Misconceptions about valve qualifications for raw water transmission pipelines: Stop blindly demanding full‑unit water‑contact certificates for valves.

The raw water transmission pipeline connecting the intake point to the water treatment plant serves as the primary conveyance route for urban water supply, with valves playing a pivotal role in ensuring the safe and reliable operation of the system. During the tendering and implementation phases of numerous raw water transmission projects, many project owners and general contractors, owing to an incomplete understanding of current regulations governing water‑related products, have indiscriminately demanded that valve manufacturers provide full‑unit water‑contact sanitary approval certificates. This practice not only drives up procurement costs but also introduces compliance risks in the bidding process. Drawing on the latest regulatory standards issued by the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chuankai Valves has provided industry‑wide guidance on qualification requirements for valves used in raw water transmission pipelines, clarifying compliance boundaries and helping projects avoid potential pitfalls.

With the issuance of the “Catalogue of Classified Products Related to Drinking Water Hygiene and Safety ( 2025  The 2023 edition has officially come into effect, introducing a positive‑list management system for water‑related products: only products listed in the catalog are required to obtain a water‑related hygiene approval; for products not on the list, health authorities will not accept applications for such approvals, though they must still complete a sanitary safety assessment to ensure water quality safety.

Many engineers hold a common misconception: that any equipment intended to come into contact with potable water sources must obtain an independent water‑contact certification. However, the policy clearly states: Individual valves such as gate valves, butterfly valves, and check valves are not included in the positive list of water‑contact product approvals and therefore cannot obtain a whole‑unit water‑contact hygiene approval.

Although raw water has not yet undergone purification and disinfection at the treatment plant, it still qualifies as a source of domestic drinking water and is therefore subject to the relevant hygiene regulations governing such water. This does not mean that material‑related hygiene and safety can be disregarded; rather, it is essential to distinguish between “which items require approval documents” and “which require test reports.”

I. For valves on raw water transmission pipelines, which qualifications are mandatory?

1.  Valve assembly: No water-contact sanitary approval is required, but it is mandatory. Provide CMA Hygiene and Safety Test Report

Valve body, valve disc, lining, and other components in contact with raw water shall be manufactured in accordance with… GB/T 17219 ‑ 2025 The “Hygienic and Safety Evaluation of Potable Water Distribution and Transmission Equipment, Protective Materials, and Water Treatment Materials” has completed immersion leaching tests, conducted by an entity that possesses… CMA A test report issued by a qualified third-party agency verifies that the valve body material does not leach heavy metals or organic compounds, thereby preventing secondary contamination of the raw water. This document serves as a core component of project inspections conducted by health and disease-control authorities.

2.  Internal sealing waterstop rubber ring of the valve: A water‑contact hygiene approval certificate must be provided.

The sealing O-ring is classified as a “sealing and water‑stop material” explicitly listed in the catalog and is a component subject to water‑contact approval. During project acceptance, the water‑contact approval corresponding to the O-rings supplied with this batch of valves must be provided; the valve body test report may not be used as a substitute for the O-ring approval.

3.  Raw water transmission pipes and fittings: These are listed products and must obtain a hygiene approval certificate for water-contact applications.

The pipeline body and various pipeline fittings are not within the scope of this misconception and must be duly provided with water‑related approval documents.

4.  Basic mandatory qualification for pressure vessels: Special Equipment Manufacturing License ( TS Certificate)

As a valve配套 with pressure pipelines, TS The manufacturing license for special equipment is a mandatory production qualification, and it falls under a separate regulatory framework from water‑related hygiene qualifications; the two are not mutually interchangeable.

Brief summary Original Water Pipeline Valve Complete Compliance Documentation Package:

✅   Valve manufacturer TS Special Equipment Manufacturing License

✅   Valve body submerged in water CMA Test Report (Compliant with) GB/T17219 ‑ 2025 )

✅   Water‑contact sanitary approval document for valve‑compatible sealing O‑rings

❌   Water‑immersion approval for complete valve assemblies: This cannot be obtained at the policy level and should not be used as a mandatory bidding threshold.

