[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 169 (Tuesday, September 2, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52209-52210]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-22162]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7549-9]


Clean Water Act section 303(d): Notice of Availability of 4 Total 
Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), Informational Meetings and Public Hearing

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability, request for comment, informational 
meetings and public hearing.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the date of availability for comment of 
four draft total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) being established under 
section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act for polychlorinated biphenyls 
(PCBs) in Delaware River Zones 2 through 5 (from Trenton, New Jersey to 
the head of Delaware Bay). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA), jointly with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and 
Environmental Control (DNREC), the New Jersey Department of 
Environmental Protection (NJDEP), the Pennsylvania Department of 
Environmental Protection (PADEP), and the Delaware River Basin 
Commission (DRBC), will hold three informational meetings and a single 
public hearing on the proposed TMDLs, which will be established in 
final form by December 15, 2003.

DATES: Electronic and faxed comments must be received by, and mailed 
comments must be postmarked no later than, October 21, 2003. Electronic 
submission of comments is encouraged. The dates of the three 
informational meetings are as follows: September 22, 24 and 25, 2003, 
from 7 to 9 p.m. The public hearing on the TMDLs will be held on 
October 16, 2003, from 7 to 9 p.m and may be extended, if necessary. 
The draft TMDLs, along with background information, will be published 
electronically on or before September 15, 2003.

ADDRESSES: By the deadlines set out above, written comments on the 
draft TMDLs should be sent electronically to 
[email protected] or in hard copy to: Lenka Berlin, Office 
of Watersheds (3WP10), USEPA, 1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania 19103-2029, or faxed to Lenka Berlin at 215-814-2301. The 
draft TMDLs, along with background information, will be published on 
the DRBC Web site, http://www.drbc.net. The September 22 informational 
meeting will be held at the Carvel State Office Building, 820 North 
French Street, 2nd Floor, Wilmington, Delaware. The September 24 
informational meeting will be held at the NJDEP Office, Public Hearing 
Room, 401 East State Street, Trenton, New Jersey.
    The September 25 informational meeting will be held at the PADEP 
Southeast Regional Office, Lee Park, Hearing Room, 555 North Lane, 
Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. The October 16 public hearing will be held 
at the Independence Visitor Center, Independence Ballroom, 2nd Floor, 
One North Independence Mall West (6th & Market), Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Schulz, EPA Region 2, at 212-
637-3829; Mary Kuo, EPA Region 3, at 215-814-5721; Pamela Bush, DRBC, 
at 609-883-9500 x203.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The USEPA proposes to establish TMDLs for 
PCBs in the Delaware River. Technical development and interstate 
coordination necessary to support the TMDLs has been provided by DRBC. 
Issuance of the TMDLs is required by December 15, 2003, pursuant to a 
May 1997 Consent Decree and Settlement Agreement in an action entitled 
American Littoral Society and Sierra Club v. the United States 
Environmental Protection Agency et al., which decree establishes dates 
for the adoption of TMDLs in the State of Delaware. The December 15, 
2003 deadline will satisfy a revised Memorandum of Agreement between 
EPA and NJDEP, dated September 16, 2002, which provides for completion 
of the TMDLs in New Jersey by December 31, 2003. A Memorandum of 
Understanding between EPA and PADEP, dated April 7, 1997, provides for 
the adoption of certain TMDLs in Pennsylvania, including the TMDLs for 
PCBs in the Delaware River, within ten years. No deadline was set for 
completion of the Pennsylvania TMDLs. Following review and appropriate 
consideration of public comments, EPA will establish in final form 
TMDLs for PCBs in the Delaware River. EPA then will forward the TMDLs 
to DNREC, NJDEP and PADEP, respectively. These agencies will 
incorporate the TMDLs into their current water quality management 
plans.
    The informational meetings on September 22, 24 and 25 will begin 
with a presentation by representatives of EPA, the state environmental 
agency (DNREC, PADEP or NJDEP) and DRBC

[[Page 52210]]

and followed by an informal question and answer session. The 
informational meetings will not be conducted as part of the record. 
Comments for the record will be accepted at the public hearing on 
October 16 and in writing as described above during the comment period. 
No agency responses will be offered at the hearing. However, EPA will 
review all data and information submitted during the comment period and 
will revise the TMDLs as appropriate. A written response document will 
be prepared prior to final EPA action.

Walter E. Mugdan,
Director, Division of Environmental Planning and Protection, Region 2.
John A. Armstead,
Acting Director, Water Protection Division, Region 3.
[FR Doc. 03-22162 Filed 8-29-03; 8:45 am]
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