{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-27a-27a-2-6-103","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 27A, § 27A-2-6-103","heading":"Powers and duties of Department, Board and Executive","body":"Director.\n\nA. The Department of Environmental Quality shall have and is\n\nhereby authorized to exercise the power and duty to:\n\n1. Develop comprehensive programs for the prevention, control\n\nand abatement of new or existing pollution of the waters of this\n\nstate;\n\n2. Encourage, participate in, or conduct studies,\n\ninvestigations, research and demonstrations relating to water\n\npollution and causes, prevention, control and abatement thereof as\n\nit may deem advisable and necessary in the public interest for the\n\ndischarge of its duties under Section 2-6-101 et seq. of this title;\n\n3. Collect and disseminate information relating to water\n\npollution and the prevention, control and abatement thereof;\n\n4. Require the submission of and review plans, specifications\n\nand other data relative to disposal or treatment systems or any part\n\nthereof in connection with the issuance of such permits as are\n\nrequired by this article;\n\n5. Enforce the provisions of this article, rules promulgated\n\nthereunder, and permits, licenses, and certifications issued\n\npursuant thereto and Oklahoma Water Quality Standards;\n\n6. Establish, implement, amend and enforce the Water Quality\n\nManagement Plan, the continuing planning process documents, and\n\ntotal maximum daily loads;\n\n7. Require the submission of reports or laboratory analyses\n\nperformed by certified laboratories or operators for purposes of\n\ncompliance monitoring and testing or other purposes for which\n\nlaboratory reports or analyses are required pursuant to this\n\narticle;\n\n8. Coordinate the preparation of the continuing planning\n\nprocess documents and total maximum daily loads with other\n\nenvironmental agencies and natural resource agencies; and\n\n9. Issue swimming and fishing advisories related to human and\n\nanimal health hazards for waters of the state, based on available\n\ndata.\n\nB. 1. The Environmental Quality Board shall have the authority\n\nto promulgate such rules as may be necessary to implement the\n\npolicies and duties set forth in this article including, but not\n\nlimited to, rules pertaining to services, permits, licenses and\n\ncertifications including certifications under Section 401 of the\n\nClean Water Act, and, pursuant to Section 2-3-402 of this title, fee\n\nschedules for such services, permits, licenses and certifications.\n\n2. The Board may adopt by reference standards of quality of the\n\nwaters of the state and classifications of such waters as are\n\nlawfully established by the Department of Environmental Quality and\n\nthe United States Environmental Protection Agency as Oklahoma Water\n\nQuality Standards, may directly adopt variances and site-specific\n\ncriteria to such water quality standards, and promulgate other rules\n\nto protect, maintain and improve the best uses of waters in this\n\nstate in the interest of the public under such conditions as may be\n\nnecessary or appropriate for the prevention, control and abatement\n\nof pollution.\n\n3. The Board shall promulgate rules which describe procedures\n\nfor amending and updating the Water Quality Management Plan or which\n\nare otherwise consistent with the Continuing Planning Process and\n\nits components. Such rules shall:\n\na. be in substantial conformance with any applicable\n\nfederal requirements and may incorporate appropriate\n\nU.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations by\n\nreference, and\n\nb. require public notice to be given of any major\n\namendment and of any update of the Water Quality\n\nManagement Plan and allow not less than a forty-five-\n\nday opportunity for public comment thereon. Such\n\nrules shall also authorize the Department, if it\n\ndetermines public interest in the proposed amendment\n\nor update is significant, to give notice of and\n\nconduct a public meeting on the proposals in\n\naccordance with federal requirements. The rules shall\n\nprovide that the notice, comment period, and public\n\nmeeting if any, related to an amendment or update\nportunity for public comment thereon. Such\n\nrules shall also authorize the Department, if it\n\ndetermines public interest in the proposed amendment\n\nor update is significant, to give notice of and\n\nconduct a public meeting on the proposals in\n\naccordance with federal requirements. The rules shall\n\nprovide that the notice, comment period, and public\n\nmeeting if any, related to an amendment or update\n\nproposed in conjunction with the issuance,\n\nmodification or renewal of a discharge permit or\n\npermits, may be combined with the notice, comment\n\nperiod, and public meeting if any, held on the\n\nproposed permit action or actions.\n\nC. The Executive Director may:\n\n1. Issue, modify, or revoke orders:\n\na. prohibiting or abating pollution of the waters of the\n\nstate,\n\nb. requiring the construction of new disposal or\n\ntreatment systems or any parts thereof or the\n\nmodification, extension or alteration of existing\n\ndisposal or treatment systems or any part thereof, or\n\nthe adoption of other remedial measures to prevent,\n\ncontrol or abate pollution, and\n\nc. requiring other actions such as the Executive Director\n\nmay deem necessary to enforce the provisions of this\n\narticle and rules promulgated thereunder;\n\n2. Issue, continue in effect, revoke, amend, modify or deny,\n\nrenew, or refuse to renew under such conditions as the Department\n\nmay prescribe, permits, licenses and certifications including\n\ncertifications under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, to prevent,\n\ncontrol or abate pollution of waters of the state; and\n\n3. Exercise all incidental powers which are necessary and\n\nproper to carry out the purposes of this article.","path":["OK Code","Title 27A"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os27A.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"468b41c46f7246997a760bba7b12de57c84c20cacbb21527db0034a0e743dcac","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-27a-27a-2-6-102","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-27a-27a-2-6-103.1"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}