Community Public Water Supply
Public Notification Information for Community Public Water Suppliers

Public notification ensures that consumers will know if there is a problem with their drinking water. These notices alert consumers if there is risk to public health. Some types of public notification are required under the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act.

There are three tiers of public notices:

• Tier 1 requires immediate notice, within 24 hours.
• Tier 2 requires notice as soon as practical, within 30 days.
• Tier 3 requires annual notice, within 365 days (typically done in CCR).

In cases where an infraction of the Safe Drinking Water Act occurs, MDH staff will notify the public water system by email and provide the necessary public notice information and documentation for the specific situation. Learn more at Public Notification Rule.

If your public water system has received an email from MDH regarding a public notice requirement, please use the documents included in that email. For all other public notice events, please use the appropriate documents below. If you have questions about the situation your system is facing, please contact your MDH district engineer (PDF). The documents below are intended to be helpful, but water systems should contact their MDH district engineer in these situations. The engineer can provide additional templates and assistance.

Reaching all customers

Community public water system (CPWS) customers with limited English proficiency should understand what actions to take during a drinking water advisory to protect their health. The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Public Notification Rule requires CPWSs serving a large proportion of non-English speaking consumers to include in their notices, in the appropriate languages, information on the importance of the notice or a telephone number or address where persons served may contact the water system to obtain a translated copy of the notice or to request assistance in the appropriate languages. EPA encourages water systems to go beyond the minimum multilingual requirements in this rule, particularly for Tier 1 notice situations, and provide a fully translated copy of the notice on request or offer telephone assistance in the appropriate language. The Minnesota Department of Health recommends translation if a group with limited English proficiency has more than 1,000 members or makes up more than five to 10 percent of the target population. Contact your MDH district engineer (PDF) for additional information.

• Public Notice Passage Language Translations (Word)

Tier 1 notification

Tier 1 notification is required to be issued as soon as practical but no later than 24 hours after the PWS learns of the violation or situation. If your public water system has received an email from MDH regarding a Tier 1 public notice requirement, please use the documents included in that email. For all other public notice events, please use the appropriate documents below. If you have questions about the situation your system is facing, please contact your MDH district engineer (PDF).

Please note: Under new EPA Lead and Copper Rule (LCRR) requirements, a lead and copper action level exceedance (ALE) requires a tier 1 notification. The public notice (PN) certification form and instructions are different between tier 1 lead and all other tier 1 public notices. Please click the appropriate link below for the correct instructions and templates.

• Tier 1 – 24 Hour – Delivery of Public Notice (PN) certification form and instructions (PDF) (Do not use for lead ALE.)
• Lead ALE Tier 1 - certification form and instructions
• Nitrate Public Notice Template (Word)
• Boil Water Advisory Template: Water is contaminated with e.coli (Word)
• Boil Water Advisory Template: Water may be contaminated due to loss of pressure (Word)

Additional notification documents

• Notice of Chlorination Template (Word)
• Notice of Drinking Water Issue Corrected Template (Word)
• For community public water systems to notify customers of temporary water quality changes during construction projects or process changes.
  • Water Quality Change Public Notice Template (Word)
  • Water Quality Change FAQ Template (Word)
• Door Hanger
  • Notice: Temporary Water Shut-Off (PDF)

Additional resources

• Guidance for Responding to Water Main Breaks or Pressure Loss Events (PDF)
• Pressure Loss at Non-Municipal Community Public Water Systems (PDF)
• Community Drinking Water Advisories: Guidance for the General Public, Businesses, and Institutions (PDF)
• Information about public education related to lead and copper in drinking water can be found at Lead and Copper Public Education.

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