Public Comment for Idaho treatment plants discharging into Spokane River extended to October 3rd

August 31, 2013

EPA has extended the public comment period for the draft National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits for the City of Coeur d’Alene, City of Post Falls, and Hayden Area Regional Sewer Board until Thursday, October 3, 2013.

These wastewater discharge permits are for sewage treatment plants that discharge pollutants to the Spokane River in northern Idaho.  EPA has stated they are “… making significant changes to the draft permits as they were proposed in 2007, which result from comments made during the initial public comment period, the availability of the Washington Department of Ecology’s dissolved oxygen total maximum daily load (TMDL) for the Spokane River, updated computer modeling of the impact of the discharges, revised draft Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 401 certifications prepared by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (IDEQ), and EPA guidance documents.”

A public hearing for the revised draft National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits was held Wednesday, August 28 at Coeur d’Alene Public Library.

Click here for the revised draft permits and fact sheets available on the EPA Region 10 website.