[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 7 (Wednesday, January 11, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1687-1688]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-343]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2011-0986; FRL-9617-1]


EPA Workshops on Achieving Water Quality Through Integrated 
Municipal Stormwater and Wastewater Plans Under the Clean Water Act 
(CWA)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency is holding a series of 
workshops to solicit the individual views of stakeholders on the use of 
integrated municipal stormwater and wastewater plans to meet the water 
quality objectives of the CWA. The workshops are intended to assist EPA 
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 
representatives of organizations that represent elected local 
officials, publicly owned treatment works (POTW), municipal stormwater 
managers, 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.
    In addition to submitting information at the listening sessions, 
the public may also provide input to the Agency through email, fax or 
mail.

DATES: EPA is asking for statements and input from the interested 
public on or before February 29, 2012. The dates for the workshops are 
provided below.

ADDRESSES: Submit your statements or input, identified by Docket ID No. 
EPA-HQ-OW-2011-0986, by one of the following methods:
     www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for 
submitting input.
     Email: [email protected], Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OW-2011-0986.
     Fax: (202) 566-9744.
     Mail: Water Docket, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 
Mail code: 4203M, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460. 
Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2011-0986.
     Hand Delivery: Water Docket, EPA Docket Center, EPA West 
Building Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC, 
Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2011-0986. Such deliveries are only 
accepted during the Docket's normal hours of operation, and special 
arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information.
    Instructions: Direct your input to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2011-
0986. EPA's policy is that all input received will be included in the 
public docket without change and may be made available online at 
www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided, 
unless the input includes information claimed to be Confidential 
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is 
restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you consider to 
be CBI or otherwise protected through www.regulations.gov or email. The 
www.regulations.gov Web site is an ``anonymous access'' system, which 
means EPA will not know your identity or contact information unless you 
provide it in the body of your input. If you send an email with input 
directly to EPA without going through www.regulations.gov your email 
address will be automatically captured and included as part of the 
input that is placed in the public docket and made available on the 
Internet. If you submit an electronic input, EPA recommends that you 
include your name and other contact information in the body of your 
input and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your 
input due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for 
clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your input. Electronic 
files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of 
encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses. For additional 
information about EPA's public docket visit the EPA Docket Center 
homepage at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about this 
notice, contact Kevin Weiss, EPA Headquarters, Office of Water, Office 
of Wastewater Management at tel.: (202) 564-0742 or email: 
[email protected].
    Workshop Dates and Addresses: The workshops will be held on the 
following dates at the listed locations:
     January 31, 2012, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at EPA Region 4 
Office, 61 Forsyth Street SW., Atlanta, GA 30303;
     February 6, 2012, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at EPA Region 2 
Office, 290 Broadway, New York, NY 10007-1866;
     February 13, 2012, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at EPA Region 10 
Office, 1200 Sixth Avenue Seattle, WA 98101;
     February 15, 2012, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at EPA Region 7 
Office, 901 N. 5th Street Kansas City, KS 66101; and
     February 17, 2012, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at EPA Region 5 
Office, 77 West Jackson Boulevard Chicago, IL 60604-3507.
    If you plan to participate in a workshop as an observer, whether or 
not you plan to make verbal comments, EPA requests that you preregister 
by January 20, 2012 at http://www.epa.gov/npdes/integratedplans.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    Since the passage of the CWA, great progress has been made toward 
restoring the nation's waters. Many more streams, rivers and bays are 
fishable and swimmable than 40 years ago. During this time, the overall 
number of people served by municipal wastewater treatment facilities 
that either do not discharge or provide at least secondary treatment 
increased from 84.1 million in 1972 to 222.5 million in 2008. In 
addition, many municipalities have begun to make significant 
investments in advanced treatment, controlling combined sewer overflows 
(CSOs) and sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) and are beginning to address 
water quality problems associated with stormwater.
    While significant progress has been made in reducing pollutant 
discharges, much work remains to be done to restore impaired waters. 
The challenges municipalities face in making additional water quality 
improvements are particularly complex. Providing advanced treatment for 
nutrients and controlling combined sewer overflows (CSOs), sanitary 
sewer overflows

[[Page 1688]]

