3745-1-33 Water quality criteria for the lake Erie drainage basin.

 

 

 

BEFORE THE

OHIO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

 

Public Notice Proposed Rulemaking Governing

Water Quality Standards

 

Notice is hereby given that the Director of Environmental Protection, under the authority of Section 6111.041 of the Ohio Revised Code and in accordance with Chapter 119, proposes to amend the following rules of the Ohio Administrative Code (OAC):

 

Rule #                Rule Title

3745-1-03            Analytical methods and availability of documents. 3745-1-33            Water quality criteria for the lake Erie drainage basin. 3745-1-35 Site-specific modifications to criteria and values.

3745-1-37            Methodology for deriving bioaccumulation factors.

3745-1-39            Methodology for development of wildlife criteria for the lake Erie drainage basin.

 

OAC Chapter 3745-1 contains Ohio's standards for water quality. Water quality standards are state regulations or rules that protect lakes, rivers, streams and other surface water bodies from pollution. This rulemaking includes five year review of selected water quality standards rules pertaining to documents referenced in OAC Chapter 3745-1, water quality criteria and methodologies used to develop water quality criteria. Proposed amendments are limited to formatting revisions and updates to citations and references. The Agency is also proposing no changes to two rules in OAC Chapter 3745-1, rule 3745-1-31 Lake Erie standards and rule 3745-1- 36 Methodologies for development of aquatic life criteria and values in a separate but concurrent rulemaking.

 

The public comment period will run until April 5, 2016. A public hearing on this proposed rulemaking will be held to consider public comments in accordance with Section 119.03 of the Ohio Revised Code. This hearing will be held at Conference Room A at the Ohio EPA Central Office, 50 West Town Street, Suite 700, Columbus, Ohio at 10:30 a.m. on April 5, 2016. All visitors to Ohio EPA must register at the Security desk in the lobby upon arrival. Please bring photo identification (such as a valid driver's license). For security reasons, visitors are required to wear their badge at all times while in the building. Please arrive early to complete these procedures.

 

To facilitate the scheduling of oral presentations, persons intending to give testimony at the hearing should notify the Ohio EPA Public Interest Center, P.O. Box 1049, Columbus, Ohio 43216- 1049, [phone]. Prior registration will ensure that registrants are heard ahead of those individuals who register at the hearing. Oral testimony may be limited to five minutes, depending on the number of persons testifying. All interested persons are entitled to attend or be represented and to present oral and/or written comments concerning the proposed rulemaking.

 

 

 

 

 

Written testimony should be sent to the attention of Melinda Harris at the Division of Surface Water, P.O. Box 1049, Columbus Ohio 43216-1049. Written comments may also be submitted to the Hearing Officer at the public hearing. Written testimony will receive the same consideration as oral testimony. All testimony received at the hearing or by close of business on April 5, 2016, will be considered by Ohio EPA prior to final action on this rulemaking proposal. Written comments submitted after this date may be considered as time and circumstances permit.

The proposed rules and a fact sheet explaining the rule revisions are posted on the Ohio EPA website at www.epa.ohio.gov/dsw/dswrules.aspx. The proposed rules are also available on the Register of Ohio website at www.registerofohio.state.oh.us. Questions regarding this rule package should be directed to Dan Dudley, at the Division of Surface Water, at [phone].