Public Regulatory Hearing: Surface Water Quality Regulations (250-RICR-150-05-1)
DEM is accepting public comments on proposed amendments to Rhode Island’s Surface Water Quality Regulations (250-RICR-150-05-1).
The amendments to the rules propose to:
- Align several state human health water quality criteria for toxics with current USEPA national recommended criteria
- Add protections for National Wild & Scenic River segments within the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed
- Upgrade classifications for specific waterbody segments that have eliminated permitted wastewater discharges
- Clarify the regulatory definition of background conditions with respect to turbidity criteria, with no changes to application or enforcement of the current criteria
- Modify specific estuary waterbody ID delineations in Point Judith Pond to ensure consistency with current shellfishing growing area designations (does not affect any approved, conditional, or prohibited shellfishing management areas designations by the DEM Shellfishing Program)
- Adopt site-specific metals criteria for specific river segments in the Pawcatuck, Clear, and Pawtuxet Rivers, where additional focused water quality monitoring and analysis have been performed
- Repeal and update Code of Federal Regulation incorporated references within the Surface Water Regulations to ensure applicable sections necessary for regulation are included
- Repeal non-regulatory language from various sections
- Correct several typographical errors within the list of waterbody IDs.
Comments accepted until Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025
Learn more and view the redline version of the rules here:
Questions or comments can be directed to Jane Sawyers at jane.sawyers@dem.ri.gov or Department of Environmental Management Offices, 235 Promenade Street, Providence, Rhode Island or jane.sawyers@dem.ri.gov