Author: Adrian Loepp

Wednesday, December 09, 2020

WHITE BIRD — The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) seeks comment on a draft Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (IPDES) permit for the City of White Bird Publicly Owned Treatment Works.

The city applied for a wastewater discharge permit for its wastewater treatment facility, located on River Road in White Bird, Idaho.

The proposed permit would authorize the discharge of treated municipal wastewater year round to Whitebird Creek for five years. The permit identifies the pollutants of concern and the required limits for each pollutant or parameter, and monitoring and reporting requirements necessary to ensure compliance with the permit and protect human health and the environment.

Written comments on the draft permit and fact sheet will be accepted through January 8, 2021, at 5 p.m. MST. The draft permit and fact sheet are available for public review at DEQ’s state office (1410 N. Hilton St.), DEQ’s Lewiston Regional Office (1118 F St. Lewiston) and on DEQ’s website. A public meeting may be held if requested in writing by December 23, 2020 at 5 p.m. MST.

Comments and questions regarding this process should be directed to Matt Stutzman or DEQ’s Public Comments page. Comments should address water quality considerations and include supporting materials where available. Comments should also reference the City of White Bird Publicly Owned Treatment Works and permit number (ID0024252).

Matt Stutzman
Surface and Wastewater Division
1410 N. Hilton St.
Boise, ID 83706
Email: matthew.stutzman@deq.idaho.gov

Please submit requests for a public meeting electronically on DEQ’s website, by mail, or email to Lori Flook.

Lori Flook
Surface and Wastewater Division
1410 N. Hilton St.
Boise, ID 83706
Email: Lori.Flook@deq.idaho.gov

Related Documents

• Application
• Fact Sheet
• Draft Permit

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

KELLOGG — The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is accepting applications for the 2021 West Silver Valley Woodstove Changeout Program.

The changeout program is open to homeowners living in the West Silver Valley Nonattainment Area, which runs from Cataldo to Big Creek, and aims to replace older, inefficient stoves with new, EPA-certified units. Homeowners will work with DEQ and a local vendor to replace their old woodstove beginning in February 2021.

This is the final year of the program, which has contributed to a successful reduction of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution in the West Silver Valley airshed.

In 2015, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated the West Silver Valley as a nonattainment area for PM2.5, meaning it had violated the federal health-based annual standard for this pollutant. Since then, efforts to reduce local particulate matter have been successful and DEQ submitted a request to EPA to redesignate the area as attainment.

In the last three years, DEQ replaced almost 188 older wood-burning devices with more efficient units and plans to replace additional stoves in the coming year.

Applications are available online at DEQ’s West Silver Valley Air Quality Improvement Projects page and can be mailed upon request. Contact Dan Smith (dan.smith@deq.idaho.gov) for more information.

Friday, December 04, 2020

BOISE — The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) today released the 2021 Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Program (IPDES) Permit Issuance Plan for the upcoming calendar year.

The plan provides the regulated community, US Environmental Protection Agency, and other state, federal, tribal, and interested entities with information on permits being worked on for the next two years. It also prioritizes the facilities with pending permit applications and/or administratively continued permits under the IPDES Program.

On July 1, 2020, DEQ assumed delegated authority for non-storm water discharge general permits in Idaho. DEQ also assumed delegated authority for municipal and non-municipal individual permits on July 1, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

With this change in permitting authority, non-storm water general permits for discharges into waters of the US in Idaho not on tribal land will be issued by DEQ in accordance with the phased implementation plan in the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between DEQ and EPA.

Related Documents
Permit Issuance Plan

Friday, December 04, 2020

Boise — The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is seeking scientific data to assist the agency in evaluating water quality in all Idaho rivers, streams, lakes, and reservoirs for Idaho’s 2022 Integrated Report.

The report describes DEQ’s ongoing efforts to monitor, assess, track, and restore the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the state’s surface waters.

Within the report, water bodies are classified into at least one of five categories, ranging from meeting water quality standards to impairment by one or more pollutants.

DEQ welcomes submittal of water quality data to assess water bodies for all categories in the report. Particularly useful are data collected within the last five years (2016 to the present) that haven’t been previously submitted to DEQ. For all submitted data, provide a monitoring plan with the quality assurance and quality controls reported.

