(a) The Secretary may adopt, amend, modify or repeal rules or regulations, or plans, after public hearing, to effectuate the policy and purposes of this chapter. No such rule or regulation shall extend, modify or conflict with any law of this State or the reasonable implications thereof.
(b) The Secretary shall formulate, amend, adopt and implement, after a public hearing, a statewide comprehensive water plan for the immediate and long-range development and use of the water resources of the State.
(c) The Secretary may formulate, amend, adopt and implement, after public hearing, a statewide air resources management plan to achieve the purpose of this chapter and comply with applicable federal laws and regulations. Any implementation plan in effect at the time of enactment of this chapter shall continue to be in effect unless amended or repealed by the Secretary.
(d) The Secretary may formulate, amend, adopt and implement, after public hearing, a statewide water pollution management plan to achieve the purposes of this chapter and comply with applicable federal laws and regulations. Any implementation plan in effect at the time of the enactment of this chapter shall continue to be in effect unless amended or repealed by the Secretary.
(e) The Secretary shall formulate, amend, develop and implement, after public hearing, a State solid waste plan in accordance with the requirements of subtitle D of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (P.L. 94-580) as amended [42 U.S.C. § 6941 et seq.], and any regulations thereunder, hereafter referred to as RCRA: Provided, however, that such plan shall be formulated in coordination with the Delaware Solid Waste Authority and shall include provisions of the statewide solid waste management plan adopted by the Delaware Solid Waste Authority pursuant to § 6403(j) of this title which reflect the applicable functions and activities of the Delaware Solid Waste Authority under Chapter 64 of this title.
(f) The Secretary:
(1) Shall approve the allocation and use of water in the State on the basis of equitable apportionment;
(2) Shall approve all new plans and designs of all impounding water facilities by any state, county, municipal, public or private water user within the State pursuant to subchapter V of this chapter; and
(3) May require reports from all Delaware water users as to a description of their water facilities, and past and present records of water use.
(g) (1) The Secretary, after notice and public hearing, shall promulgate regulations containing criteria for determining which facilities shall be classified as sanitary landfills and which shall be classified as open dumps within the meaning of this chapter. At a minimum such criteria shall provide that a facility may be classified as a sanitary landfill and not an open dump only if there is no reasonable probability of adverse effects on health or the environment from disposal of solid waste at such facility. Such regulations may provide for the classification of the types of sanitary landfills.
(2) On the date as determined under paragraph (g)(3) of this section below, the open dumping of solid waste or hazardous waste and the establishment of new open dumps is prohibited and all solid waste, including solid waste originating in other states but not including hazardous waste, shall be utilized for resource recovery or disposed of in sanitary landfills, within the meaning of this chapter, or otherwise disposed of in an environmentally sound manner, except in the case of any practice or disposal of solid waste under a timetable or schedule for compliance established under paragraph (g)(5) of this section below.
(3) Except as provided in paragraphs (g)(4) and (5) of this section below, the prohibition contained in paragraph (g)(2) of this section above shall take effect on the date of promulgation of regulations containing criteria under paragraph (g)(1) of this section or on the date of approval of the state solid waste plan under § 4007 of RCRA [42 U.S.C. § 6947], whichever is later.
(4) To assist in the formulation of the state solid waste plan, the Secretary, utilizing the criteria adopted pursuant to paragraph (g)(1) of this section above, shall develop and publish an inventory of all disposal facilities or sites in Delaware which are open dumps within the meaning of this chapter. With respect to any active disposal facilities or sites the Secretary shall coordinate the development of the inventory with the Delaware Solid Waste Authority. Prior to publication of the inventory the Secretary shall provide written notice of the proposed open dump designation to the owner and operator of the disposal facility or site which notice shall contain a detailed statement of deficiencies under the criteria adopted pursuant to paragraph (g)(1) of this section above. Upon receipt of notification the owner or operator shall, within 30 days, be entitled to request a public hearing before the Secretary pursuant to § 6006 of this title to challenge the designation; otherwise, the designation shall become a final decision of the Secretary. With 60 days of publication of the open dump inventory, the owner or operator of a disposal facility or site may apply to the Secretary for a timetable or schedule for compliance or closure under paragraph (g)(5) of this section below. During the pendency of any such application and prior to final action and disposition thereon the prohibition set forth in paragraph (g)(3) of this section above shall not apply with respect to that site. Upon application by the owner or operator, a site or facility may be removed from the open dump inventory after a determination by the Secretary that the basis upon which the site was designated as an open dump no longer exists. Any such application to remove a site or facility from the inventory shall be advertised in accordance with § 6004(b) of this title.
