Supplemental IRR on Water Supply

Defined terms for water supply rules

Air gap means a clear vertical space through the free atmosphere between the opening of a pipe or faucet conveying water or waste and the flood level rim of the receptacle, used to prevent cross-connection and reverse flow from wastewater sources into the water supply.
Approved water laboratory means a Department of Health-accredited water analysis laboratory.
Approved source means a water source (spring, artesian well, drilled well, public or private water system, rain water reservoir, or other source) that has undergone a sanitary survey, issued site clearance, constructed, and sampled/analyzed and found safe and potable, with issuance of an operational permit and certificate of potability.
Backflow means reverse-direction water flow in a pipe or line, often associated with back siphonage into a potable water system.
Retail Water System (RWS) means refilled water being sold and placed in the refilled water container or in customer containers in a refilling station.
Bulk water means water in a container of five gallons or more in volume coming from a refilling station establishment, or water intended for potable uses transported via tanker truck or equivalent for treatment and/or packaging and human consumption.
Certificate of Potability of Drinking Water means a certification issued by the Secretary or his duly authorized representative certifying potability and safeness based on the Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water.
Point-of-Entry (POE) means a water treatment device installed at the main inlet to a building or mobile vehicle as centralized treatment.
Point-of-Use (POU) means a water treatment system designed for the actual point-of-use (e.g., countertop or undersink treatment).
Vermin abatement program means preventive and control procedures and activities for the control of vermin.
Water purification device means any DOH-certified equipment, apparatus, device or gadget intended to purify water for household, commercial, or other uses.

Sanitary requirements for water system development

Persons or entities intending to develop drinking water supply systems must secure Drinking Water Site Clearance through the local health office and must submit an application letter (or duly accomplished application form).
For waterworks, the site clearance application must include a copy of the water permit issued by the National Water Resources Board (NWRB).
A sanitary survey must be conducted by the local health office on all proposed water supply source locations under supervision of a sanitary engineer, and issuance of the site clearance requires a satisfactory evaluation of the survey results.
The sanitary survey must evaluate site location and the type of water source/use, including specific technical factors such as slope, depth of water table, soil and porous strata (groundwater), distance from contamination sources (wells and springs), and watershed/drainage and rainfall/runoff characteristics (fresh surface water).
The Drinking Water Site Clearance (EHS Form No. 122) is issued by the local health authority upon recommendation of the local health officer, and fees are set through city/municipal ordinance.

Initial permit, operational permit, potability

Persons developing a drinking water supply system must apply to the Regional Health Office for an Initial Permit (“Notice to Proceed”) by submitting: (1) the copy of the Drinking Water Site Clearance, (2) engineering report and/or feasibility study (including source and system capacity/pressure to meet demands), and (3) plans/specifications and other required documents signed and sealed by a privately practicing licensed sanitary engineer.
The plans and specifications must be reviewed and evaluated by the Supervising Sanitary Engineer at the Regional Health Office, who submits findings and recommendations to the Regional Health Director.
The Regional Health Director must issue or deny the Initial Permit based on the Supervising Sanitary Engineer’s findings/recommendation, and no construction, installation, and operation of the water source may be done without an approved Initial Permit.
After completion of construction works, the operator must submit to the Regional Health Office: (1) report of inspection of completed construction works and complete disinfection by the local health office, (2) report of inspection verifying completeness and disinfection by the regional/provincial sanitary engineer, and (3) results of water sampling/testing by a DOH-accredited water analysis laboratory.
The Regional Health Director must issue or deny an Operational Permit based on the Supervising Sanitary Engineer’s findings/recommendation, and no drinking water source may be operated without the Operational Permit.
The Operational Permit may be revoked/suspended for grounds including: errors in plans/specifications; incorrect/inaccurate application data; non-compliance with permit conditions; failure to repair as prescribed rendering water unsafe; failure to do required disinfection after disruptions/repairs/emergencies; unauthorized changes/modifications/alterations of approved plans or construction type; and other causes found during operation not in accordance with the rules and DOH standards.
A Certificate of Potability of Drinking Water is issued based on: (1) laboratory sampling/testing results by a DOH-accredited water analysis laboratory, and (2) reports and recommendations of the Local Drinking Water Quality Monitoring Committee (LDWQMC).
The city or municipal health officer is deputized by the Secretary of Health to issue the Certificate of Potability.
Certificate evaluation/re-validation must follow the standard interval or frequency of sampling specified in the Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water.
Fees for the certification are set by city/municipal ordinance.
The Certificate of Potability may be revoked for grounds including: non-compliance with maximum contaminant levels; failure of evaluation/recommendation by the LDWQMC; use of a non-DOH-accredited laboratory; other compelling reasons including false/misleading analysis results; or earlier revocation/suspension of the Operational Permit by the Department.