II. The Practical Engineering Risks Posed by Blindly Requiring Full-Unit Water‑Immersion Certificates for Valves

1 , Unjustifiably inflating project procurement costs

There are no legally valid approvals for whole‑valve assemblies available on the market. To comply with erroneous provisions in tender documents, some bidding manufacturers are forced to circumvent these requirements by obtaining certification through bundled equipment packages, purchasing non‑compliant qualification documents from third parties, or procuring specialized complete sets at inflated prices—ultimately driving up project procurement costs and passing those expenses onto the project owner.

2 , There are compliance risks in the tendering and bidding process, which may easily give rise to challenges and complaints.

In government procurement and engineering tendering, eligibility requirements must comply with current national regulations. Setting the “water‑exposure approval for complete valve units,” which cannot be obtained under existing policies, as a mandatory qualification threshold constitutes an unreasonable eligibility criterion. This practice is highly likely to trigger objections and complaints from prospective bidders, leading to the cancellation of the tender, project delays, and disruptions to the overall construction schedule.

3 , resulting in the unjust exclusion of high-quality manufacturing enterprises

Many professional manufacturers of water supply valves strictly adhere to national standards in their production. CMA Hygiene testing: Although the sealing components use compliant, water‑contact‑approved rubber gaskets, the lack of a full‑valve water‑contact certification—due to policy restrictions—will result in outright disqualification from the tender process, thereby undermining fair market competition.

Special Reminder : Some outdated tender document templates still reflect old assumptions, simply copying the requirement that “valves must provide water‑related approval documents” without distinguishing between complete equipment and component parts. This is a widespread historical misconception in the industry and does not constitute a correct or compliant requirement.

III. For the raw water transmission pipeline project, how should the qualification requirements in the tender documents be properly formulated?

❌   Incorrect phrasing: The valves submitted for the bid must be accompanied by a hygiene approval certificate for water-contact products.

✅   Recommended standard writing style:

The valves used in the raw water transmission pipeline of this project, as well as components in contact with the water, shall comply with… GB/T 17219 ‑ 2025  Hygiene and safety requirements, provided CMA A third-party certification body shall issue a sanitary safety immersion test report; the sealing and water‑stop rubber components supplied with the valve must be accompanied by a valid hygiene approval document for water‑contact products.

IV. Industry Reminder from ChuanKai Valve: Uphold Water Quality Safety and Reject Formalistic Certification Practices.

To ensure the safety of raw water quality, the core control principle is to regulate materials that come into contact with the water, rather than merely seeking formal approval for the entire system. Raw water transmission pipelines serve as the primary barrier at the source of urban water supply, and the hygienic safety of valves directly affects the quality of tap water at the point of delivery. All parties involved in the project must thoroughly understand the “Catalogue of Product Categories Involving Drinking Water Hygiene and Safety (…”. 2025  In accordance with the list‑management principles set forth in the (Year Edition), we will clearly delineate the applicable contexts for licensing approvals and health‑safety assessment reports, refrain from an overreliance on approval documents alone, and avoid imposing qualification requirements that are not mandated by law. Instead, we will base our evaluations on actual material‑testing results, thereby achieving a balanced approach that harmonizes project quality, cost, and procurement procedures—while ensuring full compliance with relevant regulations.

Chuan Kai Valves has long been dedicated to the water‑services valve sector, offering a comprehensive range of valves tailored to all operating conditions—covering intake, raw‑water transmission, water‑treatment plant processes, and municipal distribution networks. TS Qualifications, valve body CMA A complete set of compliance documents, including hygiene and safety test reports and water‑contact approval certificates for sealing components, supports the smooth progress of bidding and completion acceptance for various raw water transmission projects.