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 Engineering Plan Reviews Back BSDW Home Page   

Applications & Forms

When to Submit Plans — All water projects [NAC] must be submitted to the BSDW for review prior to commencing the water project. The only exceptions are projects involving normal maintenance of the facility and the repair of any facilities of a public water system in an emergency. Projects to reline or recoat storage tanks must be submitted. However, the BSDW may waive the requirement of review by the Bureau if the water project is limited to a modification or expansion of a distribution system which: (1) Involves 500 feet or less of the distribution system; (2) Affects not more than 5 percent of the total number of service connections to the public water system; or (3) Increases the total number of service connections to the public water system by not more than 5 percent. If BSDW reviews the request and grants the waiver to the submittal requirement, the supplier of water must contract with an engineer, submit a copy of its O&M Manual, and submit annual reports which must include the status of work on the water project and maps depicting the distribution system as it is being built.

Where to Submit Plans — Submit two complete sets of 24" x 36" engineering plans, technical specifications, and any other information relevant to the proposed project, to the Bureau of Safe Drinking Water. All submittals, including those previously submitted directly to the Bureau's Las Vegas office, must now be sent to the Carson City office for processing and assignment (except Washoe County projects). One submitted copy will be kept in Carson City for record retention and the second set will be used as a "working copy" for the assigned engineer for review and comment. Two sets of any revised plan re-submittals will also need to be provided to the Carson City office. Again, the working copy resubmittal will be forwarded to the reviewing engineer. Allow at least 30 days for BSDW to complete its review of each submittal. Please submit all projects (except projects in Washoe County) to the following address:

NDEP Bureau of Safe Drinking Water
Attn: Jim Balderson, P.E.
901 S. Stewart Street, Suite 4001
Carson City, Nevada 89701

Special Note — We are requesting that a PDF file of the plans and specifications be forwarded to BSDW.

Water Project Review Fees — Submitted water projects must be accompanied by an appropriate water project review fee before the review process will begin. Project review fees are as follows:

  • Community Water Systems — $300.00
  • Treatment facility - 0.1% of the capital cost of the facility, not to exceed — $3,250.00
  • Non Community Water Systems — $200.00

Construction and Operation of Water System Facilities and Components

Plan Submittal — The design and construction of facilities and components of the water system must be in accordance with State requirements, detailed in the Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) Chapter 445A "Public Water Systems Design, Construction, Operation and Maintenance". Reference to standards for design and construction of a water system are found in NAC 445A.66685. Submitted engineering plans must be "wet stamped" on each sheet by an engineer registered in the State of Nevada and will be reviewed for conformance with the relevant sections of the NAC 445A. In addition to submission of plans and technical specifications, an "Application for Approval of a Water Project" must also be submitted. The engineering plans and specifications must be approved by the BSDW prior to construction. Plan approval prior to bidding a project is highly recommended as NDEP review can result in revision to plan design components.

New Water Systems — In addition to the "Application for Approval of a Water Project", all proposed new community and non-transient non-community water systems must also submit a "Plan to Permit a Public Water System". In addition to these two forms, if the proposed new community water system is privately owned, then the "Plan to Permit a Privately Owned Public Water System" must also be submitted. All of the forms can be found here. All proposed water systems must also submit a "Plan for Restoration of Services in Emergency", a "Cross-Connection Control Plan" and a "Manual of Operations and Maintenance". Community and Non-Transient Non-Community water systems must demonstrate that the water system owner has the required technical, managerial, and financial capability to operate the water system as specified by NAC 445A. An overview of the requirements to becoming a public drinking water system can be found here.

Operator Requirements — Community and Non-Transient Non-Community waters system require an operator, certified by the BSDW, to be in charge of the water system. Operator Certification Program regulations are found at NAC 445A.617 to 445A.652.

Water Quality — A supplier of water shall, within any applicable economic, technical and legal limitations, obtain water from the best source available. Any new sources of water must conform to drinking water standards, per NAC 445A "Public Water Systems Water Quality". Here are the required water quality tests for the appropriate type of public water system (Community, Non-Transient Non-Community, or Transient Non-Community). Please ensure that the laboratory chosen to perform the analyses is properly certified by NDEP to do so for each method requested.

Plan Reviews per NAC 445A — Refer to the following NAC 445A sections for specific regulatory requirements regarding public water systems design and operation. Verify that all components are addressed and meet the minimum requirements of NAC 445A. To view all "Regulations for Public Water Systems" see NAC 445A.450 and to view all regulations for "Water Controls" generally, see NAC 445A.

Before Placing a Completed Water Project into Service — Before a water project is placed into service, the following is required to be submitted to the BSDW for review and approval:

  1. A letter from the design engineer or a representative of the water system acceptable to the BSDW stating that the water project was constructed in substantial compliance with the approved plans and specifications. Note that any major changes to the plans and specifications during construction, which would affect the quality or quantity of water, must be submitted to BSDW for review and approval.
  2. Information that the water project was disinfected to appropriate AWWA Standards.
  3. Submittal of any required bacteriological sample results.
  4. If a new water storage tank is constructed or an existing tank has a new interior coating applied, both volatile organic chemical (VOC) and bacteriological sample results are required. VOC's must be below maximum contaminant levels and bacteriological results must be absent before a tank can be put into service.
  5. For new public water systems you must receive a Permit to Operate from the BSDW. This process can take 3-10 working days to complete and must be accounted for by the project proponent.
Other Links
  • Subdivision Review Process [Bureau of Water Pollution Control]
  • New Water Systems
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