Information for public water system owners and operators
“Public Water System” means a system for the provision to the public of piped water for human consumption, if such a system has at least 15 service connections or regularly serves an average of at least 25 individuals daily at least 60 days out of the year.
Types of public water systems
There are four types of public water systems. If you provide drinking water to the public and your water system meets the definition stated above, you're a public water system owner/operator.
A public water system can either be a:
- Community Systems - serves people where they live, including:
- Municipal Community (MC) water system.
- Other than Municipal (OTM) water system, such as mobile home parks, apartments complexes or subdivision.
- Non-Community Systems serve people at work, school, food and entertainment establishments, including:
- Non-Transient, Non-community (NN) water system, such as schools, day care centers, factories, or businesses with 25 or more employees
- Transient, Non-community (TN) water system, such as motels, restaurants, taverns, campgrounds, parks and gas stations where people do not remain for long periods of time.
See the flow chart to help determine your public water system type.
Administrative codes
Wisconsin administrative codes for public water systems
| Administrative Code | Type | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal | Other than Municipal (OTM) | Non-Transient | Transient | |
| NR 809 Safe Drinking Water [exit DNR] |
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| NR 810 Operation/Maintenance of Public Water Systems [exit DNR] |
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| NR 811 Operation/Design of Community Water Systems [exit DNR] |
✓ | ✓ | ||
| NR 812 Well Construction and Pump Installation [exit DNR] |
✓ | ✓ | ||
eMOR
Electronic monthly operating report
The electronic monthly operating report (eMOR) is an online tool for reporting monthly pumpage, chemical addition, treatment at public water systems and other information as required by DNR. Monthly reporting is a requirement for all municipal water systems and some other qualifying water system types, per NR 810.07, Wisconsin Administrative Code [exit DNR]. Only a certified operator for the water system can submit the report. However, staff associated with the system who are not certified operators can enter data with the permission of the certified operator. Monthly reports are due within 10 days from the end of the month for which the data is reported. For example, data from July must be submitted by the 10th day of August.
Access to eMOR
Users will need a WAMS ID and to request access to the report through the DNR Switchboard. Staff who are not certified operators also need to complete an additional step of obtaining data entry access permission from the certified operator. After the switchboard registration is submitted, the registrant will receive an email with a PDF signature page for the certified operator to sign for approval.
eMOR Webinar
- EMOR training for external users - October 2021.
The following topics were covered at the indicated times. Watch the entire video or refer to specific sections for review.
- Wisconsin Access Management Access System (WAMS) ID – 1:40
- DNR Switchboard – 3:35
- EMOR overview – 22:20
- EMOR data entry tutorial – 45:20
- Common mistakes – 56:50
- Managing notifications (not a required feature but may be helpful for some water systems) – 1:05:07
- Calculations and field readings – 1:10:55
- Water meters – 1:13:12
- Chemical addition – 1:16:18
- pH monitoring – 1:21:38
- Chlorine test kit – 1:25:06
- Nitrate test kit – 1:27:37
Questions
For questions about accessing the eMOR, please contact DNRPublicWaterApplicationSupport@Wisconsin.gov.
For questions about entering or submitting information for the eMOR, please contact your system's DNR representative.
Lead and copper
Lead and copper
Lead and copper rule: forms, information, EPA guidance, LSL replacement funding
Additional Resources