[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 12, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 1763-1765]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-670]
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Proposed Rules
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
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Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 7 / Tuesday, January 12, 1999 /
Proposed Rules
[[Page 1763]]
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DELAWARE RIVER BASIN COMMISSION
18 CFR Part 430
Protected Area Permits for New Withdrawals; Proposed Amendments
to the Commission's Ground Water Protected Area Regulations for
Southeastern Pennsylvania; Public Hearing
AGENCY: Delaware River Basin Commission.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking and public hearing.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Delaware River Basin
Commission will hold a public hearing to receive comments on proposed
amendments to its Ground Water Protected Area Regulations for
Southeastern Pennsylvania with respect to the establishment of
numerical ground water withdrawal limits for 62 subbasins which are
entirely or partially within the Ground Water Protected Area. Limits,
based upon baseflow frequency analyses, were initially specified for
the 14 subbasins in the Neshaminy Creek Basin. Limits for the remaining
62 subbasins are based upon additional baseflow frequency analyses
provided by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1998. Although the limits
within the Neshaminy Creek Basin remain unchanged, the withdrawal
limits for the entire protected area are presented in this notice.
DATES: The public hearing will be held on Tuesday, March 9, 1999
beginning at 1 p.m. and continuing until 5 p.m., as long as there are
people present wishing to testify. The hearing will resume at 7 p.m.
and continue until 9 p.m., as long as there are people present wishing
to testify.
The deadline for inclusion of written comments in the hearing
record will be announced at the hearing. Persons wishing to testify at
the hearing are requested to register with the Secretary in advance of
the hearing.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to Susan M. Weisman,
Delaware River Basin Commission, P.O. Box 7360, West Trenton, New
Jersey 08628. The public hearings will be held in the Hearing Room of
the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's Southeastern
Regional Office at 555 E. North Lane, Lee Park Suite 6010,
Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Copies of the Commission's Ground
Water Protected Area Regulations for Southeastern Pennsylvania may be
obtained by contacting Susan M. Weisman, Commission Secretary, at (609)
883-9500 ext. 203.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background and Rationale
The Commission's Ground Water Protected Area Regulations for
Southeastern Pennsylvania were adopted in 1980 to prevent depletion of
ground water, protect the interests and rights of lawful users of the
same water source, and balance and reconcile alternative and
conflicting uses of limited water resources in the area. Lowered water
tables resulting from withdrawals in excess of recharge rates have led
to reduction of flows in some perennial streams in the region and have
dried up some stream reaches which previously flowed all year. Such
reductions in base flow interfere with instream and downstream water
uses, adversely affect fisheries and aquatic life, and threaten to
reduce the capacity of streams in the region to assimilate pollutants.
On January 28, 1998, the Commission adopted amendments to the
Ground Water Protected Area Regulations which established a two-tiered
system of withdrawal limits. The first tier serves as a warning that a
subbasin is ``potentially stressed''. In potentially stressed
subbasins, applicants for new or expanded ground water withdrawals are
required to implement one or more programs to mitigate adverse impacts
of additional ground water withdrawals. Acceptable programs include:
conjunctive use of ground water and surface water; expanded water
conservation; control of ground water infiltration to the receiving
sewer systems; and artificial recharge and spray irrigation. The second
tier serves as the maximum withdrawal limit. The Commission seeks to
prevent ground water withdrawals from exceeding the maximum withdrawal
limit.
The regulations also provide incentives for holders of existing
DRBC dockets and protected area permits to implement the above-cited
conjunctive use and conservation programs to mitigate the adverse
impacts of their ground water withdrawals. If docket or permit holders
successfully implement one or both programs, the Commission could
extend the docket or permit duration for up to ten years.
The regulations also specify administrative criteria for issuing
and review of dockets and permits as well as protocol for updating and
revising withdrawal limits to provide additional protection for streams
designated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as ``high quality'' or
``exceptional value'', or to correspond with any integrated resources
plans adopted by municipalities for subbasins.
The ground water study which provided the basis for the withdrawal
limits for the subbasins in the Neshaminy Creek Basin was prepared by
the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Commission and is
entitled ``Water-Use Analysis Program for the Neshaminy Creek Basin,
Bucks and Montgomery Counties, Pennsylvania.'' The U.S. Geological
Survey was contracted by the Commission to prepare a similar study to
investigate the withdrawal limits for the remaining subbasins in the
protected area. The results of both studies are recorded on CD-ROM
which is available from the Commission. Specific software, the Access
database and ArcView from ESRI are required to view the CD-ROM. To
review the CD-ROM at the Commission's offices, please contact Judith
Strong, at (609) 883-9500 ext. 263 for an appointment. To order the CD-
ROM at a cost of $10, please contact Carolyn Hartman at (609) 883-9500
ext. 249. To review the CD-ROM at locations within the protected area,
please contact Susan M. Weisman at (609) 883-9500 ext. 203.
List of Subjects in 18 CFR Part 430
Water supply.
The subject of the hearing will be as follows:
[[Page 1764]]
Amendment to the Commission's Ground Water Protected Area
Regulations for Southeastern Pennsylvania Relating to the
Establishment of Numerical Ground Water Withdrawal Limits for
Subbasins in the Protected Area
For the reasons set forth in the preamble, part 430 is proposed to
be amended as follows:
PART 430--GROUND WATER PROTECTION AREA: PENNSYLVANIA
1. The authority citation for part 430 continues to read as
follows:
Authority: Pub. L. 87-328 (75 Stat. 688).
