EPA Announces Second Public Comment Period for Additions to Minnesota’s Impaired Waters List
(CHICAGO—September 1, 2021) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced a second public comment period for 30 days regarding its inclusion of three additional “waters used for the production of wild rice” that are impaired for sulfate on Minnesota’s Clean Water Act Section 303(d) Impaired Waters List. The 30-day public comment period starts Sept. 1 and ends Oct. 1, 2021.
On April 27, EPA added 30 waters to Minnesota’s 2020 303(d) list and initiated a 30-day public comment period, which EPA then extended an additional 30 days. Comments received by EPA in response to the 60-day public comment period supported the identification of three additional Water Quality Limited Segments: Perch Lake (waterbody identification 69-0688-00), Sturgeon Lake (WID 25-0017-01) and a St. Louis River estuary segment (WID 69-1291-04), all of which meet EPA’s screening analysis described in Section III of its April 27 decision document.
EPA is adding these three WQLSs to the Minnesota 2020 List of Impaired Waters and initiating a 30-day period for public review and comment on the addition of these three segments. The Impaired Waters List is a state’s list of impaired and threatened waters (e.g., stream/river segments, lakes) requiring a total maximum daily load. A TMDL is the calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that can enter a water body. After considering public comments received during this second public comment period and making appropriate revisions, EPA will transmit the final list to Minnesota.
EPA requests that any written comments be sent by email to Paul Proto (proto.paul@epa.gov) on or before Oct. 1, 2021. Additional information regarding EPA’s inclusion of the three waters is available in the public notice: https://www.epa.gov/tmdl/public-notice-epas-additions-minnesotas-2020-impaired-waters-list.
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