DEQ Deals with Metal Finishing Impact on the Environment

67 usinesses, local government and the public have a place to go within DEQ when they have questions about air, water and solid or hazardous waste and don’t know whom to ask. The Customer Services hotline number, 1-800-8691400, provides access to staff who can promptly address these concerns. The customer assistance program helps new businesses to comply with permit requirements, provides outreach and on-site assistance to specific industries that may have difficulty understanding what they should do to comply with environmental rules, facilitates public meetings of all sorts and generally serves as a single point of contact for information about DEQ. The State Environmental Laboratory provides services through analytical support to programs within DEQ, to other state agencies, to 1,700 public water supply systems and to citizens who request services. DEQ also has a quality assurance/quality control officer who oversees all workplans, which include sampling and analysis to ensure reliable, accurate results. The laboratory certification program certifies both drinking water and general water quality labs used by individuals, cities, and industry in Oklahoma. Certification means customers may have confidence in results provided by these labs. The DEQ Customer Assistance Program houses Pollution Prevention, Small Business Assistance, Risk Communication & Management, and DEQ’s Waste Exchange. The Pollution Prevention program gives guidance to industry in not only controlling but also reducing the amount of waste generated, thereby achieving a cleaner environment for the state. Small Business Assistance recognizes that the number of environmental rules and regulations can be confusing for small companies, so DEQ