Sec. 430.13 [Amended]
2. Section 430.13 is amended by revising paragraph (i)(3) to read
as follows:
* * * * *
(i) * * *
(3)(i) The potentially stressed levels and withdrawal limits for
all delineated basins and subbasins are set forth below:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Potentially
Subbasin stressed Withdrawal
(mgy) * limit (mgy)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Neshaminy Creek Basin
------------------------------------------------------------------------
West Branch Neshaminy Creek Basin....... 1054 1405
Pine Run Basin.......................... 596 795
North Branch Neshaminy Creek............ 853 1131
Doylestown Subbasin Neshaminy Creek..... 710 946
Warwick Subbasin Neshaminy Creek........ 889 1185
Warrington Subbasin Little Neshaminy
Creek.................................. 505 673
Park Creek Basin........................ 582 776
Warminster Subbasin Little Neshaminy
Creek.................................. 1016 1355
Mill Creek Basin........................ 1174 1565
Northampton Subbasin Neshaminy Creek.... 596 794
Newtown Creek........................... 298 397
Core Creek Basin........................ 494 658
Ironworks Creek Basin................... 326 434
Lower Section Subbasin Neshaminy Creek.. 3026 4034
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Schuylkill River Basin
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hay Creek............................... 974 1299
Lower Reach Manatawny-Ironstone Creek... 1811 2414
Pigeon Creek............................ 611 815
Schuylkill-Crow Creek................... 1157 1543
Schuylkill-Mingo Creek.................. 671 895
Schuylkill-Plymouth-Mill Creeks......... 4446 5929
Schuylkill-Sixpenny Creek............... 1490 1987
Schuylkill-Sprogels Run................. 1091 1455
Schuylkill-Stony Creek.................. 687 916
Schuylkill-Trout Creek.................. 1082 1443
Stony Creek............................. 1242 1655
Valley Creek............................ 1865 2486
------------------------------------------------------------------------
French and Pickering Creek Subbasins
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lower Reach French Creek................ 634 845
Lower Reach Pickering Creek............. 1716 2288
Middle Reach French Creek............... 1608 2145
South Branch French Creek............... 1044 1393
Upper Reach French Creek................ 1295 1726
Upper Reach Pickering Creek............. 1358 1811
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Perkiomen and Skippack Creek Subbasins
------------------------------------------------------------------------
East Branch Perkiomen-Indian Creeks..... 633 844
East Branch Perkiomen-Mill Creeks....... 720 961
East Branch Perkiomen-Morris Run........ 1214 1619
Hosensack-Indian Creeks................. 1257 1676
Lower Reach Skippack Creek.............. 1069 1426
Perkiomen-Deep Creeks................... 1047 1396
Perkiomen-Lodal Creeks.................. 1200 1600
Perkiomen-Macoby Creek.................. 1252 1669
Swamp-Middle Creeks..................... 1423 1898
Swamp-Minister Creeks................... 547 730
Swamp-Scioto Creeks..................... 746 994
Towamencin Creek........................ 466 622
Unami-Licking Creeks.................... 992 1322
Unami-Ridge Valley Creeks............... 1068 1424
Upper Reach Perkiomen Creek............. 1223 1631
Upper Reach Skippack Creek.............. 813 1084
West Branch Perkiomen Creek............. 1566 2088
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 1765]]
Delaware River Basin
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jericho Creek........................... 421 562
Mill Creek.............................. 1600 2134
Paunnacussing Creek..................... 513 684
Pidcock Creek........................... 563 751
Upper Reach Cobbs Creek................. 871 1161
Upper Reach Crum Creek.................. 1290 1721
Upper Reach Darby Creek................. 1625 2167
Upper Reach East Branch Chester Creek... 1865 2487
Upper Reach Frankford Creek............. 1414 1886
Upper Reach Poquessing Creek............ 1008 1344
Upper Reach Ridley Creek................ 1707 2275
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tohickon Subbasin
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tohickon-Beaver-Morgan Creeks........... 1156 1541
Tohickon-Deep Run....................... 956 1274
Tohickon-Geddes-Cabin Runs.............. 602 803
Tohickon-Lake Nockamixon................ 556 741
Tohickon-Three Mile Run................. 726 968
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pennypack and Wissahickon Subbasins
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lower Reach Wissahickon Creek........... 2750 3666
Upper Reach Wissahickon Creek........... 1302 1736
Middle Reach Pennypack Creek............ 1295 1727
Upper Reach Pennypack Creek............. 1358 1811
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brandywine Creek Subbasin
------------------------------------------------------------------------
East Branch Brandywine-Taylor Run....... 1054 1405
Middle Reach Brandywine Creek........... 823 1098
Upper Reach Brandywine Creek............ 1614 2153
West Branch Brandywine-Beaver Run....... 2110 2813
West Branch Brandywine-Broad Run........ 2380 3173
West Valley Creek....................... 1673 2231
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lehigh Subbasin
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Upper Reach Saucon Creek................ 946 1262
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*mgy means million gallons per year.
(ii) Subject to public notice and hearing, this section may be
updated or revised based upon new and evolving information on hydrology
and streamflow and ground water monitoring or in accordance with
paragraph (i)(2) of this section.
2. This regulation is proposed to be effective upon adoption of the
final rule.
(Delaware River Basin Compact, 75 Stat. 688.)
Dated: January 4, 1999.
Susan M. Weisman,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 99-670 Filed 1-11-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6360-01-P
