Surface Water Quality Bureau Invites Public Input

Surface Water Quality Bureau Invites Public Input
For Nonpoint Source Management Program Revision

The Surface Water Quality Bureau is initiating a revision of the Nonpoint Source (NPS) Management Program. A revision must be conducted periodically as required by Section 319 of the federal Clean Water Act. The public and cooperating organizations are invited to identify issues of concern in the current Nonpoint Source Management Program and to propose revisions for consideration.

Please note that this is the scoping phase of the revision; there will be opportunities for public comment on specific proposals at a later date.

Section 319(b)(1) of the Clean Water Act requires the Governor of each State to submit to the Regional EPA Administrator for approval a management program which the State proposes to implement in the first four fiscal years beginning after the date of submission, for controlling nonpoint source pollution. The Bureau has identified a number of issues that may need attention during the upcoming revision. Among the changes the Bureau is considering are the following:

• Specify which non-federally funded NPS management activities will be considered non-federal NPS Management Program costs.
• Continue to support watershed-based planning within a more restricted program budget.
• More closely integrate watershed-based planning and implementation.
• Describe circumstances such as emergency response following wildfires, in which a watershed-based plan is not required for Section 319 project funding.
• Use Recovery Potential Screening for prioritizing watersheds for restoration or protection.
• Edit for clarity and update summaries of related programs (maintenance revision).

Interested parties may comment on these areas or others. Suggestions may apply to statewide provisions or only to a particular watershed or stream. Bureau staff are also available upon request to meet with stakeholder groups, agencies, and individuals, for informal discussions regarding their issues of concern. Please direct any comments by Friday, November 1, 2013 to:

Abraham Franklin, Nonpoint Source Coordinator
Surface Water Quality Bureau
PO Box 5469, Santa Fe, NM 87502
Fax: 505-827-0160
Email: abraham.franklin@state.nm.us

The current Nonpoint Source Management Program document is available at
http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/swqb/wps/Plan.

Additional information about water quality in general is available on the Surface Water Quality Bureau’s website, at
http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/swqb.