EPA to Hold Workshops on Integrated Stormwater and Wastewater Plans

EPA recently announced a series of workshops that will be held to solicit stakeholder input on the use of integrated municipal stormwater and wastewater plans to meet the water quality objectives of the Clean Water Act. These workshops are intended to assist the Agency in developing an integrated planning approach framework that could be used to help municipalities prioritize their infrastructure investments in order to maximize water quality benefits and consider various innovative approaches, such as green infrastructure, that may be more sustainable.

The workshops will include a facilitated discussion with local government officials, representatives of publicly owned treatment works (POTW), municipal stormwater systems, state NPDES permitting and enforcement authorities, and environmental advocacy groups. EPA invites other interested members of the public to observe the workshops and to offer verbal comments at designated times during the workshops. The workshops will be held at 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the following locations:

January 31 – EPA Region 4 in Atlanta, GA
February 6 – EPA Region 2 in New York, NY
February 13 – EPA Region 10 in Seattle, WA
February 15 – EPA Region 7 in Kansas City, KS
February 17 – EPA Region 5 in Chicago, IL

Participants must pre-register to attend the workshops at: http://www.epa.gov/npdes/integratedplans.

In addition to submitting information at the listening sessions, the public may also provide input to the Agency through email, fax or mail by February 29, 2012. For details on submitting written comments, read the Federal Register Notice here: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-01-11/pdf/2012-343.pdf.