homepage - naturalgas - rulemaking - pennsylvania chapter 93 chloride water quality standards
On July 15, 2010, Pennsylvania's Independent Regulatory Review Committee remanded the proposed standards to DEP, in part because it was concerned that the 1988 chloride standards were out of date, as the environmental commenters warned.
On June 15, 2010, an environmental coalition, including the Sierra Club, submitted comments drafted by the Pitt Environmental Law Clinic and the Stroud Water Resources Center. The comments commend Pennsylvania for tightening its standards, but demonstrate that the 1988 standards are too weak, based upon more recent data, and call for lower standards, such as those pioneered by British Columbia, and enhanced monitoring efforts.
On May 1, 2010, Pennsylvania DEP proposed to adopt chloride water quality criteria based upon standards promulgated in 1988 by the U.S. EPA.