Policy or Procedure

This document describes the process used by the Department of Environmental Conservation when making water quality attainment decisions to fulfill 305b reporting and 303d listing requirements.

This document communicates the Department’s philosophy on compliance to the Department’s divisions and media programs, identifies requirements and best practices, and provides guidance to programs for their compliance efforts.

This Procedure applies to collectors, transporters, and recyclers of electronic devices in Vermont, including those entities that manage electronic devices pursuant to a contract for the implementation and administration of the State Standard Plan or pursuant to a manufacturer opt-out individual plan. It is the purpose of this Procedure to: (1) Establish guidelines for the proper environmental management of electronic devices collected, transported, and recycled in the State of Vermont; and (2) Provide guidance on how to register as a collector, transporter, or recycler under Vermont's electronic waste management law.

The intent of this procedure is to assure a consistent process is used in determining acceptable minimum stream flows when there are existing or potential competing uses of the water. This does not necessarily mean that a uniform minimum stream flow number will be reached in every case. What it does mean is that the minimum stream flow numbers will be derived using a consistent procedure.

It is the purpose of this procedure to establish which types of non-compliance will normally be given priority in Agency response efforts with respect to discharge permits issues pursuant to 10 V.S.A. §1263; except that this procedure does not apply to indirect discharge permits issued pursuant to the Indirect Discharge Rules, Chapter 14: Environmental Protection Rules.

On May 1, 2015, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) placed on public notice and requested public comment on its Procedure for Water Quality Remediation Plans (Procedure). The public comment period remained open for 30-days. DEC received public comments from the Vermont Natural Resources Council and VHB. DEC’s responses to these comments are located in this document.