Opinion ID: 166089
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The New Mexico Regulation

Text: 9 We turn now to the regulation that sparked this lawsuit. In 1999, the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission (WQCC) adopted revised water quality standards that, among other things, included a revised enforcement exemption for some pollutants that result from irrigation and flood control facilities. In relevant part the regulation states: 10 When changes in dissolved oxygen, temperature, dissolved solids, sediment or turbidity in a water of the state is [sic] attributable to natural causes or the reasonable operation of irrigation and flood control facilities that are not subject to federal or state water pollution control permitting [i.e., nonpoint source pollutants], numerical standards for temperature, dissolved solids content, dissolved oxygen, sediment or turbidity adopted under the Water Quality Act[, N.M. Stat. Ann. § 74-6-1 et seq.,] do not apply. 11 N.M. Admin. Code tit. 20, § 6.4.12. Prior to this regulation, New Mexico had a similar exemption that was limited to dissolved oxygen, sediment, and turbidity; the 1999 regulation added temperature and dissolved solids to the exemption. In January 2000, the WQCC forwarded N.M. Admin. Code tit. 20, § 6.4.12 to the EPA for its approval pursuant to the terms of the CWA. See 33 U.S.C. § 1313(c)(2). On January 23, 2001, the EPA refused to approve N.M. Admin. Code tit. 20, § 6.4.12. The EPA sent the following letter explaining its reasoning: 12 The [regulation], in referring to the reasonable operation and maintenance of irrigation and flood control structures, requires that this activity be defined by regulation of the WQCC. Without a clear definition of what this exemption means and where it does and/or does not apply, this provision is not acceptable because it could be interpreted as either consistent or inconsistent with the requirements of the CWA. An interpretation of the underlying statutory provisions as precluding enforcement against listed activities (essentially nonpoint sources associated with the reasonable operation and maintenance of irrigation and flood control structures) may be acceptable as long as assurance is provided that the numeric criteria in question continue to apply to affected surface waters and will be considered in assessing water quality in surface waters of the state affected by such activities. It would be unacceptable if this provision means that exceedance of criteria due to such activities are simply ignored in assessing water quality. 13 ... 14 [If][t]he New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission could provide an interpretation of the underlying statutory provisions [along the lines of the first interpretation, the regulation would be acceptable.] ... EPA would reserve the right to [disapprove the regulation, however,] if the state does not adhere to this interpretation. 15 R. at 207 (emphasis added). 16 In short, the EPA ruled that New Mexico need not limit the amount of non-point pollutants introduced into its waters; however, it must continue with all the CWA requirements such as setting water quality standards and listing waters that fail to meet these standards. 17 The Chairman of the WQCC responded to the EPA with a letter on behalf of the Commission, stating: 18 The Commission interprets this provision to preclude enforcement of the specified numerical standards against listed activities; essentially non-point sources associated with the reasonable operation and maintenance of irrigation and flood control facilities. However, New Mexico measures, and will continue to measure, these numeric criteria for the purposes of assessing water quality in surface waters of the State affected by such activities. New Mexico will continue to assess the water quality of the surface waters of the State and will list all impaired waters, no matter what the cause, on the State's CWA § 303(d) list. Moreover, the Commission sees no other way to interpret this provision. 19 R. at 225. The EPA, relying upon the WQCC's letter, approved N.M. Admin. Code tit. 20, § 6.4.12.