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The Well Construction and Well Service Discharges General Permit 6 (GP6) will expire on February 28, 2020. Iowa DNR has initiated rulemaking to renew the permit for a third 5-year term.
The purpose of this proposed rulemaking is to renew the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) General Permit No. 6 which authorizes the discharge of wastewater associated with well construction activities. The permit requires the implementation of best management practices and requires visual monitoring of the wastewater effluent to determine compliance with the state’s water quality standards. The proposed GP6 is nearly identical to the current general permit except for some clarifications and changes to comply with current rules.
A public hearing is scheduled for 2:00 PM on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. The meeting will be held in Conference Rooms 4 East and West on the fourth floor of the Wallace State Office Building, 502 E. 9th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319. Free parking is available in the public parking ramp located directly west across the street from the Wallace Building.
Written comments can be submitted until June 7, 2019. Please send your written comments via email to Wendy Hieb at wendy.hieb@dnr.iowa.gov or by US Postal Service to Wendy Hieb, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 502 E. 9th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319.
View the Proposed GP6.
Questions regarding the renewal can be directed to Wendy Hieb at wendy.hieb@dnr.iowa.gov, or via telephone at 515-725-8405.
The Pesticides General Permit for Point Source Discharges to Waters of the United States from the Application of Pesticides (General Permit No. 7 or “GP7”) will expire on May 17, 2021. The Iowa DNR proposes to initiate rulemaking to renew the permit for a third 5-year term.
The majority of the changes proposed for GP7 are non-substantive in nature and are intended to make the permit more user-friendly. These include formatting changes and revisions to improve clarity, remove unnecessary duplication, and simplify the permit. The proposed substantive changes include:
- addition of coverage for discharges resulting from “ground application” of a pesticide to a forest canopy for pest control;
- revisions to the 6-hour hazardous condition notification requirements;
- removal of the part titled “Additional Permit Requirements”; and,
- removal of the requirement to keep a copy of GP7.
The permit renewal process includes asking for comments from individual stakeholders, stakeholder groups and other interested citizens. A stakeholder meeting regarding the renewal is scheduled for 1:00 PM on Tuesday, May 21, 2019. The meeting will be held at the Urbandale Public Library, Room B located at 3520 86th Street, Urbandale, IA 50322. Free parking is available in front of the library.
Written comments can be submitted until May 28, 2019. Please send your written comments via email to Melinda McCoy at melinda.mccoy@dnr.iowa.gov or by US Postal Service to Melinda McCoy, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 502 E. 9th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319.
Questions regarding the renewal can be directed to Melinda McCoy by email or by phone at 515-725-8402.
View the Proposed GP7.
There is a new DNR webpage with information on Drinking Water Health Advisories. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) develops drinking water Health Advisories (HAs) to provide information on contaminants that can cause human health effects and are known or anticipated to occur in drinking water. These HAs are not enforceable. The HAs are intended to provide technical guidance to public water supply systems and public health officials when contamination situations arise. The guidance includes limits in drinking water below which health effects are not expected to occur. There are three contaminants of current public interest: cyanotoxins, manganese, and per- and polyfluorinated alkyl compounds (PFAS).
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