EPA - Great Lakes CSO Notification Update

The following letter was received from Jason House on December 22, 2017 regarding EPA's changes to CSO notification for facilities in the Great Lakes River Basin:

 Dear Great Lakes Basin Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Communities:

IDEM received notification on December 20, 2017, that the EPA Administrator signed (on December 18, 2017) into regulation a new federal rule titled “Final Public Notification Requirements for CSOs to the Great Lakes Basin.” This rule implements Section 425 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016, which required EPA to work with the Great Lakes States to establish public notification requirements for combined sewer discharges to the Great Lakes Basin. Note: IDEM did work with EPA and advocated the rule align with Indiana’s current requirements, but was not completely successful. The requirements address signage, initial notification of local public health departments and other potentially affected entities, supplemental follow-up notification to the public, annual notice provisions, and requires the development and IDEM approval of a public notification plan. 

The Final Rule can be accessed at the following link: https://www.epa.gov/npdes/final-rule-public-notification-requirements-combined-sewer-overflows-great-lakes-basin

This e-mail is intended to provide notice to the potentially affected Great Lakes Basin CSO communities so each permittee is aware of this Final Rule.  Additionally, IDEM recommends  Great Lakes Basin CSO communities begin reviewing the Final Rule, as EPA’s new requirements will need to be met for the public notification of CSO events. This new rule applies not only to untreated CSOs, but also to partially treated discharges from CSO wet weather treatment facilities.

The first deadline required by the new final rule is the submittal of the new public notification plans. The new public notification plans are required to be submitted within six (6) months after the effective date of the final rule.  The final rule will become effective thirty (30) days following publication of the rule in the Federal Register. IDEM, as the delegated NPDES Permitting Authority, will be required to ensure that these new EPA regulations are implemented by Great Lakes Basin CSO permittees.

IDEM is currently reviewing the final rule and will be following the publication of the Final Rule in the Federal Register.  IDEM will follow-up with the Great Lakes Basin CSO permittees as the evaluation of the new EPA rule proceeds.

IDEM Points of Contact:

CSO Project Managers:

Kara Wendholt: 317-233-5961

Cara Kitchen: 317-233-6870

David Tennis: 317-234-9558

Permits Branch, Branch Chief: Jerry Dittmer, 317-233-0469

Municipal NPDES Permits Section, Section Chief: Leigh Voss: 317-232-8698

Permits Branch, Technical Environmental Specialist: Jason House, 317-233-0470