(a) The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 to establish standards of water quality applicable to the various waters of the state or portions thereof. Such standards shall be consistent with the federal Water Pollution Control Act and shall be for the purpose of qualifying the state and its municipalities for available federal grants and for the purpose of providing clear and objective public policy statements of a general program to improve the water resources of the state; provided no standard of water quality adopted shall plan for, encourage or permit any wastes to be discharged into any of the waters of the state without having first received the treatment available and necessary for the elimination of pollution. Such standards of quality shall: (1) Apply to interstate waters or portions thereof within the state; (2) apply to such other waters within the state as the commissioner may determine is necessary; (3) protect the public health and welfare and promote the economic development of the state; (4) preserve and enhance the quality of state waters for present and prospective future use for public water supplies, propagation of fish and aquatic life and wildlife, recreational purposes and agricultural, industrial and other legitimate uses; (5) be consistent with health standards as established by the Department of Public Health. Notwithstanding the thirty-day-notice requirement prescribed by subsection (a) of section 4-168, the department shall provide a notice not later than ninety days prior to proposing any regulation in accordance with this section, including, but not limited to, notice of the availability of the underlying documentation that forms the basis for the standards sought to be adopted, amended or repealed by such proposed regulation.

(b) The commissioner shall establish the effective date of the adoption, amendment or repeal of standards of water quality, subject to the provisions of subdivision (1) of section 22a-6. Notice of such adoption, amendment or repeal shall be published in the Connecticut Law Journal upon acceptance thereof by the federal government.

(c) The commissioner shall monitor the quality of the subject waters to demonstrate the results of his program to abate pollution.

(d) The state's water quality standards, including the surface and ground water classifications, in effect on February 28, 2011, shall remain in full force and effect, unless modified in accordance with subsections (a), (e), (f) and (g) of this section. On or after March 1, 2011, the commissioner may reclassify surface or ground waters within the state in accordance with the procedures specified in subsections (e), (f) and (g) of this section.

(e) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section and chapter 54, the following procedures shall apply to any surface or ground water reclassification initiated by the commissioner: (1) The commissioner shall hold a public hearing in accordance with subdivision (3) of subsection (f) of this section. Such public hearing shall not be considered a contested case pursuant to chapter 54; (2) notice of such hearing specifying the surface or ground waters for which reclassification is proposed and the time, date and place of such hearing and how members of the public may obtain additional information regarding such reclassification shall be published once in a newspaper having a substantial circulation in the affected area at least thirty days before such hearing; and (3) such notice shall also be given by certified mail to the chief executive officer of each municipality in which the water affected by such reclassification is located with a copy to the director of health of each municipality, at least thirty days prior to the hearing. Following the public hearing, the commissioner shall provide notice of the reclassification decision in the Connecticut Law Journal and to the chief elected official and the director of health of each municipality in which the water affected by such reclassification is located.

(f) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section and chapter 54, the following procedures shall apply to any surface or groundwater reclassification requested by a person other than the commissioner: (1) Any person seeking a reclassification shall apply to the commissioner on forms prescribed by the commissioner and shall provide the information required by such forms; (2) at least thirty days before the hearing specified in subdivision (3) of this subsection, the commissioner shall publish or cause to be published, at the expense of the person seeking a reclassification, once in a newspaper having a substantial circulation in the affected area (A) the name of the person seeking a reclassification, (B) an identification of the surface or ground waters affected by such reclassification, (C) notice of the commissioner's tentative determination regarding such reclassification, (D) how members of the public may obtain additional information regarding such reclassification, and (E) the time, date and place of a public hearing regarding such reclassification. Any such notice shall also be given by certified mail to the chief executive officer of each municipality in which the water affected by such reclassification is located, with a copy to the director of health of each municipality, at least thirty days before the hearing; (3) the commissioner shall conduct a public hearing regarding any tentative determination to reclassify surface or ground waters. Such public hearing shall not be considered a contested case pursuant to chapter 54, but shall be conducted in a manner which affords all interested persons reasonable opportunity to provide oral or written comments. The commissioner shall maintain a recording of the hearing; and (4) following the public hearing, the commissioner shall provide notice of the reclassification decision in the Connecticut Law Journal and to the chief elected official and the director of health of each municipality in which the water affected by such reclassification is located.

(g) Any decision by the commissioner to reclassify surface or ground water shall be consistent with the state's water quality standards and the commissioner shall comply with all applicable federal requirements regarding reclassification of surface water.

(1967, P.A. 57, S. 5; 1971, P.A. 872, S. 82; P.A. 77-614, S. 323, 610; P.A. 83-587, S. 47, 96; P.A. 90-222, S. 5; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 10-158, S. 9; P.A. 11-80, S. 1; 11-141, S. 5.)

History: 1971 act replaced references to water resources commission with references to environmental protection commissioner and department and added references to Sec. 22a-6(a); P.A. 77-614 replaced department of health with department of health services, effective January 1, 1979; Sec. 25-54e transferred to Sec. 22a-426 in 1983; P.A. 83-587 made a technical amendment; P.A. 90-222 amended Subsec. (a) to require the standards to be adopted in accordance with this section instead of Sec. 22a-6(1); P.A. 93-381 replaced department of health services with department of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 10-158 amended Subsec. (a) to make technical changes and add 90-day notice requirement re proposed regulation, deleted former Subsec. (b) re public hearing and redesignated existing Subsecs. (c) and (d) as Subsecs. (b) and (c), effective March 1, 2011; pursuant to P.A. 11-80, “Commissioner of Environmental Protection” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection” in Subsec. (a), effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 11-141 added Subsecs. (d) to (g) re surface or ground water reclassification, effective July 8, 2011.

Annotation to former section 25-54e:

Cited. 170 C. 31.

Annotation to present section:

Cited. 226 C. 792.