Clean Water Current

(October 16, 2018) - NACWA and other clean water agencies conducted a conference call on October 11 to discuss implantation of the final rule for public notification of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) to the Great Lakes, which EPA developed as required by Congress. 

The rule requires utilities to develop a plan providing notification to the public of CSOs within four hours of “becoming aware” of the discharge, to submit supplemental notification within seven days, and to provide an annual report with information about all CSOs.  NACWA worked extensively with Congress, EPA, and Great Lakes utilities to ensure that the rule requirements were reasonable and did not create too much of a financial burden for utilities.

During the call, participating utilities reported that their notification plans had been approved by their state regulatory agencies with relatively minor issues.  Implementation is expected to begin on schedule next month, with utilities notifying the public about CSOs through their web pages and/or via email. 

NACWA requests that Great Lakes utilities contact Cynthia Finley, NACWA’s Director, Regulatory Affairs, with any comments about their ongoing experiences related to the implementation of the rule.