The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) today authorized its Pollution Control Standards (PCS) Committee to proceed with a public comment period on the Committee's recommended changes to the Pollution Control Standards, and to invite public review and comment on the proposed modification
; the 2019 Revision.
Thi
s 2019 Revision is substantially different than any of the previous proposals considered by the Commission during its 2018 review that could have effectively eliminated ORSANCO's PCS for the Ohio River.
This new proposal reflects the Commission's desire to consider and incorporate concerns raised by its numerous stakeholders during last year's review while accomplishing its goals to provide for cost-effective use of ORSANCO and member state resources. At its most basic, the new consensus proposal preserves ORSANCO Pollution Control Standards and recognizes states' rights to implement alternative ways to protect the Ohio River and its users.
Specifically, the
2019 Revision:
1. maintains the PCS for the Ohio River to help ensure the uses outlined in ORSANCO's Compact are achieved;
2. provides needed flexibility for member states to utilize the PCS in their Ohio River discharge permits as needed while ensuring the Ohio River uses are achieved;
3. maintains ORSANCO's role in water quality protection established in its Compact; and
4. recognizes that consistency among states as it relates to Ohio River water quality is achieved through maintenance of the protective uses for the Ohio River as established in its Compact.
"Today's Commission action demonstrates the Commission's commitment to work with its member states to protect the water quality of the Ohio River," stated Commission Executive Director Richard Harrison. "The PCS Committee's hard work and deliberations to incorporate the extensive comments received by our stakeholders has resulted in a recommended PCS proposal that will maintain Ohio River PCS, while achieving the goals of the Commission that led to this programmatic review of its PCS."
The 2019
Revision will undergo the same public comment process that previous proposals have completed. The details for the public comment period will be developed and communicated by the Commission through a future press release.
Prior to developing this
2019 Revision, ORSANCO conducted a lengthy and thorough evaluation of the Pollution Controls Standards program. ORSANCO developed and considered five alternatives. ORSANCO hosted two public comment periods and a public hearing.
