DEP Submits New Water Standards to EPA

01.21.2011
Issues & Policies

On the eve of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s inauguration, the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) ended a lengthy and contentious process of revising Connecticut water quality standards by submitting standards to the federal Environmental Protection Agency that largely—and appropriately–reflected federal guidelines.

When they were first proposed in late 2009, however, the DEP’s standards drew strong criticism for being too strict to a point where permits and cleanup would have become exponentially costlier.

CBIA submitted a Request for Declaratory Ruling to DEP Commissioner Amey Marrella last month that raised a variety of legal issues and asked her to reconsider the DEP’s proposal. 

A new and much more measured proposal–the version now before the EPA for its approval—appeared on Jan. 4.  If the EPA OKs the standards, they will become effective in Connecticut

The DEP indicates it will seek substantial changes to the standards in their next three-year review.  However, under regulatory reform legislation the legislature passed last year, the DEP will have to adopt revisions through a formal regulatory adoption process that includes other state agencies and stakeholders.     

For more information on the new standards, visit here or contact CBIA’s Eric Brown at 860.244.1926 or eric.brown@cbia.com.

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