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Bulk Water Hauling

At some point pump failure, water quality or quantity problems may make it necessary for you to haul bulk water to supplement your water supply. Hauling water to your site should only be considered a temporary solution to a water shortage problem. You should only consider hauling water from an approved public water supply. The following provides information on the proper procedures for completing this task.

First you must contact Scott Whitney at the Drinking Water Program (DWP) (207) 287-8487 before any bulk transported water is distributed to your consumers. According to 22 MRSA § 2660 – No person shall transport water for commercial purposes by pipeline or other conduit or by tank truck or in a container greater than 10 gallons, beyond the boundaries of the municipality or township in which water is naturally located or any bordering municipality or township without first receiving written approval by the DWP.

Bulk Water Haulers List

(Please note that this is only a partial list, and is not an official endorsement of these trucking companies. Services and prices may vary. You may check the yellow pages of your local telephone directory under “Trucking” “Water Hauling” or “Water Companies”.)

In case of an emergency, any person may transport water as necessary for the duration of the emergency, but the person transporting the water must inform the DWP within 3 days (preferably before transporting water) and the DWP may determine when the emergency is over. Any person who transports water and doesn’t notify the DWP within 3 days is guilty of illegal transport of water. Illegal transportation of water is a class D crime. Each shipment is a separate offense.

Information Required by DWP:

1. When the bulk water transport will occur.

2. How much water will be transported?

3. Water treatment process at the water supplier, during transport and at the recipient?

4. Recipients name, PWSID #, address, and phone number.

5. Truckers name, address and phone number.

6. Water suppliers name, PWSID #, address and phone number.

Water shall be bulk transported and stored in NSF (food grade) approved potable water tanks (e.g. stainless steel, or polyethylene). Tankers that have been previously used to haul non-food commodities such as toxic materials, petroleum products or other harmful substances shall not be used to haul drinking water for human consumption. Tankers shall be cleaned, sanitized and inspected internally for integrity on a routine basis.

Cleaning and disinfecting tank containers:

• Inspect the container to ensure that it is water tight and free of debris.
• Disinfect the container for 30 minutes at 200 mg/l (AWWA Standards). 0.4 gallons of household bleach makes a 200 mg/l chlorine residual in 100 gallons of water. Allow disinfection water to flow through all pipes and overflows.
• Mix the solution throughout the container.
• Drain and rinse the container (dispose of chlorinated water in accordance with Local and State regulations). Fill container with water from a public supply. Ensure that the free chlorine residual in the container is at least 0.5 mg/l. Record this measurement on the shipping form.
• Lock a secure padlock on the access hatch to the container to prevent unauthorized access and potential contamination.
• Collect a chlorine residual from each container every 24 hours. The results of these tests are to be written down on the form provided by the DWP and kept with each container shipment.

Drilling a replacement well is probably the best long-term solution to water shortage problems. For more information regarding new well approval, please contact your field inspector.