NOTICE OF ADOPTED CHANGES IN THE REGULATIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

Regulations dealing with water quality standards were adopted by the Department of Environmental Conservation on March 20, 2024, with an effective date of April 26, 2024. The regulations have been made permanent and have been filed by the Lt. Governor. The regulations will appear in Register 250, July 2024, of the Alaska Administrative Code. The regulations changes are summarized as follows:

This regulation package clarifies how the department will apply state water quality standards by providing technical definitions for fresh waters and marine waters based on salinity values. In addition, federally approved laboratory methods are adopted by reference in 40 C.F.R. 136. This will allow the department to use those standards whenever the federally approved methods are updated.

The following sections were amended:

18 AAC 70.020, 18 AAC 70.990, 18 AAC 83.010