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General Information on WQB Rules:
The Water Quality Bureau (WQB) currently manages 21 rule Chapters. These chapters are in 567 (Environmental Protection Commission) of the Iowa Administrative Code (IAC).
- The WQB rule chapters are linked below and available on the Iowa Administrative Code webpage under “Environmental Protection Commission(567)”.
- Rulemaking actions for the WQB rules are published in the Iowa Administrative Bulletin.
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Current WQB Rulemaking
Water Supply 2026 Rule Package
The DNR held an informal stakeholder meeting on June 17, 2026 regarding proposed rule changes to Chapter 40 [Definitions, Public Notice, Reporting]; Chapter 41 [Water Supplies]; Chapter 43 [Water Supplies]; Chapter 44 [Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF)]; Chapter 50 [Water Use]; and Chapter 73 [Dam Safety]. The changes proposed include the following:
Adoption of revised Consumer Confidence Reports Rule by reference to the Code of Federal Regulations
Post-EO10 cleanup of drinking water chapters
Consideration of comments received during EO10 that were outside of scope
Revisions to DWSRF chapter to align with Clean Water SRF and Iowa Finance Authority rules, as amended during EO10
Revision of DWSRF chapter to allow costs of service lines as eligible for SRF funds, aligning the rules with federal DWSRF eligibility guidelines
Update to Water Use Permit public notice and public hearing rules to reflect modern practices and allow permit renewals to be subject to public hearing requests, per Iowa Code 455B.278
Revision to Water Use application fee table to include the existing Water Storage Permit Application Fee, erroneously struck during EO10
Updating a Dam Safety reference to a Water Use chapter that changed during EO10
The proposed changes can be viewed at: Water Supply Rule Revisions 05.15.2026 (318.14 KB) .pdf Direct questions regarding the proposed revisions to Heidi Cline at [email protected].
NPDES General Permit Renewals
The DNR hosted informal stakeholder meetings on February 4 (GP #4), March 3 (GPs #5, #6, and #7), March 12 (GPs #8 and #9), and April 14 (stormwater GPs #1, #2, and #3) regarding the proposed five-year renewals of the noted general permits. GPs #1, #2, #3, and #4 will expire on February 28, 2028, and GPs #5 - #9 will all expire on June 30, 2028. Formal rulemaking to renew these GPs is expected to begin in mid 2026. More information on the meeting and a redline-stakeout version of each of the informal draft renewal permits is available on the Stormwater Program, General Permit #4, General Permit #5, General Permit #6, General Permit #7 , General Permit #8 and General Permit #9 webpages.
Updates to the Iowa Wastewater Facilities Design Standards (IWFDS)
WQB staff are continuing to update the IWFDS following the completion of the EO10 process. Drafts of proposed revisions to the IWFDS and information on the previous meetings to discuss the proposed changes are provided below.
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WQB Newsletters
The WQB electronic newsletters contain updates and information related to the rules. Please use the links below to sign up for one or both of the newsletters.
Sign up for Drinking Water Updates
Stay informed with the latest news by signing up for news releases or adjusting your subscriber preferences whenever you like.
Sign up for Wastewater Updates
Stay informed with the latest news by signing up for news releases or adjusting your subscriber preferences whenever you like.
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EO10 Rulemaking
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 WQB rule chapters went through rulemaking for EO10 in 2024 and 2025. More information on the EO10 rulemaking for the individual chapters is provided below.
- The final EO10 rules and rescissions for Chapters 38, 39, 44, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 60, 62, 63, 67, 68, 81, 82, 83, 90, 91, 92, and 93 were published in the IAB on May 14, 2025 and became effective on June 18, 2025.
- Wells, 38, 39, 49, and 82: Chapters 39 and 82 were revised. Chapters 38 and 49 were revised and combined in to a new Chapter 49 (Chapter 38 was rescinded).
- Water Allocation & Use, 50 to 55: Chapters 50, 51, and 52 were revised and combined in to a new Chapter 50 (Chapters 51 and 52 were rescinded). Chapters 53, 54, and 55 were revised.
- Wastewater, 60, 62, 63, 64, 66, 67, and 68: Chapters 60, 64, and 66 were revised and combined into a new Chapter 60 (Chapters 64 and 66 were rescinded). Chapters 62, 63, 67, and 68 were revised. The Iowa Wastewater Facilities Design Standards (IWFDS), referenced by rule in Chapter 60, were also revised.
- Operator and Laboratory Certification, 81 and 83: Both chapters were revised.
- Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF), 90 to 93 and 44: Chapters 90 to 93 were revised and combined in to a new Chapter 90 (Chapters 91, 92 and 93 were rescinded). Chapter 44 was revised.
- The final rules and rescissions for the Drinking Water Chapters, 40, 41, 42, and 43, were published in the IAB on July 9, 2025 and became effective on August 13, 2025. Chapters 40 and 42 were revised and combined in to a new Chapter 40 (Chapter 42 was rescinded). Chapters 41 and 43 were revised.
- The final rule for Chapter 69 was published in the IAB on August 6, 2025. However, the revised version of Chapter 69 was delayed until the adjournment of the 2026 Legislative Session of the General Assembly by the Administrative Rules Review Committee (ARRC) at its meeting on September 8, 2025, and again delayed for an additional 70 days after the adjournment of the 2026 Legislative Session by the ARRC at its meeting held April 13, 2026. The revised version of Chapter 69 became effective on July 8, 2026.
- Chapter 9 was the department’s delegation of construction permitting authority to local systems. The rule effectively mirrored the Code, and the chapter was rescinded effective June 19, 2024.
- Chapter 61 was not revised during the EO10 process.
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