ANPR For San Francisco Bay Delta Estuary Water Quality Improvements

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) seeking public input on the effectiveness of current water quality programs influencing the health of the San Francisco Bay Delta Estuary. The ANPR identifies water quality issues affecting Bay Delta fisheries, describes regulatory measures currently underway, and initiates an information-gathering process on how the EPA and the State of California can achieve water quality and aquatic resource protection goals.

The ANPR is part of a set of actions to address California water issues under the Interim Federal Action Plan released in December 2009. Through this plan, the EPA has promoted water conservation and efficiency improvements throughout California, dedicated more than $40 million to drought relief projects, and to modernizing California’s water infrastructure.

EPA will be coordinating its review of water quality issues with the on-going development of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, which currently is being developed through a collaboration of federal, state and local agencies, environmental organizations, and other interested parties.

The ANPR identifies specific issues for which the EPA has regulatory responsibility and solicits comment on topics, such as potential site-specific water quality standards and site-specific changes to pesticide regulation. Summaries describing environmental stressors and the regulatory framework necessary to address them are also included in the ANPR.

Caltha LLP provides expert consulting services to public and private sector clients nationwide to address water quality standards, wastewater permitting and assessing potential impacts of chemicals in the aquatic environment.

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