Actions when water is unsafe

When water is detected or declared unsafe for drinking, the operator must immediately stop the operation of the hazardous part of the distribution system.
The operator must immediately inform the Department and the local health office of the condition, and the local health office must promptly inform local health authorities to convene the Local Drinking Water Quality Monitoring Committee.
The LDWQMC must announce to the public the water status, precautionary measures, and any limited usage (e.g., bathing, washing clothes, watering plants, washing cars).
The operator must refrain from unauthorized public declarations of water quality without prior clearance from the Department or LDWQMC.
The operator must assume obligations for print and media expenses for public pronouncements of the situation.
The operator must institute immediate repair of affected portion(s), provide substantial quantity of drinking water to affected consumers, and conduct complete disinfection and collect water samples for laboratory analysis.
The operator must wait for clearance from the Department or LDWQMC and re-issuance of the Certificate of Potability by the city/municipal health officer before full operation resumes.
The operator must submit to the Department and LDWQMC the water supplier’s contingency plans for such situations.

Distribution lines and bulk handling rules

Openings through floors over water distribution areas must be provided with securely bonded sleeves projecting not less than 19.1 mm (A34 inch) above the finished floor, with space between sleeve and pipe/duct sealed.
Pipes and fittings used for water conveyance must be materials acceptable to the Department.
Plastic pipes/fittings exposed to ultraviolet light must be protected with coating or UV protector.
Valves in water conveyance systems must be food grade quality.
Water distribution systems must be provided with isolation valves in branch lines or grid lines, and control/regulating valves must be provided where needed.
For dissimilar piping materials, appropriate adaptors must be used for fittings.
Floor and shower drains installed above such areas must be equipped with integral seepage pans, with food grade rubber seals for mechanical flanges/joints and teflon seal for threaded joints.
Metal pipes/fittings must be rigid, high strength, and food grade, and acceptable materials include ductile iron, centrifugally cast iron, stainless steel, copper, and galvanized iron; other metal piping for potable conveyance requires approval of the Secretary.
Plastic pipes/fittings must be food grade, chemically stable against water purification/disinfecting agents, and of adequate thickness; acceptable materials include polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, and polypropylene; other plastic piping requires approval of the Secretary.
Where pipes are installed in ceilings above areas, the ceiling must be removable or provided with access panels for inspection.
Refilling station establishments must receive water from the source through public/private water mains or through private water system/pumps/pipes/hoses/connection and appurtenances, mobile bulk water tanks, water containers, or rainwater catchment reservoirs, all constructed/maintained/operated in accordance with the rules.

Drinking water monitoring obligations

The city/municipal health office must cause monitoring of operation of drinking water supply systems and quality of drinking water produced and distributed within the system through the LDWQMC.
Water suppliers must provide to and report to the LDWQMC: (1) description of vertical/horizontal extent of the source aquifer using existing data for recharge area definition, (2) reports on additional improvements/constructions affecting the spring or well and associated structures, (3) watershed survey of recharge area or zone of influence identifying/evaluating actual/potential contamination sources, updated every three years, including reported discharges affecting the source, (4) a plan for special monitoring of significant contaminant sources and corrective measures, and (5) regular monitoring reports on water quality of the supplies.

