Accomplishments: • NDEE’s pool operator exam process became fully automated on Jan. 10. Previously, those applying for their pool operator credentials took an online exam and had to wait 3-5 days for NDEE to process the exam before they received their results. Now applicants receive their exam results in an hour.
• NDEE has provided public notice of its intent to approve a remedial action plan for the Tiny House site in Omaha, which is part of the agency’s Voluntary Cleanup Program. This project plans to build 50 tiny houses that provide affordable rental housing and aim to reduce homelessness. Soils on site are contaminated with arsenic and lead, and the city of Omaha plans to excavate the contaminated soils and replace them with clean fill material.
• All 750 Construction Storm Water general permit renewals received in the first couple of weeks of December when the permit was renewed have been processed and new permits issued. A small number of additional renewals have been trickling in and are being processed as they arrive.
Miscellaneous: • The public comment period on Cargill’s draft permit ran from December 24, 2021, to January 31, 2022. Cargill provided comments in a 131-page letter. With attachments and 75 exhibits, the whole package is over 2,700 pages. Besides the EPA, which provided minor comments, Cargill was the only organization to comment on the draft permit.
• Title 129 and Title 119 revisions are scheduled to be considered at the Environmental Quality Council meeting on March 30-31. A redline version of the title and revisions are available online for public review.