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EPANonrulemakingEPA-HQ-OW-2024-0517

Draft Water Quality Standards (WQS) Handbook Chapters on Designated Uses, Antidegradation and WQS Variances

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Last modified
May 5, 2025
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closed 454d ago
American Chemistry Council filings
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American Chemistry Council filed 1 comment on this docket between May 5, 2025 and May 5, 2025. 5 other organizations filed here. The comment window closed 454d ago.

What American Chemistry Council filed (1)

May 5, 2025· Comment submitted by American Chemistry Council (ACC)· EPA-HQ-OW-2024-0517-0030

Filed on regulations.gov — full text not in the inline record.

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Abstract

The EPA is releasing three draft chapters of its primary guidance document for the National Water Quality Standards (WQS) Program, the WQS Handbook, for a 90-day public comment period. The WQS Handbook provides a plain language discussion of the relevant regulatory and statutory requirements and the EPA’s recommendations for how states, authorized Tribes and U.S. territories can develop and implement WQS consistent with both. The WQS Handbook also serves as a one-stop resource to facilitate a nationally consistent interpretation of the EPA’s WQS regulation at Title 40, Part 131 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Finally, the WQS Handbook provides useful information for regulated entities and the public when engaging in the WQS development and implementation process. In 2015, the EPA revised its Part 131 WQS regulation. Based on questions received during that revision process, experiences from implementing the revised regulation, and input the EPA sought from states and authorized Tribes, the agency has updated Chapter 2 on Designated Uses, Chapter 4 on Antidegradation, and developed a new chapter on WQS Variances to include the EPA’s most recent WQS programmatic policy and guidance to implement the regulation at 40 CFR Part 131.

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Co-filers (5)

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