The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy will hold an informal information session regarding revisions to Title 117 – Nebraska Surface Water Quality Standards.

The information session will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. Those interested may attend in person at 245 Fallbrook Boulevard in Lincoln in the lower level hearing room (room 031), or virtually by joining through the Zoom link: https://bit.ly/46xjCkH (Zoom Meeting ID: 836 5989 2735, Passcode: 41010).

The proposed revisions are part of the Department’s triennial review of Title 117, which is required by Section 303(c) of the federal Clean Water Act. NDEE has identified proposed changes, which are needed for the regulation to become current with existing science and knowledge of water quality.

The proposed revisions and an explanation of each change are available on NDEE’s website at https://dee.nebraska.gov/resources-services/laws-regulations/environmental-quality-council/draft-and-proposed-rules-and-regulations.

Because the proposed changes to Title 117 are on public notice for the Nov. 17, 2023, Environmental Quality Council (EQC) meeting, NDEE is unable to answer questions or accept testimony at the informal information session on Oct. 24.

The revisions will be formally proposed at the EQC’s Nov. 17 meeting in Lincoln. Public comments may be submitted in written form either via email or traditional mail, or oral testimony may be given at the hearing before the council. Instructions for how to attend the EQC meeting or how to submit formal comments can be found in the public notice, published on Oct. 3, 2023, and can be found on our website at: https://dee.nebraska.gov/resources-services/laws-regulations/environmental-quality-council.

Questions regarding the draft proposal may be directed to Tara Anderson, Environmental Specialist, at Tara.L.Anderson@nebraska.gov, (402) 471-4201, or P.O. Box 98922, Lincoln, NE 68509.