Ohio EPA to improve renewal process for wastewater discharge permits

Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the US will be taking new initiatives to speed up the renewal process for wastewater discharge permits in the state, without compromising on quality standards.

The initiatives are part of the ‘Lean Ohio’ quality improvement process, adopted by the agency in October 2014, which aims to improve customer service and reduce turnaround time.

Any organisation that discharges water into the state’s waterways requires a permit and has to abide by pre-determined regulations that are updated at regular intervals. Timely renewals of permits ensure that the organisations follow the updated guidelines.

The agency is likely to come up with a standard process for the renewal procedure that will eliminate duplication or errors during review and improve communication.

It also plans to develop a web-based tracking tool to enable status checks of permits by customers.

Ohio EPA director Craig Butler said: "By improving the efficiency of our renewal process, we can ensure that more entities throughout Ohio are operating under the most current water quality standards.

"I’m proud of our team members for taking steps to improve customer service, reduce bureaucracy and, most importantly, help keep Ohio’s waterways clean."

Lean Ohio team leader Bill Demidovich said: "The Lean Ohio team has been excited to assist Ohio EPA and director Craig Butler with streamlining the permitting process."