Retail water systems and refilling stations

No person or entity may operate an RWS or refilling station for commercial purposes without a Sanitary Permit from the city/municipal health office.
A sanitary permit application must submit: (1) the Operational Permit and Certificate of Potability for RWS/refilling stations where raw water comes from a private water supply system, and (2) the Certificate of Potability where raw water comes from a public water supply system, with validated water samples required to confirm no cross-connection in main lines and/or seepage from the water main.
Each sanitary permit application must include plans/specifications for the complete multi-stage water purification design prepared by a privately practicing licensed sanitary engineer, subject to review and approval by the city/municipal health officer as recommended by a government-employed licensed sanitary engineer.
Any additional construction, alteration, renovation, or changes in water treatment process not indicated in the approved as-built design requires a new sanitary permit; violation is a ground for immediate revocation or suspension of the sanitary permit.
Sanitary permit applications/renewals must be filed with the city/municipal health office with jurisdiction, and existing establishments operating before issuance of these rules must conform to the rules before renewal or issuance.
A sanitary permit is issued only upon compliance to at least a satisfactory rating of the establishment and its product quality using the sanitary inspection form.
Fees must be paid to the local government unit upon application/renewal, with amounts set through city or municipal ordinance.
If ownership changes, the new owner must apply within fourteen (14) working days to have the change noted in records and the sanitary permit and must pay the corresponding fee.
The sanitary permit is valid from issuance date until the last day of December of the same year unless revoked, and must be renewed at the beginning of the year thereafter.
Upon recommendation of the local health officer, the local health authority must suspend or revoke the sanitary permit upon violation of sanitary rules and regulations.
The sanitary permit must be posted in a conspicuous place in the establishment for public information and be available for inspection by authorized health and other regulatory personnel.
Each city/municipal health office must keep a record of all establishments issued sanitary permits and renewal thereof, showing: holder name/address, establishment location, nature/kind of business, registered business name, date first issued and renewal dates, alterations/renovations, changes in water purification process, changes of management, sanitary conditions under which permit was issued or renewed, and any revocation.
The record must be available at all reasonable times for inspections by authorized Department officers or the concerned local government unit.

