NEWPORT NEWS — The City of Newport News is looking for public feedback on how its waterways get treated in the future.
The city will be collecting input until May 4 on plans to reduce nutrients, sediment, and bacteria from entering local waterways.
The city’s Department of Engineering is seeking public input on two draft planning documents that detail how the city will meet its pollution reduction requirements, officials said in a news release.
The documents are available at the department’s website. Public comments can be sent by email to NewportNewsTMDL@nnva.gov.
The Clean Water Act requires that states set appropriate uses for their water and adopt water quality standards that protect those uses. When water does not meet those standards, the Act requires a “pollution diet” be established that sets the maximum amount of pollutants that a waterway can receive without violating water quality standards, according to the news release.
The department’s final plan will have to be submitted to the Department of Environmental Quality by June 30.