Before submitting data, interested parties are advised to review DEQ’s Water Body Assessment Guidance (download at right) to learn more about how DEQ uses external data for water quality assessments, including Section 4.2, “Existing and Readily Available Data Policy.” Interested parties are also advised to review the additional guidance sheet (download at right) for more information about commonly submitted water quality data.

The deadline for submitting data is February 4, 2021, at 5 p.m. MST.

For questions or more information, contact Robert Esquivel at (208) 373-0153 or at robert.esquivel@deq.idaho.gov.

Related Documents
Water Body Assessment Guidance: 3rd Edition
Additional Guidance

Wednesday, December 09, 2020

WHITE BIRD — The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) seeks comment on a draft Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (IPDES) permit for the City of White Bird Publicly Owned Treatment Works.

The city applied for a wastewater discharge permit for its wastewater treatment facility, located on River Road in White Bird, Idaho.

The proposed permit would authorize the discharge of treated municipal wastewater year round to Whitebird Creek for five years. The permit identifies the pollutants of concern and the required limits for each pollutant or parameter, and monitoring and reporting requirements necessary to ensure compliance with the permit and protect human health and the environment.

Written comments on the draft permit and fact sheet will be accepted through January 8, 2021, at 5 p.m. MST. The draft permit and fact sheet are available for public review at DEQ’s state office (1410 N. Hilton St.), DEQ’s Lewiston Regional Office (1118 F St. Lewiston) and on DEQ’s website. A public meeting may be held if requested in writing by December 23, 2020 at 5 p.m. MST.

Comments and questions regarding this process should be directed to Matt Stutzman or DEQ’s News and Public Comments page. Comments should address water quality considerations and include supporting materials where available. Comments should also reference the City of White Bird Publicly Owned Treatment Works and permit number (ID0024252).

Matt Stutzman
Surface and Wastewater Division
1410 N. Hilton St.
Boise, ID 83706
Email: matthew.stutzman@deq.idaho.gov

Please submit requests for a public meeting electronically on DEQ’s website, by mail, or email to Lori Flook.

Lori Flook
Surface and Wastewater Division
1410 N. Hilton St.
Boise, ID 83706
Email: Lori.Flook@deq.idaho.gov

Related Documents
Draft Permit
Application
Fact Sheet

Friday, December 11, 2020

HAMER — The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is seeking public comment on a draft water reuse permit for Rigby Produce, Inc.

The permit authorizes Rigby Produce, Inc. to operate a water reuse system for five years. It allows recycled water from potato washing to be used to irrigate crops during the growing season and applied at limited rates to fields during the non-growing season.

As part of the permitting process, the facility is required to show how it will address public health and environmental concerns, including methods of preventing surface and ground water contamination.

The draft permit specifies buffer zones around the irrigation site, hydraulic and nutrient loading rates, operating practices, and monitoring requirements established by DEQ to protect public health and the environment.

Written comments on the draft permit will be accepted through January 11, 2021, at 5 p.m. MST.

The draft permit and staff analysis are available for public review at DEQ’s Idaho Falls Regional Office (900 N. Skyline Drive, Suite B) and on DEQ’s website (download at right).

Submit comments electronically on DEQ’s website or by mail or email to:

Andrew John
Technical Services Division
1410 N. Hilton
Boise, ID 83706
Email: andrew.john@deq.idaho.gov

Related Documents
Draft Permit
Staff Analysis

Monday, December 14, 2020

SALMON — The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is releasing an Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (IPDES) preliminary draft permit to the city of Salmon for preliminary review.

The city has 10 days to review the preliminary draft permit and fact sheet for any errors and omissions that should be addressed before the public participation period.

DEQ will revise the preliminary draft permit as needed, at which point it will become a draft permit for public review and comment.

After the preliminary draft period has concluded, DEQ will formally notify all necessary parties that the draft permit, fact sheet, and associated application have been posted on DEQ’s website for public review and comment, per the “Rules Regulating the Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Program” (IDAPA 58.01.25.109). To be notified of the forthcoming posting, go to the DEQ’s News Page and click the ’Subscribe to this page‘ link.