General Information - Executive Order 10
Executive Order 10 (EO10) signed by the Governor on January 10, 2023, requires all state agencies to identify which administrative rule chapters will be retained or rescinded. The EO10 process for both the review of existing rule chapters and the reauthorization of rule chapters that will be retained includes public engagement with the opportunity for meaningful input throughout the process. Opportunities for public input and information for public review during the Water Quality Bureau's implementation of EO10 will be posted on this webpage as they become available.
EO10 - Governor's Office
EO10 - Water Quality Bureau (WQB)
WQB Rulemaking Schedule and News
WQB staff continue to review current water quality rules and develop proposed changes to implement EO10. Please stay tuned for upcoming stakeholder input opportunities and availability of materials for review.
Newsletters
Meeting invitations and materials will be posted on this webpage and announced through the Water Quality Bureau electronic newsletters. Please use the links below to sign up for one or more of the newsletters.
Current and Proposed WQB Rules Grouped by Topic
The WQB currently manages 31 rule chapters, all of which are in 567 (Environmental Protection Commission) of the Iowa Administrative Code (IAC). For ease of review, the Bureau’s chapters have been placed into nine groups by topic. Each group and its corresponding chapters are listed below. To view the current and proposed rule documents, EO10 materials, and staff contacts for each group, please use the links below.
Group 1 - Chapter 9, Delegation of Construction Permitting Authority
Short Summary: Group 1 contains Chapter 9, which is the department’s delegation of construction permitting authority to Local Systems. The intended benefit of the rule was to provide a framework for the water supply and wastewater extension delegated authority program in Iowa Code 455B.183. However, in practice, the rule effectively mirrored the Code. Since there is no reason to have that language in two places, we are proposing to rescind this chapter.
Timeline: The Notice of Intended Action to rescind Chapter 9 was presented to the Environmental Protection Commission at their meeting on October 17, 2023.
- Chapter 9 Documents:
- Chapter 9 Contacts:
Groups 5 and 6 - Chapters 60, 62, 63, 64, 66, and 67
Short Summary: Group 5 contains the wastewater chapters regarding definitions and forms (60), effluent and pretreatment standards (62) and wastewater monitoring and reporting requirements (63). Chapter 61, Water Quality Standards, was originally part of Group 5, but it will not be rescinded and re-adopted as part of the EO10 effort. Group 6 contains the wastewater construction and operating permit requirements (64), pesticide applications (66), and the land application of sewage sludge (67).
Fact Sheets: Please see the following fact sheets for a high-level overview of the proposed changes to each Chapter and to the Iowa Wastewater Facilities Design Standards (IWFDS). The fact sheets also contain a description of the formatting in the proposed changes documents linked below.
Timeline: We are currently accepting comments on the proposed changes to these chapters and the IWFDS at npdes.mail@dnr.iowa.gov, and we plan to host a meeting to discuss the proposed changed sometime in January of 2024. The meeting information will be posted on this website and sent out in the listservs.
Rule Documents - Current rules, proposed changes, and clean versions of proposed changes:
- Chapter 60 Documents:
- Chapter 62 Documents:
- Chapter 63 Documents:
- Chapter 64 Documents:
- IWFDS Documents:
- Chapter 67 Documents:
Comment Email and Contacts - Please email comments and questions on the proposed changes to npdes.mail@dnr.iowa.gov. The contacts for the chapters and the IWFDS are as follows:
Group 7 - Chapters 68 and 69
Short Summary: Group 5 contains the wastewater chapters regarding definitions and forms (60), effluent and pretreatment standards (62) and wastewater monitoring and reporting requirements (63). Chapter 61, Water Quality Standards, was originally part of Group 5, but it will not be rescinded and re-adopted as part of the EO10 effort. Group 6 contains the wastewater construction and operating permit requirements (64), pesticide applications (66), and the land application of sewage sludge (67).
Fact Sheet: Please see the following fact sheet for a high-level overview of the proposed changes to the Wastewater Chapters, including Chapters 68 and 69. The fact sheet also contain a description of the formatting in the proposed changes documents linked below.
Timeline: We are currently accepting comments on the proposed changes to these chapters and the IWFDS at npdes.mail@dnr.iowa.gov, and we plan to host a meeting to discuss the proposed changed sometime in January of 2024. The meeting information will be posted on this website and sent out in the listservs.
Rule Documents - Current rules, proposed changes, and clean versions of proposed changes:
- Chapter 68 Documents:
- Chapter 69 Documents:
Comment Email and Contacts - Please email comments and questions on the proposed changes to npdes.mail@dnr.iowa.gov. The contacts for Chapters 68 and 69 are:
Groups 2, 3, 4, 8, and 9 - Pending
The rule chapters in Groups 2 (38, 39 & 49), 3 (40, 41, 42, & 43), 4 (50 to 55), 8 (81 to 83), and 9 (44 and 90 to 93), are currently under review by WQB staff. Documents regarding these chapters will be posted on this website in later 2023 or early 2024.