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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>62333</law_id><section_number>32.1-167</section_number><catch_line>Definitions</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>15.2-2146</reference><reference>18.2-54.1</reference><reference>22.1-289.057</reference><reference>32.1-174.4</reference><reference>32.1-248.2</reference><reference>56-265.3:1</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="32.1">Health</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="6">Environmental Health Services</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="2">Public Water Supplies</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>As used in this article, unless the context clearly requires a different meaning:
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Aesthetic standards</span>&#x201D; means water quality standards which involve those physical, biological, and chemical properties of water that adversely affect the palatability and consumer acceptability of water through taste, odor, <span class="dictionary">appearance</span>, or chemical reaction.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Chronically noncompliant waterworks</span>&#x201D; means a waterworks that is unable to provide <span class="dictionary">pure water</span> for any of the following reasons: (i) the waterworks&#x2019; record of performance demonstrates that it can no longer be depended upon to furnish <span class="dictionary">pure water</span> to the <span class="dictionary">persons</span> served; (ii) the <span class="dictionary">owner</span> has inadequate technical, financial, or managerial capacity to furnish <span class="dictionary">pure water</span> to the <span class="dictionary">persons</span> served; (iii) the <span class="dictionary">owner</span> has failed to comply with an order issued by the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> or <span class="dictionary">Commissioner</span> pursuant to &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Orders; hearing and notice" href="/32.1-26/">32.1-26</a> or <a class="law" title="Issuance of special orders" href="/32.1-175.01/">32.1-175.01</a>; (iv) the <span class="dictionary">owner</span> has abandoned the waterworks and has discontinued supplying <span class="dictionary">pure water</span> to the <span class="dictionary">persons</span> served; or (v) the <span class="dictionary">owner</span> is subject to a forfeiture order pursuant to &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Bonds of permit holders" href="/32.1-174.1/">32.1-174.1</a>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Governmental entity</span>&#x201D; means the Commonwealth, a town, city, county, service authority, sanitary district, or any other governmental body established under state <span class="dictionary">law</span>, including <span class="dictionary">departments</span>, divisions, <span class="dictionary">boards</span>, or commissions.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Human consumption</span>&#x201D; means drinking, food preparation, dishwashing, bathing, showering, hand washing, teeth brushing, and maintaining oral hygiene.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Owner</span>&#x201D; means an individual, group of individuals, partnership, firm, association, institution, corporation, <span class="dictionary">governmental entity</span>, or the federal government, that supplies or proposes to supply water to any <span class="dictionary">person</span> within this Commonwealth from or by means of any waterworks.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Pure water</span>&#x201D; means water fit for <span class="dictionary">human consumption</span> that is (i) sanitary and normally free of minerals, organic substances, and toxic agents in excess of reasonable amounts and (ii) adequate in quantity and quality for the minimum health requirements of the <span class="dictionary">persons</span> served.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Special order</span>&#x201D; means an administrative order issued to any <span class="dictionary">person</span> to comply with: (i) the provisions of any <span class="dictionary">law</span> administered by the <span class="dictionary">Board</span>, (ii) any condition of a permit, (iii) any regulation of the <span class="dictionary">Board</span>, or (iv) any case decision, as defined in &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/2.2-4001/">2.2-4001</a>, of the <span class="dictionary">Board</span>. A <span class="dictionary">special order</span> may include a civil <span class="dictionary">penalty</span> of not more than $1000 for each day of violation.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Water supply</span>&#x201D; means water taken into a waterworks from wells, streams, springs, lakes, and other bodies of surface water, natural or impounded, and the tributaries thereto, and all impounded ground water but does not include any water above the point of intake of such waterworks.
		&#x201C;Waterworks&#x201D; means a system that serves piped water for <span class="dictionary">human consumption</span> to at least 15 service connections or 25 or more individuals for at least 60 days out of the year. &#x201C;Waterworks&#x201D; includes all structures, equipment, and appurtenances used in the storage, collection, purification, treatment, and distribution of <span class="dictionary">pure water</span> except the piping and fixtures inside the building where such water is delivered.</p></section></text><history>Code 1950, &#xA7; 62.1-45; 1964, c. 475; 1968, c. 659; 1977, c. 7; 1979, c. 711; 1997, c. 342; 2007, cc. 648, 774; 2014, c. 333.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
