The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will accept public comments on the proposal for the next 30 days.

The proposal, reached through negotiations between sewer operators and environmentalists, would establish limited conditions under which sewage could be discharged without full treatment; would require public notification of such incidents; and would require system operators to take steps to prevent future occurrences.

"Our peak flow policy puts a premium on stopping leaks and spills, improving treatment, and increasing public oversight," said Benjamin Grumbles, the EPA´s assistant administrator for the Office of Water.

Grumbles commended the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group, and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, which represents public sewer system operators, for working together to reach a compromise for improving water quality.

"This is a triumph of treatment over dilution and collaboration over confrontation," Grumbles said.

Additional information about the proposed policy and the procedure for submitting public comments is available online at www.epa.gov/npdes/wetweather.