CHARLESTON, W.Va. (April 14, 2020) – At the
direction of Governor Jim Justice and in response to a temporary advisory from
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the West Virginia Department of
Environmental Protection (WVDEP) has developed a new reporting code for
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) requirements for use during
the COVID-19 pandemic.
The temporary advisory, released Tuesday March 31, 2020 by the EPA’s
Office of Compliance, provides instructions and recommendations to authorized
NPDES state programs regarding sampling and monitoring data that is reported to
and tracked in the Integrated Compliance Information System for the NPDES
program (ICIS-NPDES). It also reflects guidance from EPA regional staff in
enforcement and water programs, including the offices of Wastewater Management
and Civil Enforcement, and echoes the EPA’s temporary compliance policy.
The new code allows for permittees to indicate
whether or not incomplete or missing data was caused by the COVID-19 situation
and state and federal regulators may use this code if follow-up is needed to
determine if the criteria set forth in the EPA’s temporary compliance policy
for use of enforcement discretion are met. The WVDEP will determine the
appropriate response to any noncompliance reported or any violations generated
to ensure proper and timely resolution.
The reporting code applies retroactively
beginning March 13, 2020 and will continue until further notice. Currently, all
rules, regulations, and permitting requirements under the jurisdiction of the
WVDEP remain in full effect.
For more information about
COVID-19 prevention and more, call the State’s toll-free hotline at 1-800-887-4304 or
visit Coronavirus.wv.gov.
For more WVDEP news and
information, go to www.dep.wv.gov. Also, connect with the agency on
all social media platforms. Follow @DEPWV on Twitter, Like us on Facebook
at https://www.facebook.com/depwv/, and find us on YouTube by
searching “Environment Matters.”
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