(5) All existing disposal facilities or sites for solid waste which are open dumps listed in the inventory under paragraph (g)(4) of this section shall comply with such measures as may be required by the Secretary, consistent with the requirements of RCRA [42 U.S.C. § 6901 et seq.], for closure or upgrading. The Secretary shall establish a timetable or schedule for compliance for such practice or disposal of solid waste which specifies a schedule of remedial measures, including an enforceable sequence of actions or operations, leading to compliance with the prohibition on open dumping of solid waste within a reasonable time (not to exceed 5 years) from the date of publication of criteria under paragraph (g)(1) of this section.
(h) (1) Subject to subsection (f) of this section, the Secretary shall establish procedures for the issuance of water allocation permits which shall be granted concurrently with any license or permit to construct, extend or operate an irrigation well or surface water intake on any farm or farmland in the State. A water allocation permit issued pursuant to this subsection shall reserve the right of the person to whom the permit is issued to utilize up to 20 acre-inches per year, but not more than 10 acre-inches per month.
(2) For the purposes of this subsection:
a. An “acre-inch” of water is the amount of water required to cover 1 acre of land to a depth of 1 inch and is equal in volume to 27,154 gallons of water.
b. An “irrigation well” is an agricultural well which is used exclusively for the watering of lands or crops other than household lawns and gardens.
(i) The Secretary shall waive the requirements of § 6004(b) of this title for irrigation wells if:
(1) The permit application is submitted between and April 1 and October 1, inclusive;
(2) The permit application is to replace an existing irrigation well;
(3) The existing well has a valid allocation permit; and
(4) The replacement well will not exceed allocation permitted amounts.
(j) An emergency circumstance is deemed to exist if a well will replace an existing well and if the Department of Agriculture and/or the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control determines that the lack of water or delay in obtaining water poses an immediate and significant danger to the health or welfare of persons or their property, or if 1 or both of the Departments have determined that other exceptional circumstances exist. Verbal approval must be given for the installation of a well if an emergency circumstance exists, provided that:
(1) Within 72 hours after the verbal issuance of a permit number under emergency circumstances, the applicant submits to the Department a well permit application and well completion report, which must include the permit number.
(2) All wells constructed under emergency circumstances must be constructed in conformance with all applicable regulations and officially established policies.
(k) If an emergency circumstance exists when State offices are closed, a well may be constructed, providing that it replaces an existing well and that the Department is notified verbally on the first working day following such action. A well permit application, including the well permit number, the appropriate application fee, and a well completion report must be submitted within 72 hours after notification.
(l) The following persons shall serve on an advisory committee that oversees the agriculture irrigation well procedures:
(1) The Secretary of Agriculture, or the Secretary’s designee;
(2) The Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, or the Secretary’s designee;
(3) One person to represent the Delaware Farm Bureau;
(4) One person to represent the Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association of Delaware;
(5) One person who is an irrigation dealer;
(6) One person who is a commercial irrigation well driller;
(7) One person from the University of Delaware Water Resources Agency; and
(8) One person from the Delaware Geological Survey.
The Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control shall determine that the committee members meet the above descriptions. The Secretary of Agriculture, or the Secretary’s designee, shall serve as the chairperson of the advisory oversight committee.
(m) Notwithstanding any law, regulation, or policy to the contrary, the Secretary may require public hearings required by this section to follow all of the following procedures:
(1) Allow the public in-person attendance and opportunity to give public comment.
(2) May allow the public to virtually attend and give public comment in addition to in-person attendance and public comment.
(3) Allow all persons wanting to give public comment the opportunity to sign up at and during the public hearing to do so.
(4) All public hearings must be properly noticed.
(5) The time allowed for public comment must be 3 minutes unless in the judgment of the presiding hearing officer the number of persons desiring to give public comment is significant and necessitates placing a time limit thereon. In no event shall public comment be limited to less than 1 minute per person.