Susquehanna River Basin Commission Now Registering Grandfathered Water Uses

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission Thursday announced it is now accepting registrations of grandfathered water withdrawals and consumptive water uses that could amount to 1 billion gallons a day, an amount of water about equal to the total daily water use currently accounted for in the basin.

In a recent study that compiled all available data to characterize Basin-wide water use and availability, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission estimated that there are possibly more than 700 facilities exempt from oversight, with an estimated water use of nearly one billion gallons per day.

If accurate, this volume of water use is roughly equal to the total amount currently accounted for, and managed, by the Commission across the entire Basin.

Due to the outcomes of this study, the Commission has become concerned about the availability of water to meet immediate and future needs of residents, businesses and industry.

With such large quantities in question, the Commission decided to develop a program that would close this significant knowledge gap regarding exempt water use (also known as grandfathering) to ensure the Commission’s ability to effectively manage the water resources of the Basin.

Under this new program, facilities must register their grandfathered withdrawals and consumptive water uses by December 31, 2019, to preserve the facility’s exemption from any permit approval in the future.

Letters are being sent to contacts throughout the Basin informing them of the registration program and offering assistance in determining if the registration program applies to their facility.

“As the demand for water resources increases, it is imperative that we protect existing water sources and manage shared resources for the economic, social and ecological benefit of the entire Basin,” stated Andrew Dehoff, P.E., executive director. “We look forward to working with all large water users to help carry out our crucial mission.”

Currently, certain older surface water and groundwater withdrawals and consumptive water uses that exceed the Commission’s regulatory thresholds do not require approval to operate if those activities pre-date applicable regulations and cause no environmental harm.

Generally, the following water withdrawals and uses are considered to be grandfathered:

-- Consumptive water uses initiated prior to Jan. 23, 1971;

-- Groundwater withdrawals initiated prior to July 13, 1978; and

-- Surface water withdrawals initiated prior to Nov. 11, 1995.

The Commission is incentivizing early registration by offering a free registration period from January 1 through June 30, 2018, after which a $500 registration fee (July 1 through December 31, 2018) or $1,000 registration fee (all of 2019) will apply.

Webinars On Registration

The Commission will conduct informational webinars to explain the registration program on November 14 and December 13 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. each day.  Click Here to register for the webinars.

For all the details, visit the SRBCs Grandfathered Water Uses Registration Program webpage.