Water Quality Laws
The
Clean Water Act has helped to improve Ohio's water quality,
but our waterways fall far short of its promise “to
protect and restore the physical, chemical, and biological
integrity of the nation’s waters.”
 The
federal Clean Water Act and the state of Ohio’s water
pollution laws in section
6111 of the Ohio Revised Code (external link) establish
the regulatory basis for water protection in Ohio. Many of
Ohio’s water pollution regulations can be found in Chapter
3745 of the Ohio Administrative Code (external link).
The Ohio
Environmental Protection Agency (external link) and Ohio
Department of Natural Resources (external link) are responsible
for many point and non-point source pollution programs.
| OEC’s
Stormwater Guide Released |
The Clean Water Act’s “stormwater
phase II” regulations establish requirements on construction
sites to reduce erosion and control runoff. Our
Guide to Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control (PDF)
is an easy-to-use reference to educate concerned citizens
and local officials.
| OEC
Wins Settlement with US Department of Justices |
Sometimes a lawsuit is necessary to move
Ohio water policy into the 21st century. That’s why
the OEC, with co-plaintiffs the National Wildlife Federation
and the League of Ohio Sportsmen, filed a Clean Water Act
lawsuit to enforce the “TMDL” provisions that
require watershed restoration plans for all rivers that
don’t meet the minimum standards for fishable and
swimmable waters. See our press
release (PDF) and settlement (PDF) with the US Department of Justice, USEPA, the Ohio
Attorney General’s Office, and Ohio EPA that requires
cleanup plans for 50 watersheds by 2008.
| OEC’s
Citizen’s Guide to 401’s Available |
Sections 404 and 401 of the Clean
Water Act govern the filling of wetlands. For tips on how
to participate in the permitting process and information
on what the regulations require the Ohio EPA to consider,
take a look at our Citizen’s
Guide to 401’s. (PDF)
| Water
Quality Standards—OEC Technical Comments |
The Ohio EPA is responsible for carrying out the Clean Water Act’s water quality standards—so the OEC keeps a close eye on their rulemakings.
We’ve made comments on use designations that establish the goals for Ohio’s rivers like “exceptional warm water habitat”. We submitted comments on Ohio’s Integrated Water Quality Report (PDF) that identifies which waters are in non-attainment. We also were key watchdogs on their rulemaking on “antidegradation”, leading to citizen-friendly fact sheets like this example. (PDF)
| OEC
Calls for Green Infrastructure to Fix Sewer Overflows |
Many cities in Ohio face the challenge
of fixing “combined sewer overflows” caused by
old sewer systems that release untreated sewage when it rains.
When the City of Columbus was considering a bond issue to
fix sewer overflows to public comment, the OEC
called for green infrastructure (PDF) that doesn’t
sacrifice urban streams in order to handle stormwater.
| OEC
De-Mystifies Clean Water Act Citizen Suits |
We know that many concerned citizens have
shied away from enforcing the Clean Water Act because it
can be imposing. So we wrote the Citizen’s
Guide to Clean Water Act Citizen Suits (PDF) to explain
the law and the avenues available to those concerned with
our valuable water resources.
|
