Water Supply, Plumbing, Sewage and Garbage

Safe Water Supply and Emergency Response

Potable water is defined as water that is safe to drink. Under the FDA Food Code, potable water is the only type of water permitted for food preparation, ice making, and warewashing. As a manager, you must ensure that your facility obtains drinking water from an approved source. This is typically a regulated public water system or an approved, tested nonpublic system such as a private well. If your establishment relies on a private well or nonpublic water system, you must ensure it is tested at least annually or per local regulatory requirements. Furthermore, you must keep the most recent water-testing report on file at the establishment, or as otherwise specified by the regulatory authority, and make it available for inspector review.

Your facility's water system must be capable of delivering both hot and cold potable water in sufficient quantities and pressure to meet operational demands during peak business hours. State and local plumbing regulations determine the specific water line requirements for your building, and because these codes vary across jurisdictions, managers must confirm their specific local mandates. For alternative supply needs when permitted by the regulatory authority, approved bottled water, portable containers, or certified water transport vehicles may be utilized.

Whenever a potable-water disruption occurs, the manager must immediately assess the situation. If the interruption creates an imminent health hazard, you must immediately discontinue operations and notify the regulatory authority. Operations affected by this hazard may resume only after receiving authorization from the regulatory authority. During an emergency water outage where partial or alternative service is permitted, managers may use commercially bottled water, packaged ice, or water hauled from an approved source, provided the regulatory authority allows it. If handwashing can be performed safely during an outage, the manager may set up an approved temporary handwashing station, such as a gravity-flow container supplying water at least 85°F (29°C), if allowed by local regulators.

During a boil-water advisory, the manager must actively prevent staff from using untreated tap water for drinking, food preparation, produce washing, and ice making, while strictly following local authority instructions for handwashing and other facility uses. For uses covered by a boil-water advisory, boil affected tap water for the time specified by the local authority; approved bottled water or another approved safe supply does not also need to be boiled. Managers must stop using all water-connected ice machines and beverage dispensers unless the regulatory authority explicitly approves a safe alternative supply, though physical disconnection is not universally required. Once the advisory is lifted, managers must follow regulatory and manufacturer instructions to flush all water lines and faucets, replace or treat water filters, and clean and sanitize affected ice machines and beverage equipment before returning them to service.