should have and how long the records should be maintained. Most of the documents cited are required by state or federal statute. The rest are strongly recommended for efficient water system management and operation.

For additional information, please contact the Drinking Water and Groundwater Bureau at (603) 271-2513 or dwgbinfo@des.state.nh.us. Drinking water fact sheets are available through DES web site at www.des.nh.gov/dwg.htm.

Note: Due to the length and complexity of drinking water rules, this list is not complete. Many of the listed documents are not applicable to very small water systems. If you have any questions or if a record you keep is not listed, please contact DES for clarification.

Note: This fact sheet is accurate as of January 2007. Statutory or regulatory changes, or the availability of additional information after this date may render this information inaccurate or incomplete.