EPA Approves No-Discharge Zone Sought by State Officials for Lake Erie

摘要

A New York state petition to establish a no-discharge zone for vessels in the state's portion of Lake Erie has been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. In a notice scheduled to be published in the Federal Register June 20, the EPA determined that the New York area of the lake has adequate facilities for safe and sanitary removal and treatment of vessel sewage to support a ban on all sewage discharge. The agency had given its tentative approval in December 2012 and then extended the public comment period on the tentative determination in September 2013 (44 ER 2960, 10/4/13). The no-discharge zone sought by New York stretches from the Pennsylvania border to include the upper Niagara River to Niagara Falls, encompassing 593 square miles and 84 miles of shoreline, the EPA said.