(SSOs), and stormwater can present difficult and expensive engineering 
challenges. Population growth, aging infrastructure, and the current 
economic challenges are stressing many municipalities that are 
implementing CWA programs. Many state and local governments face 
difficult financial conditions. Their ability to finance improvements 
by raising revenues or issuing bonds has been significantly impacted 
during the ongoing economic recovery. EPA is committed to work with 
States and municipalities to improve how CWA programs are implemented 
to ensure continued progress in public health and environmental 
protection.
    EPA believes that integrated planning can better meet America's 
clean water objectives, create jobs and strengthen our economy by 
offering municipalities an opportunity to meet their CWA requirements 
in a more cost-effective manner. To encourage integrated planning 
efforts, on October 27, 2011, EPA's Office of Water and Office of 
Enforcement Compliance and Assurance issued a joint memorandum to the 
EPA Regions that expresses the Agency's commitment to and support for 
integrated approaches to municipal stormwater and wastewater 
management. The integrated approach provides interested municipalities 
with an opportunity to develop a comprehensive plan that balances 
competing CWA requirements and allows municipalities to focus their 
resources on the most pressing public health and environmental 
protection issues first. The integrated approach is voluntary and the 
responsibility to develop an integrated plan rests with municipalities.
    The integrated planning approach maintains existing regulatory 
standards for the protection of public health and water quality. The 
approach takes advantage of the flexibilities in existing EPA 
regulations, policies and guidance to allow municipalities to sequence 
implementation of their CWA obligations to focus on the highest 
priorities first. EPA and/or the State will work with municipalities 
who are interested in this concept to develop appropriate requirements 
and schedules.
    As part of the integrated approach, EPA encourages municipalities 
to pursue more innovative approaches such as green infrastructure 
technologies and asset management or similar utility-wide planning 
approaches. EPA has strongly encouraged these innovative approaches for 
several years. Many cities and communities have implemented green 
infrastructure approaches and are starting to see that the value of 
such projects goes beyond protecting water resources. In addition to 
improving water quality, green infrastructure also makes communities 
more livable by providing opportunities for greenways and multiuse 
recreational areas, improves property values, saves energy and creates 
green jobs. On April 29, 2011, EPA released the Strategic Agenda to 
Protect Waters and Build More Livable Communities Through Green 
Infrastructure. The Strategic Agenda outlines activities that EPA is 
taking to help communities implement green infrastructure approaches. 
This Strategy is intended to advance the wider use of green 
infrastructure within the regulatory and enforcement contexts through 
improvements in outreach and information exchange, financing, and tool 
development and capacity building. EPA continues to work closely with 
State and local governments to incorporate green infrastructure 
approaches within permits and enforcement actions.

II. Purpose of the Workshops on Integrated Municipal Stormwater and 
Wastewater Plans

    In conjunction with the October 27, 2011 memorandum, EPA is 
developing a framework document that will more fully describe the 
integrated planning concept that could be used to help EPA work with 
State and local governments toward providing for cost-effective, 
integrated solutions to multiple causes of water pollution. The Agency 
anticipates that the framework document will identify and clarify 
overarching principles that EPA and states will use in working with 
municipalities to implement an integrated approach as well as guiding 
principles that EPA recommends municipalities use in the development of 
their integrated plans. The framework document will identify the key 
elements that EPA anticipates will be in an effective integrated plan. 
The framework will also discuss the appropriate roles of permit and 
enforcement authorities in addressing the regulatory requirements 
identified in the plan.
    EPA will hold five workshops to discuss a draft of the integrated 
planning framework. The workshops will be facilitated discussions with 
individuals from a range of stakeholder groups to assist EPA in 
developing the framework through gaining better understanding of their 
individual perspectives. EPA is not seeking group recommendations, but 
rather seeks to hear from individuals with different perspectives. 
Prior to these meetings, EPA will post a draft of the framework 
document at http://www.epa.gov/npdes/integratedplans. The draft 
framework posted on EPA's Web site will be updated as appropriate.

III. Participation in the Workshop

    Members of the public are welcome to participate as observers in 
the workshop. The agenda will be structured to invite specific verbal 
comments from observers on key issues. If you plan to participate as an 
observer at the workshop, whether or not you plan to make verbal 
comments, in order that EPA may properly anticipate the correct number 
of people, EPA requests that you preregister by January 20, 2012 at 
http://www.epa.gov/npdes/integratedplans.

    Authority: Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.

    Dated: January 3, 2012.
Nancy K. Stoner,
Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Water.
[FR Doc. 2012-343 Filed 1-10-12; 8:45 am]
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