[Federal Register: August 10, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 155)]
[Notices]
[Page 42226]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr10au01-72]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-7029-8]
Notice of Availability: Final Guidance: Coordinating CSO Long-
Term Planning With Water Quality Standards Reviews
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Availability of final guidance.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces that the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is publishing the final Guidance: Coordinating CSO Long-
Term Planning with Water Quality Standards Reviews. The guidance
addresses questions raised since the publication of the CSO Control
Policy in 1994 on coordinating the long-term control plan (LTCP)
development process with the water quality standards review. As
outlined in the guidance, EPA will continue to implement the CSO
Control Policy through its existing statutory and regulatory
authorities. The guidance cannot impose legally binding requirements on
EPA, States, Tribes, or the regulated community. It cannot substitute
for Clean Water Act (CWA) requirements, EPA's regulations, or the
obligations imposed by consent decrees or enforcement orders.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons may obtain a copy of the guidance from
the EPA's NPDES website at www.epa.gov/npdes or by contacting the
Office of Water Resources Center at 202-260-7786 (e-mail: center.water-
resource@epa.gov) or at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, RC-4100,
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460. Please request
Guidance: Coordinating CSO Long-Term Planning with Water Quality
Standards Reviews (EPA Number EPA-833-R-01-002; July 2001).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Timothy Dwyer, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, ICC Building (MC 4203M), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue,
NW., Washington, DC, 20460. E-mail address: dwyer.tim@epa.gov.
Telephone: 202-564-0717.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA issued the Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO)
Control Policy in April 1994 (59 FR 18688). To date, EPA has released
seven guidance documents and worked with stakeholders to foster
implementation of the Policy. The CSO Control Policy calls for the
development of a long-term control plan (LTCP), which includes measures
that provide for compliance with the Clean Water Act including
attainment of water quality standards. The CSO Control Policy provides
that the LTCP should be coordinated with the review and revision, as
appropriate, of water quality standards and implementation procedures
on CSO-impacted receiving waters. This process is intended to ensure
that the long-term controls will be sufficient to meet water quality
standards (59 FR 18694).
As part of EPA's FY 1999 Appropriation, Congress directed EPA to
develop guidance on the conduct of water quality standards and
designated use reviews for CSO-receiving waters, and urged EPA to
provide technical and financial assistance to States and EPA Regions to
conduct these reviews. Further, in December 2000, amendments to the
Clean Water Act at section 402(q) required EPA to issue final guidance
on this subject by July 31, 2001.
The objective of this guidance is to lay a strong foundation for
coordinating CSO long-term control planning with water quality
standards reviews. Reaching early agreement among interested parties on
the data to be collected and the analyses to be conducted to support
the long-term control plan development and water quality standards
reviews can facilitate the review of water quality standards and the
reconciliation of water quality standards with a well-designed and
operated CSO control program.
The guidance describes the process for coordinating LTCP
development and implementation with the water quality standards review.
This process is the centerpiece of EPA's commitment to assure that both
communities with combined sewer systems and States participate in
implementing the water quality-based provisions in the CSO Control
Policy. The CSO Control Policy anticipates the ``review and revision,
as appropriate, of water quality standards and their implementation
procedures when developing CSO control plans to reflect site-specific
impacts of CSOs.'' Although this coordination is an intensive iterative
process, it provides greater assurance that CSO communities will
implement CSO control programs to help attain appropriate water quality
standards.
This guidance was published as a draft in January 2001 and titled,
Draft Guidance on Implementing the Water Quality-Based Provisions in
the Combined Sewer Overflow Control Policy (66 FR 364; January 3,
2001). EPA received comments from 27 interested parties. EPA reviewed
the comments and made appropriate changes to the draft guidance in
response to the submitted comments.
Dated: August 3, 2001.
Diane Regas,
Acting Assistant Administrator for Water.
[FR Doc. 01-20126 Filed 8-9-01; 8:45 am]
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