COVID-19 Crisis: NYSDEC Does Not Authorize General Relief from Compliance Obligations

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) sent an e-mail blast March 24 to advise parties that there are no blanket extensions for State Pollution Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) permit and regulatory compliance. The announcement provided that if parties have problems with compliance, they should document those issues and report same to DEC. The DEC also advised that wastewater treatment and its operators are considered essential, thus these operations should not shut down even with the quarantine orders. DEC set forth several guidance documents related to these items along with keeping workers safe during this time, which can be found on its website.