EPA: Permits not needed for water transfer

WASHINGTON, June 10 (UPI) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced a rule it says is designed to clarify that permits aren't required for transfers of water.

A transfer includes routing water through tunnels, channels or natural stream courses for public water supplies, irrigation, power generation, flood control and environmental restoration, the agency said.

"EPA's Water Transfer Rule gives communities greater certainty and makes clear they have the flexibility to protect water quality and promote the public good without going through a new federal permitting process," said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Benjamin Grumbles. "Clean water permits should focus on water pollution, not water movement."

Whether a permit is needed under the Clean Water Act's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, or NPDES, has been an issue in numerous court cases, the EPA said. The new rule defines water transfers as an activity that conveys or connects waters of the United States without subjecting the transferred water to intervening industrial, municipal or commercial use.

However, the agency said, "This rule does not prevent states or tribes from using their own authorities to address water transfers, including the use of non-NPDES permits."

Information concerning the rule is available at: http://www.epa.gov/npdes/agriculture.