BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) recently amended the Massachusetts Surface Water Quality Standards (SWQS) regulation, and the agency is now seeking stakeholder input concerning future revisions with a pair of public listening sessions scheduled for mid-May 2022. Under the federal Clean Water Act, MassDEP is required to conduct regular reviews of the SWQS. MassDEP’s Watershed Planning Program will host two remote listening sessions to hear suggestions from the public on future criteria development, priority surface waters for protection or restoration, and other topics of interest pertaining to the SWQS.

MassDEP will remotely host two identical sessions:

• Thursday, May 12, 2022, from 1:00PM to 4:00PM; and,
• Monday, May 16, 2022, from 10:00AM to 1:00PM.

The public is asked to register for only one meeting using this link to the webpage. The registration deadline is May 5, 2022.

MassDEP’s mission is to protect and enhance the Commonwealth’s natural resources – air, water and land – to provide for the health, safety and welfare of all people, and a clean and safe environment for future generations. In carrying out this mission, MassDEP commits to address and advance environmental justice and equity for all people of the Commonwealth, provide meaningful, inclusive opportunities for people to participate in agency decisions that affect their lives and ensure a diverse workforce that reflects the communities served by the agency

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