Dec. 22, 2017 — On Dec. 18, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt signed the final rulemaking for Public Notification Requirements for combined sewer overflows (CSOs) to the Great Lakes Basin.
The rule will implement Section 425 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016, which required EPA to work with the Great Lakes states to establish public notification requirements for CSO discharges to the Great Lakes. The requirements address signage, initial notification of the public health departments and other potentially affected entities, initial notification of the public, annual notice provisions, and requires the development of a public notification plan.
This rule protects public health by ensuring timely notification to the public and it provides additional specificity beyond existing public notification requirements to ensure timely and consistent communication to the public. This may allow the public and affected entities to take steps to reduce potential exposure to pathogens associated with human sewage, which can cause a wide variety of health effects.
View the pre-publication version of the rule and other information on CSO discharges to the Great Lakes basin.
