Oklahoma Administrative Code › Title 785 - Oklahoma Water Resources Board › Chapter 46 - Implementation of Oklahoma's Water Quality Standards › Subchapter 17 - OWRB Water Quality Standards Implementation Plan › Section 785:46-17-3 - Processes to ensure compliance with antidegradation standards and leading to maintenance of, removal of threats to, and restoration of beneficial uses

Current through Vol. 41, No. 20, July 1, 2024
(a) In the course of determining applications for
										stream water permits, the Board evaluates or calculates runoff data, available stream gauge data, lake
										storage volumes and dependable yield data for reservoirs, and the watershed above the proposed diversion
										point. The Board protects against degradation by appropriating no more than the mean annual flow of a stream.
										After July 1, 2000, the Board will also evaluate whether an application will cause a potential impact on
										beneficial uses.
(b) In the course of determining maximum annual
										yields of groundwater basins, the Board assumes 100 percent development within the basin; this ensures a
										longer basin life because current basin development is typically less than 20 percent of the entire basin.
										The maximum annual yield procedure also identifies potential sources of contamination within the basin. The
										basin studies will further determine the level of decline in storage in the basin which could impact historic
										low base flow discharge such that flow in that stream could potentially begin to be reduced due to
										groundwater withdrawals. In the course of determining applications for groundwater permits where the maximum
										annual yield has been determined, the Board protects against degradation by limiting the permitted withdrawal
										to the maximum annual yield allocated to the land covered by the permit, and avoiding withdrawal that would
										cause contaminated groundwater or surface water to be moved into groundwater that is not already
										contaminated.
(c) The Board's Clean Water SRF loans for projects
										comply with antidegradation standards and lead to maintaining water quality where beneficial uses are
										supported, removal of threats to water quality where beneficial uses are in danger of not being supported,
										and restoration of water quality where beneficial uses are not being supported, based upon the following
										procedures:
(1) In the course of determining eligibility of applications,
										the Board reviews the proposed project's consistency with water quality management plans developed under
										sections 205(j), 208, 303(e), 319 and 320 of the Clean Water Act. The Clean Water SRF Integrated Priority
										Ranking System ranks projects for funding based on human health protection, the "fishable/swimmable" goals of
										the Clean Water Act, the WQS, and Oklahoma's Nonpoint Source Management Program led by the Oklahoma
										Conservation Commission. All projects are placed on a five-year Clean Water SRF Project Priority List and
										funded in priority order. Proposed projects receive points based on the four major factors of project type,
										water quality restoration, water quality protection, and readiness to proceed, all as provided in
										785:50-9-23.
(2) Wastewater projects under Section 212 of the Clean Water Act are
										reviewed by Board staff engineers for compliance with applicable DEQ rules, including but not limited to the
										Public Water Supply Construction Standards in OAC 252:626 and the Water Pollution Control Facility
										Construction rules in OAC 252:656; and consistency with the system owner's 208 water quality management plan,
										NPDES permit, and sludge management plans, if required by DEQ, all designed to protect the beneficial uses of
										the receiving waters. Approval of preliminary engineering design is made by the Board following approval by
										DEQ. Additional preventative measures may include, but are not limited to, design measures to prevent erosion
										during construction and to prevent wastewater bypasses during construction.
(3) Recipients of loans for Section 212 wastewater projects are required to
										construct the projects in accordance with plans and specifications approved by DEQ and the Board. The
										recipients are required to employ a full time resident inspector. The projects are periodically inspected by
										the Board staff during construction . Upon completion, the project is placed into operation, at which time it
										is evaluated by the consulting engineer and DEQ for compliance with construction and discharge
										standards.
(4) Recipients of loans for Section 319 NPS pollution
										control projects are required to implement the projects in accordance with State-approved BMP to control
										pollution for various NPS categories in accordance with TMDLs or other plans established to control NPS
										runoff.