ORSANCO Revises Pollution Standards For Ohio River; Sets Hearing Dates

Public comments are being accepted until April 15.

The Ohio River in Aurora. Photo by Mike Perleberg, Eagle Country 99.3.

(Cincinnati, Oh.) – Will they, or won’t they?

The Ohio River Valley Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) continues to consider whether to remove uniform water quality standards for the Ohio River.

The commission’s board was to vote on removing the standards this past October, but the organization tabled the vote after receiving more than 8,000 public comments, with most of the feedback against the proposal.

ORSANCO is accepting more public comment before making a final decision. Two webinars will be held next week with the first on Tuesday, March 12 at 10:00 a.m. and the second on Thursday, March 14 at 6:00 p.m.

The webinars will provide an overview of ORSANCO’s 2019 revision to pollution control standards for the Ohio River, which will be followed by a public comment period until April 15.

Per ORSANCO’s website, the proposed 2019 revision maintains ORSANCO’s Pollution Control Standards for the Ohio River to protect the uses delineated in ORSANCO’s Compact, while providing needed flexibility for member states to utilize the Pollution Control Standards or their own rigorously developed and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved water quality criteria for Ohio River discharge permits.

An earlier proposal would have eliminated ORSANCO’s water pollution standards followed by the eight states along the 981-mile river, allowing the states to set their own standards.

Oppositions of that proposal believed eliminating pollution standards would make for a dirtier river, harm aquatic life and impact drinking water.

ORSANCO will hold three hearings on the revised proposal in April. The closest hearing will be held at the Holiday Inn Cincinnati Airport in Erlanger on Monday, April 8 from 6-8 p.m. 

Anyone interested in submitting public comments may do so by mail or email. Mailed comments should be addressed to ORSANCO, 5735 Kellogg Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45230, Attn: PCS Comments. Emailed comments should be sent to PCS@orsanco.org.

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