EPA Announces It Will Not Regulate Transfers Even Of Polluted Water

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WASHINGTON - The Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday it will not regulate transfers of water from one place to another — no matter how polluted the water is at the start.

The EPA proposal would let water transfer authorities, corporate farmers and other businesses skip having to obtain a Clean Water Act permit in certain cases.

The exemption would apply to water, even if it contains pollution, that is moved in tunnels, channels or natural streams and isn’t put to industrial, municipal or commercial uses. A permit would still be required if the process of the water transfer itself might introduce pollutants.

The idea is to allow “needed flexibility to protect water quality, prevent costly litigation and promote the public good,” said Benjamin Grumbles, EPA’s assistant administrator for water. EPA sped up its rule-making process in an effort to outflank pending court action and side with Florida’s sugar industry.

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