Structural, sanitation, and operational processing rules

Retail water systems/refilling stations must be located in areas/zones designated by existing laws or local ordinance.
The establishment must be at least twenty-five (25) meters away from direct sources of pollution.
The site must not be subject to flooding; in frequent-flooding areas, the establishment must be designed so the purification process will not be contaminated by floodwater.
Source water and power must be available.
Plans and specifications for RWS/refilling station establishments must be signed and sealed by a privately practicing licensed sanitary engineer and submitted for local health office review and approval.
Delivery vehicles, mobile water tankers, or bulk water tankers require submission of design/construction specifications for local health office approval, with on-site visitation where necessary.
The plant must provide facilities including refilling/selling area, purification equipment in an enclosed room, container washing/sanitizing area, container storage separate for filled and empty, production/source water storage, toilet room, and other rooms/facilities as required by the city/municipal health office; rooms under positive pressure of purified air (e.g., filling room) must be determined by the city/municipal health office.
Minimum room allocations include: refilling and selling room 9.50 square meters (minimum); water purification room 3.10 square meters per person (clear of all equipment); container washing/sanitizing room 6.00 square meters plus 3.10 square meters for every additional personnel; office space 1.77 square meters per person (clear of furniture/equipment); changeroom 2.80 square meters per person; toilet room per structural requirements; parking area 30 square meters plus 10 square meters for each additional car; other storage areas based on approved plan.
Doors/partitions must be see-through materials (e.g., glass or approved plastic materials) to permit transparent product processing and supervision.
Customer service openings must be designed to minimize dust, seepage, and contaminants and protect against insects and rodents.
Floors must be concrete or other impervious, non-skid, easily cleaned material with adequate grading/drainage; store/selling areas with floor drains must use “closed” type drains.
Walls must be smooth, even, non-absorbent, easily cleaned without damaged surfaces and finished in light colors; angles between floor and walls must be rounded off to 7.62 centimeters, and wall-ceiling junctions must be sealed to prevent spaces/cracks that harbor vermin.
Toilet/bath/wet rooms must have impervious non-absorbent materials to at least two (2) meters from the floor.
Ceilings must be smooth, non-absorbent, easily cleaned, and painted light color.
Doors must be self-closing and tight fitting with smooth non-absorbent surfaces.
All rooms must provide minimum illumination of 20 foot-candle (215.20 lux).
Ventilation must allocate at least twelve (12) cubic meter room volume per personnel; with only natural ventilation, window openings must be at least 10% of the floor area, and windows must be kept clean.
Where mechanical ventilation is used for windowless areas, air-conditioning must provide 1.5 HP (6,000 BTU/hr) per 50 cubic meter room volume; exhaust fans must provide 25.40-cm diameter blower fan per 35 cubic meter room volume; toilet/bath exhaust must provide 15.24-cm diameter exhaust fan per 10 cubic meter room volume with mechanical exhaust connected to lighting circuits of windowless bathrooms.
Selling/filling/purification rooms must preferably be air-conditioned, and all rooms must have odor absorber or installed air purifier.
Air velocity in personnel/customer areas must not exceed 1.02 meter per second, and at least three (3) changes of air per hour must be provided.
No room/space used for purification, handling, capping/sealing, storage, sale, and related activities may be used as sleeping quarters, be directly connected to a toilet, or be used for keeping animals or any purpose likely to contaminate water; persons not directly involved (including children) may be allowed in these service areas.
RWS/refilling station establishments are strictly prohibited from conducting other businesses (e.g., selling grocery items, dry goods, cosmetics) or displaying/storing items other than RWS materials, particularly in water processing/refilling/selling rooms.
RWS/refilling stations must provide adequate water supply for operations/maintenance and protect the water source from contamination that adversely affects potability/palatability.
Water going to purification machines/equipment must be protected from backflow and backpressure from in-machine water.
Booster/pneumatic/pressure pumps must be prohibited from direct connection to main water lines when source is public water supply.
Plumbing systems and water piping/connections/fittings/hoses must be constructed/installed/repaired according to the National Plumbing Code of the Philippines.
Air gap between water supply inlet and flood rim of fixtures/equipment/non-water equipment must be at least twice the inlet diameter or follow the fixture schedule (e.g., lavatories with effective opening not greater than 1.27 cm require minimum 2.54 cm without wall effect and 3.81 cm when affected by near wall).
Backflow prevention devices must meet National Plumbing Code standards for the specific application/type, and backflow/backsiphonage prevention devices may not be installed/removed/relocated/substituted without local health office approval.
Cross-connection controls require that water treating equipment/chemical/substances may be used only if equipped with an approved backflow prevention device/assembly.
Devices/assemblies must be tested for conformity with recognized standards or other acceptable standards, and local health office may require repair or replacement if found defective or inoperative.
Prohibited connections include: no potable piping installation allowing used/unclean/polluted/contaminated water entry by back-siphonage/suction or when flooded or subject to excess pressure; no connection between potable water pipes/fixtures and other sources carrying other-purpose water or any chemicals/liquids/gases/substances without approved backflow prevention; no installations that could provide cross-connections between drinking water distribution and potentially contaminated water without approved hazard-based backflow prevention.
Private water supply piping must not be connected to other supply sources without local health office approval.
Where filters/water softeners/treating devices or similar are installed, pressure loss through them must be included in pressure loss calculations; the system must be sized accordingly.
Filters/softeners/backflow prevention devices/similar devices must not have inlet/outlet diameters smaller than the potable supply piping diameter or cause excessive pressure drop.
Such devices must be approved by the local health office and tested for flow rating and pressure loss by an approved laboratory or recognized testing agency consistent with the intent of the rules.
Fixture unit sizing applies for representing quantity of water required to each plumbing fixture.
Where main pressure fluctuates, design must be based on the minimum pressure available.
Toilet facilities must be adequate and clean for personnel; the rules provide a fixture-count table by number of personnel (e.g., 5–29 personnel require 1 male water closet, 1 female water closet, 1 female urinal? as listed, and 1 lavatory for each male and female, with additional fixtures added per increment rules stated).
Toilet doors must be tight fitting and self-closing; toilet rooms must be completely enclosed, properly lighted, and ventilated.
Toilets must not open directly into spaces where product water is purified/handled.
RWS/refilling stations employing less than five (5) personnel must provide at least one (1) water closet and one (1) handwashing lavatory.
Women’s toilet rooms must provide a receptacle for sanitary napkins.
Toilet structural requirements require approval of the city/municipal health officer as recommended by sanitary engineer for: toilet plans; sewage disposal/absorption or secondary waste treatment device; and minimum space requirements (in square meters and square feet), plus a minimum ceiling height of 2.5 meters, lighting of not less than 10 foot-candle (107.6 lux), and natural ventilation window space of at least 25% of floor area, with mechanical ventilation as exhaust fan.
A service sink or curbed cleaning facility with floor drain must be provided for mops and wet cleaning tools and for disposal of mop water and similar liquid waste.
Waste water treatment and disposal must be enforced under the IRR on Chapter XVII (“Sewage Collection and Disposal, Excreta Disposal and Drainage”) of P.D. 856.
Solid waste management must comply with IRR provisions on Chapter XVIII (“Refuse Disposal”), including requirements on segregation/storage, outdoor refuse surface construction, outdoor enclosure construction where used, avoidance of contamination of water, and adoption of all pertinent IRR provisions as integral to these rules.
A vermin abatement program must be maintained following the IRR of Chapter XVI (“Vermin Control”) of P.D. 856.
Changerooms must be provided with suitable lockers or facilities for orderly storage of employees’ clothing/personal belongings, and employees must change from street clothes to work clothes there and vice versa; clothing may not be stored in other places in the establishment.
Changing facilities must be arranged so they do not contaminate refilled water, and where employees of either sex are five (5) or more, separate changing rooms for each sex must be provided.
Changerooms must be cleaned and disinfected at least once a week or more often as necessary.

