Contact: Spencer Fane Britt & Browne LLP (Missouri, USA)
As the floodwaters recede in Colorado, they leave behind scenes of devastation. Communities torn apart, lives lost, homes and businesses left in ruin and disrepair. Second to life & safety concerns during this natural disaster have been impacts to infrastructure like our roads, bridges and water treatment facilities, leaving a major effect of the recent flooding on water quality. While floodwaters were high, the top priority of state and local officials was the preservation of life. As the rescues continue, many are now turning to cleaning-up and the start of rebuilding. Especially for small businesses owners, the process of cleaning and rebuilding can be fraught with legal and regulatory landmines.
The Colorado Water Quality Control pision, the state agency responsible for ensuring that water quality measures are met and bringing enforcement actions against violators, reports as of September 17 that they recognize the breadth of the loss in property and are working to provide a certain amount of regulatory flexibility to help speed the clean-up. Though the pision is providing flexibility, this does not mean that they will turn a blind-eye to water quality violations in the flooded areas of Colorado.
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