BOARD01494

• Board Meeting Date: 9/21/1998
• Description: Federal "Clean Water Action Plan" and EPA's Advance Notice of Proposed Rule Making
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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STATE OF COLORADO

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Colorado Water Conservation Board
Department of Natural Resources
721 Centennial Building
131 3 Sherman Street
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]

Roy Romer
Covernor

MEMORANDUM

Jtlmes S. Lochhend
Executive Director, DNR

TO:

OariesC.lile,P.E.
Director, oves
Peter H. Evans
Ading Direaor, eweB

Colorado Water Conservation Board Members

FROM:

Bahman Hatami

DATE: September II, 1998

SUBJECT: Agenda Item 11, September 21-22, 1998, Board Meeting
Federal "Clean Water Action Plan" and
EPA's Advance Notice of Proposed Rule Making

The purpose of this memo is to provide you with a brief summary of the Clinton
Administration's "Clean Water Action Plan" and two plans that the EPA has recently released in
support of the Clean Water Action Plan (Fact sheets attached). Secondly, we would like to
familiarize you with certain terminology used in these plans. Finally, we would appreciate any
guidance you have conceming our continued involvement in these water quality developments.

- Clean Water Action Plan

President Clinton and Vice President Gore armounced the Clean Water Action Plan on February
19, 1998. It emphasizes protection for public health and restoration of the Nation's waterways,
setting strong goals and promising states, communities, and landowners the tools and resources
to meet them. It proposes a new course built around collaborative strategies and watershed
organizations. To carry out the initiative, the President's budget proposes $568 million in new
funds in Fiscal Year 1999, a 35% increase and a total increase of $2.3 billion over five years. The
Clean Water Action Plan is presented in terms of restoring watershed, protecting public health,
controlling polluted runoff, providing incentives for private land stewardship, restoring and
protecting wetlands, protecting coastal waters, and enhancing federal stewardship. However, it
appears that development and implementation of this Plan will unfold as many separate but
interrelated processes, studies and requirements.

Water Ouality Criteria and Standards Plan

In support of the Clean Water Action Plan, the EPA has recently released the Water Ouality
Criteria and Standards Plan - Priorities for the Future. The Water Quality Criteria and Standard
Plan sets forth the EP A's commitments to develop and enhance scientific and technical tools that
will strengthen the water quality criteria and standards over the next decade. According to the
EP A, its goal is to communicate the new initiatives that will be taken over the next ten years and