                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

CITIZEN RIGHT-TO-KNOW PROVISIONS (§ 62.1-44.19:6)

A. The Board, based on the information in the 303(d) and 305(b) reports, shall:

   1. Request the Department of Wildlife Resources or the Virginia Marine
   Resources Commission to post notices at public access points to all toxic
   impaired waters. The notice shall be prepared by the Board and shall contain
   (i) the basis for the impaired designation and (ii) a statement of the
   potential health risks provided by the Virginia Department of Health. The
   Board shall annually notify local newspapers, and persons who request notice,
   of any posting and its contents. The Board shall coordinate with the Virginia
   Marine Resources Commission and the Department of Wildlife Resources to assure
   that adequate notice of posted waters is provided to those purchasing hunting
   and fishing licenses.

   2. Maintain a &#8220;citizen hot-line&#8221; for citizens to obtain, either
   telephonically or electronically, information about the condition of
   waterways, including information on toxics, toxic discharges, permit
   violations and other water quality related issues.

   3. Make information regarding the presence of toxics in fish tissue and
   sediments available to the public on the Internet and through other reasonable
   means for at least five years after the information is received by the
   Department of Environmental Quality. The Department of Environmental Quality
   shall post on the Internet and in the Virginia Register on or about January 1
   and July 1 of each year an announcement of any new data that has been received
   over the past six months and shall make a copy of the information available
   upon request.

B. The Department of Environmental Quality shall provide to the Virginia
Department of Health and local newspapers, television stations, and radio
stations, and shall disseminate via official social media accounts and email
notification lists, the discharge information reported to the Director of the
Department of Environmental Quality pursuant to subsection B of &#xA7;
62.1-44.5, when the Virginia Department of Health determines that the discharge
may be detrimental to the public health or the Department determines that the
discharge may impair beneficial uses of state waters.

HISTORY: 1997, c. 519; 2000, cc. 17, 1043; 2020, cc. 958, 1182.