What’s Happening?
The State Board of Health (board) adopted proposed changes to WAC 246-272A-0210 to clarify the minimum horizontal separations for surface water used as a public and nonpublic drinking water source on October 1, 2026. The adopted changes also make several technical, grammatical, and editorial corrections throughout chapter 246-272A WAC.
The rule becomes effective on November 22, 2026.
Adopted Rule Documents:
- CR-103P: Rulemaking Order with Permanent Rule Language (PDF)
- Concise Explanatory Statement (PDF) - Provides a summary of comments received
- Significant analysis (PDF)
- Environmental Justice Assessment (PDF)
Rulemaking Timeline
- March 2026 – Start rulemaking
- May 2026 – Informal comment period
- July - October 2026 – Formal comment period
- October 2026 - Public hearing
- October 2026 – Rulemaking complete
Rulemaking Files
| Document | What's This? | Date Filed |
|---|---|---|
| CR-101 – preproposal statement of inquiry (PDF) | Announces intent of rulemaking | March 6, 2026 |
| Chapter 246-272A WAC draft changes (Word) | Draft changes for informal public comment period. Comments were due by May 20, 2026. | N/A |
| CR-102: proposed rulemaking with proposed rule language (PDF) | Announces proposed permanent rulemaking. | July 21, 2026 |
| CR-103: Rulemaking Order (PDF) | Announces adopted permanent rulemaking. | October 22, 2026 |
Contacts
- Kseniya Efremova, Rules Coordinator, Environmental Public Health
- Heather Watts-Goodfellow, OSS Program Supervisor, Environmental Public Health
- Shay Bauman, Policy Advisor, State Board of Health