DNR
Seeks Public Comment on CHANGES TO THREE Water Quality Standards CRITERIA
The DNR is seeking
public comments on proposed rules that would establish requirements to protect and manage the water
quality of Iowa’s surface
waters.
Recently, the DNR began
to compile research related to toxicity of total dissolved solids, chloride and
sulfate. The purpose was to update and develop criteria for these parameters to
better protect aquatic life based on new scientific
information.
With the availability of
new research and toxicity data, the information is now available to propose
numeric criteria for chloride and sulfate to better protect river, stream and
lake aquatic life uses and revaluate the current interim approach for total
dissolved solids criteria.
People can comment on
the proposed rules orally or in writing at seven public meetings, listed
alphabetically by town:
·
Atlantic:
10:00 a.m. July 15, Atlantic Public
Library, 507 Poplar
St.
·
Clear
Lake: 11:00 a.m. July 16,
Clear Lake
Public Library, 200 N. Fourth St.
·
Des
Moines: 1:00 p.m. July 9,
fifth floor conference rooms of the Wallace State
Office Building, 502 E. Ninth
St.
·
Dubuque: 11:00 a.m. July 13, Dubuque Public Library,
360 W. 11th
St.
·
Iowa
City: 6:00 p.m. July 13, Iowa City Public Library,
123 S. Linn
St.
·
Orange City: 11:00 a.m. July 7, Orange City Public Library, 112 Albany Avenue SE
·
Spencer: 6:00 p.m. July
7, Spencer Public Library, 21 E.
Third St.
The proposed changes
would:
- Establish numerical
water quality criteria for chloride, for the protection of aquatic
life
·
Establish numerical
water quality criteria for sulfate, for the protection of aquatic life and
livestock watering
·
Remove
criteria for total dissolved solids and associated implementation
procedures.
Revise the default
hardness level used for hardness-dependent chemical criteria
Find
detailed information on the changes and view the complete rule
proposal at www.iowadnr.gov/water/standards/chloride.html.
People can submit
written comments to Adam Schnieders at the Iowa DNR, 502 East Ninth St., Des Moines, IA
50319, or by e-mail to
[log in to unmask]. The
DNR will accept comments until Aug. 14, 2009.
For more information,
contact Schnieders by e-mail or at (515)
281-7409.