Construction NewsBRIEFS! 11-17-2011

Proposed Stream Flow Standards and Regulations have been revised and were submitted to the Regulation Review Committee last month. Staff attorneys issued a memorandum to the committee identifying several issues in the revised regulations. DEEP requested withdrawal of the proposed regulation from consideration so that the issues could be addressed and to provide an opportunity for stakeholder input on the resultant changes. The changes have been made and reviewed by the stakeholder group. The revised regulation has been summarized and resubmitted to the committee, and will be considered at its Nov. 29, 2011, meeting. The changes, according to the Connecticut Water Works Association, will require water utilities to modify their infrastructure to accommodate releases from reservoirs, but should substantially reduce compliance costs by minimizing the need to develop new sources of public water supplies and authorizing compliance extensions to allow water utilities to optimize the use of existing infrastructure. In addition, the revised regulations provide greater certainty in the process of classifying river and stream systems; provide clear exemptions to minimize compliance costs and burdens, including allowing water utilities to reduce the amount of water released from reservoirs where the system is facing water supply issues; protect public water supplies needed to meet the public health, safety, and economic development needs of the state; address economic development concerns including considering the relationship of a diversion to economic development or the creation of jobs; and provide legal remedies.

New public-health studies and laboratory experiments suggest that, at every stage of life, traffic fumes exact a measurable toll on mental capacity, intelligence and emotional stability, according to “The Hidden Toll of Traffic Jams” in The Wall Street Journal. Scientists increasingly link vehicle exhaust with brain-cell damage and higher rates of autism.