Purification, container hygiene, filling, and storage

The water purification process must produce drinking water that is clear, colorless, and free from objectionable taste and odor, and the product water must not contain any substance, organism, chemical, or radioactive material at concentrations that could endanger the consuming public’s lives.
The design of the purification process must be based on source water characteristics and available purification technology and must be environmentally sound, ecologically safe, and cost-efficient, including air filtration to minimize product water recontamination.
The product water must show “No Residual” of any disinfectant used.
A quality monitoring program for the purification system must be established under manufacturers’ requirements, including recording equipment conditions and performance.

Washing/sanitizing containers and caps

Containers, caps, and dispensers for refilled water must be non-toxic, non-corrosive, and food grade.
Containers/dispensers for sale or lease from the RWS/refilling stations must be tested and certified by the Department.
Product water operators must submit to the local health office a Department certification indicating container acceptability.
Before sanitizing, all containers/caps must be thoroughly washed using water from an approved source.
Warm water of 46°C to 49°C or a strong alkaline solution with pH 10.5 may be used to aid cleaning.
Sanitizing solutions/processes must be applied after washing to containers/caps before filling; sanitization may use chemical, dry/moist heat, or other approved procedures.
Chemical sanitization using 60%-75% available chlorine must follow the standard attached as Annex 1.
Only DOH-approved sanitizing solution/process is permitted, and the Department evaluation requires submission of: health hazard data, reactivity data, spill/leak procedures information, special protection information, special precautions/labeling, other handling/storage conditions, the type of purification systems intended for sanitizer treatment, the manner of sanitization (e.g., clean-in-place/immersion), and types of equipment treated.
Treatment of containers/surfaces must not be followed by a water rinse prior to contact with refilled water; if rinsing is done, rinsing must use refilled water.
Treated containers/equipment/contact surfaces must have adequate draining.
Product water must have no residual sanitizer, treating sanitizing solutions as indirect food additives.

Filling and capping controls

Filling equipment designed for clean-in-place must be thoroughly cleansed and sanitized in-place before use.
Recirculation cleaning must use an alkaline solution of appropriate strength through the filler with a minimum recirculation time of 20 minutes at a temperature between 60°C and 76.67°C.
After recirculation, the cleaning solution must be drained and followed with potable water rinse-to-drain to remove residual alkalinity, optionally supplemented by an acidified rinse to neutralize residual alkalinity prior to potable rinsing.
Immediately after filling operations, the filler must be thoroughly rinsed internally and externally with potable water.
Filler parts not designed for clean-in-place must be disassembled, cleansed, and sanitized before reassembly using DOH-approved procedures.
Non-water-contact surfaces of the filler must be manually cleaned free of residues.
Additional cleaning/rinsing/sanitization processes not described must be subject to approval of the city/municipal health officer.
Filling must prevent contact between the water and hands or other contaminating surfaces.
The container rim during filling must be pointed directly to the water-dispensing nozzle.
Containers must be properly and immediately capped after filling, with precautions when workers manually cap containers.
For 5-gallon bulk water containers, a sanitary cap or equivalent cap must be used to prevent contamination of the container neck before placing it to the dispenser.
Five-gallon bulk containers must preferably have handles/ears or a carrying strand attached to groove/neck, and must be carried only with a container grabber/handler.

Storage and transporting of refilled water

Storage tank/sump/reservoir design, materials, specification, and location require review and approval by the local health office before construction/installation.
Steel tanks must include manhole/opening, drainpipe, vermin-proofed vent, and inlet/outlet pipes.
Steel storage tanks must use non-toxic, durable, corrosion-resistant, non-absorbent materials with smooth easily cleaned surfaces; soldering joints must use DOH-approved materials and procedure.
Concrete sumps/tanks/reservoirs must be tested for water tightness, and internal finishing materials must be approved by the local health office.
All water storage facilities must be cleaned and sanitized at least once a month.
Refilled water in containers awaiting delivery must be stored at cool room temperature of 26°C-28°C and relative humidity of 60%.
Refilled water must be stored in a dry environment away from chemicals/solvents (e.g., household cleaning products, gasoline paint thinners) and other toxic materials and sources of contamination.
Refilled water