DEM issues draft Impaired Waters list and opens public comment Period with Jan. 25 workshop on findings of statewide water quality assessment
The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is soliciting comments on
the state's impaired waters list and will hold a virtual public workshop next
week to review statewide water quality findings. A virtual public workshop will
be held on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022, to present findings of the full statewide
assessment of water quality conditions including the draft impaired waters
list.
WHAT:
Virtual Public Workshop to Discuss Findings of Statewide Water Quality Assessment
WHEN:
Tuesday, January 25, 2022, at 3PM
WHERE:
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4104398151 Meeting ID: 410 439
8151
To
join the public hearing using your phone for audio, click on "Join by
Phone" and follow the information on the screen to dial in. All
participants will be muted upon joining the meeting. Following a presentation
on the results, DEM will take questions and comments via voice or chat. To make
a comment during the hearing, participants should click the "Raise Hand"
button on the screen or type into the chat, which will be monitored.
At
the workshop, DEM representatives will describe the state's water quality
assessment process, general findings of this assessment including new waterbody
impairments added to the impaired waters list and the proposed removal of
others. The state's priorities for completing the federally mandated water
quality restoration studies also will be discussed.
All interested parties are invited to submit written comments on the draft impaired waters list by Friday, Feb. 18, to Heidi Travers or via mail to Heidi Travers, DEM, Office of Water Resources, 235 Promenade Street, Providence, RI 02908.
DEM's Office of Water Resources assesses the quality of the state's surface waters by comparing available monitoring data against the state's established water quality criteria to determine whether the waters are suitable for such uses as swimming, fish/shellfish consumption, and aquatic life.
The results of this
assessment are presented in the state's Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and
Assessment Report (Integrated Report), which documents the overall quality of
the state's waters. It includes a five-part integrated list that provides
available information on each of the state's lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and
estuarine waters. The process of conducting the assessment is documented in the
consolidated assessment and listing methodology on our website.
As
part of the process, DEM identifies surface waters that do not meet water
quality criteria for which a water quality restoration study known as a Total
Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) is required in accordance with the federal Clean
Water Act. These impaired waters are placed on the state's 303(d) list, named
for the Clean Water Act section that establishes the requirement, which also
establishes a schedule for development of the federally mandated studies. The
draft 303(d) list is available on-line on DEM's website.
DEM
also has identified those waterbody impairments that can be removed from the
list of impaired waters because available monitoring data show that water
quality criteria are now being met. Documentation of the data and supporting
information justifying removal of waterbody impairments can be found in Rhode
Island's 2022 de-listing document, also available online.
Among
the waterbodies showing improved water quality and proposed for removal of an
impairment from the impaired waters list is the Pawtuxet River Main Stem where
water quality improvements are the result of stringent permitting and
investments in pollution abatement infrastructure and practices. Other
waterbodies targeted for removal include waters where recent data indicates
that dissolved lead has decreased. The full five-part draft Integrated list is
also available on-line on DEM's website here.
For
more information on DEM programs and services, visit www.dem.ri.gov. Follow DEM
on Facebook, Twitter(@RhodeIslandDEM), or Instagram (@rhodeisland.dem).
Related
links
Integrated
Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report Methodology