[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 56 (Friday, March 22, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13319-13320]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-6219]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DELAWARE RIVER BASIN COMMISSION


Notice of Final Rule; Amendment to the Delaware River Basin 
Commission's Water Code and Comprehensive Plan To Establish Water Usage 
Reporting Requirements and Modify Water Metering Requirements

SUMMARY: At its April 19, 2001 business meeting, the Delaware River 
Basin Commission (``Commission'') amended its Water Code and 
Comprehensive Plan to establish water usage reporting requirements for 
source water withdrawals and water service and to modify its existing 
water metering requirements for consistency with the new reporting 
provisions. Today's notice fulfills a requirement of the Delaware River 
Basin Compact, Pennsylvania Act No. 268 of 1961, that rules adopted by 
the Commission be filed in accordance with the laws of the signatory 
parties.

EFFECTIVE DATE: These amendments are effective immediately.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Additional information, including 
background on the need for water usage reporting requirements and an 
account of the process by which the amendments were developed, is 
contained in the original Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, November 29, 
2000 (65 FR 71094). The text of the new reporting requirements and the 
complete Water Code as amended are available on the Commission's web 
site at http://www.DRBC.net, or upon request from the Delaware River 
Basin Commission, P.O. Box 7360, West Trenton, NJ 08628-0360. For 
further information, contact Pamela M. Bush, Commission Secretary and 
Assistant General Counsel, Delaware River Basin Commission, (609)-883-
9500 (x203).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 23, 2000 the Commission published 
on its web site a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to establish water

[[Page 13320]]

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 was published in the Federal 
Register on November 29, 2000 (65 FR 71094), the Delaware Register of 
Regulations on December 1, 2000, the New Jersey Register on December 4, 
2000, the New York State Register on November 22, 2000 and the 
Pennsylvania Register on November 11, 2000. A public hearing was held 
on January 9, 2001. The proposed amendments were substantively revised 
on the basis of the written and oral testimony received, and a notice 
of revised proposed rulemaking was published in the Federal Register on 
March 1, 2001 (66 FR 12930), the Delaware Register of Regulations on 
March 1, 2001, the New Jersey Register on March 5, 2001, the New York 
State Register on February 28, 2001 and the Pennsylvania Bulletin on 
March 3, 2001. An additional comment period and public hearing were 
provided. The final rule was approved by the Commission at the 
conclusion of the hearing on April 19, 2001.
    The final rule amends Section 2.50.1, ``Service Metering'' and 
Section 2.50.2, ``Source Metering, Recording and Reporting'' of the 
Commission's Water Code and adds a new Section 2.50.3, ``Reporting 
Requirements.'' The title of Section 2.50 is revised to read, ``Water 
Metering and Reporting Requirements.'' Section 2.50.1 is amended to 
authorize, rather than require, the Executive Director to enter into 
administrative agreements with the implementing agencies of the 
signatory states, whereby the appropriate state agencies will 
administer and enforce the provisions of the regulation. Section 2.50.1 
is further amended to provide that in the absence of such an 
administrative agreement, the Commission shall serve as the agency for 
administration and enforcement. Section 2.50.2 is amended to provide 
that the Commission shall administer and enforce the regulation in the 
New York portion of the basin. New Section 2.50.3 enumerates the types 
of source and service data to be reported for water supply systems 
serving the public and for other withdrawals subject to the 
requirements of Section 2.50.1, Section 2.50.2 and the Commission's 
Ground Water Protected Area Regulations. In order to avoid redundant 
reporting, Section 2.50.3 enumerates different reporting requirements 
for the year 2000 than for subsequent years. For the year 2000, a 
greater one-time effort is required to initiate reporting. For 
subsequent years, a much smaller effort is required to continue 
reporting.

    Dated: March 11, 2002.
Pamela M. Bush,
Commission Secretary.
[FR Doc. 02-6219 Filed 3-21-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6360-01-P