What is a Type II Water Supply?

A Type II Water Supply (also known as a Non-community Public Water Supply) is defined as "a system that serves any nonresidential facility that provides water for drinking or domestic purposes to 25 or more persons at least 60 days out of the year, or has 15 or more service connections."

Restaurants, schools, motels, child care centers, industries and parks which are connected to an on-site water supply are examples of Type II Water Supplies.

Responsibilities of a Non-community Public Water Supply Owner

The owners/operators of Type II Water Supplies have several responsibilities under the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act (Act 399, P.A. 1976). These responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Maintenance and operation of water supplies in a safe and sanitary condition.
• Collection of water samples to assess compliance with drinking water standards.
• Notification of the public in cases of noncompliance with standards or sampling requirements.
• Proper record keeping of items related to well construction and water sampling.
• Payment of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) annual fees and all applicable fees for water sampling.

Water Sampling Basics

All Type II Water Supplies are required to collect water samples to test for nitrate (annually) and coliform bacteria (quarterly -- once every three months).

Nontransient supplies, those supplies that serve the same 25 or more people, have additional sampling requirements. These supplies must collect lead/copper, metals, VOC, SOC, and cyanide samples as scheduled.

Water sampling as required is more important to assure safe drinking water in compliance with drinking water standards.

What happens if my facility fails to sample as required?

Failure to collect and submit water samples as required will result in a violation subject to a $200 civil fine. Each subsequent violation may result in a $400 civil fine. Additionally, failure to comply with monitoring requirements may result in violation issuance by various regulatory authorities.

The 1999 Food Code, in effect for restaurants, grocery stores and other food establishments, requires that water sampling shall be conducted as required by the Safe Drinking Water Act and submitted to the Oakland County Health Division and that the most recent water sample reports be retained on file in the food establishment.

Additional Information

Information about groundwater contamination, common problems with wells, and abandoning a well can be found on the Well and Water Services page. 

If you have questions about your own water supply, monitoring requirements or Type II Water Supplies in general, please contact the Oakland County Health Division at 248-858-1312, or toll free 888-350-0900, ext. 8-1312.