E.P.A. Requests Texas Issue Clean Water Act Permits

(DALLAS - December 2, 2010) The E.P.A. (EPA) has requested the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) take the necessary steps to reissue Clean Water Act discharge permits to sewage treatment plants and industrial facilities in Texas.

The TCEQ has a significant number of outline Clean Water Act discharge permits which have not been issued pending resolution of various concerns raised by EPA. Of the 80 discharge permits of concern, a large number of these outline permits have been delayed due to issues regarding the toxicity of the discharges.

There are significant environmental consequences to the continued authorization of discharges under expired permits. In some cases, E.P.A. is concerned that expired permits continue to authorize toxic discharges.

"We are taking a stand for clean water. The streams, lakes, and bayous of our great state deserve to be protected from chemicals, bacteria, and toxic metals," said E.P.A. Regional Administrator Al Armendariz. "Our children and future generations should be able to swim and fish anywhere in the state without worries about pollution."

To ensure that TCEQ's and EPA's environmental goals and plan commitments continue to be met, E.P.A. has requested that TCEQ take the necessary steps to resolve its concerns. With its action today, E.P.A. is requesting that TCEQ issue the long overdue discharge permits within 6 months so that the cleanup and conservation of the state's waters can proceed.

More about activities in E.P.A. Region six is accessible at http://www.epa.gov/region6

E.P.A. audio file is accessible a http://www.epa.gov/region6/6xa/podcast/dec2010.html

There are currently no comments for this story. Be the first to add a comment!
Click here to add a comment about this story.