[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 41 (Thursday, March 1, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12930-12931]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-4954]


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DELAWARE RIVER BASIN COMMISSION


Revised Proposed Amendment to the Delaware River Basin 
Commission's Water Code and Comprehensive Plan To Establish Water Usage 
Reporting Requirements and Proposed Amendment to the Commission's Water 
Metering Requirements

SUMMARY: The Delaware River Basin Commission (``Commission'') will hold 
a public hearing to receive comments on revised proposed amendments to 
its Water Code and Comprehensive Plan to establish water usage 
reporting requirements for source water withdrawals and water service 
and to receive comments on proposed amendments to its water metering 
requirements. On October 23, 2000 the Commission published on its web 
site a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to establish water usage reporting 
requirements to ensure that the Commission has the source and service 
information needed to evaluate how and where water is being used in the 
basin. Notice also was published in the Federal Register on November 
29, 2000 (65 FR 71094). The Commission held a public hearing on the 
proposed rulemaking on January 9, 2001. Today, in response to written 
and oral testimony, including recommendations of the Commission's Water 
Management Advisory Committee, substantive changes are proposed to the 
previously noticed amendments to the Water Code and Comprehensive Plan. 
The Commission deems the changes significant enough to warrant this 
revised notice, a new opportunity for comment, and a second hearing 
before it adopts the proposed amendments. The proposal that is the 
subject of today's notice differs significantly from the original in 
that it extends the water usage reporting obligation set forth in 
proposed Section 2.50.3 of the Water Code to users subject to the 
Commission's Ground Water Protected Area Regulations for Southeastern 
Pennsylvania, including the owner(s) of each water supply system 
serving the public and each person, firm, corporation, or other entity, 
other than water supply systems serving the public, subject to the 
Ground Water Protected Area Regulations for Southeastern Pennsylvania. 
Minor changes to the proposed water usage reporting requirements 
include additional requests for data on acres irrigated (for irrigated 
uses only), whether water is recycled or reclaimed, and the percentages 
recycled or reclaimed. These data are requested only if available and 
only in an initial report and thereafter when changes occur. The 
revised proposed water usage reporting requirements differ from the 
original proposed requirements in one further respect. They provide 
that in the absence of an administrative agreement between the 
Commission and the state agency serving as the designated agency, the 
Commission shall administer and enforce the regulations. To ensure 
consistency, a similar revision as to administration and enforcement is 
proposed in Sections 2.50.1 and 2.50.2, concerning water metering 
requirements.

DATES: The public hearing will be held on Thursday, April 19, 2001 
during the Commission's regular business meeting. The meeting will 
begin at 1 p.m. and continue until all those present who wish to 
testify are afforded an opportunity to do so. Persons wishing to 
testify at the hearing are asked to register in advance with the 
Commission Secretary.
    The deadline for submission of written comments will be April 6, 
2001.

ADDRESSES: The public hearing will be held at the New York City 
Municipal Building, One Centre Street, Building One, Room 1019, in 
lower Manhattan. Directions will be posted on the Commission's web 
site, www.drbc.net, by mid-March. Written comments should be submitted 
to Pamela M. Bush, Delaware River Basin Commission, P.O. Box 7360, West 
Trenton, NJ 08628-0360.

[[Page 12931]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Supplemental information, including an 
explanation of the need for water usage reporting requirements and an 
account of the process by which the amendments originally were 
proposed, is contained in the original Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. 
The existing regulations, original Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and 
this Notice of Revised Proposed Rulemaking all are posted on the 
Delaware River Basin Commission web site at www.drbc.net. Please 
contact Esther Siskind at 609-883-9500 ext. 202 with questions about 
the proposed amendments and Pamela M. Bush, ext. 203 with questions 
about the rulemaking process.

    Dated: February 23, 2001.
Pamela M. Bush,
Commission Secretary.
[FR Doc. 01-4954 Filed 2-28-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6360-01-P