[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 209 (Friday, October 29, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58409-58410]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-28314]
[[Page 58409]]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-OW-6466-6]
Notice of Intent To Revise Aquatic Life Criteria for Copper,
Silver, Lead, Cadmium, Iron and Selenium; Notice of Intent To Develop
Aquatic Life Criteria for Atrazine, Diazinon, Nonylphenol, Methyl
Tertiary-Butyl Ether (MtBE), Manganese and Saltwater Dissolved Oxygen
(Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras); Notice of Data Availability; Request for
Data and Information
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of intent to revise aquatic life criteria for copper,
silver, lead, cadmium, iron and selenium; notice of intent to develop
aquatic life criteria for atrazine, diazinon, nonylphenol, methyl
tertiary-butyl ether (MtBE), manganese and saltwater dissolved oxygen
(Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras); notice of data availability; request for
data and information.
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SUMMARY: Section 304(a)(1) of the Clean Water Act requires the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop and publish, and from
time to time revise, criteria for water accurately reflecting the
latest scientific knowledge. Today, EPA is notifying the public of its
intent to revise the current aquatic life criteria for copper, silver,
lead, cadmium, iron and selenium and to develop new aquatic life
criteria for atrazine, diazinon, nonylphenol, methyl tertiary-butyl
ether (MtBE), manganese and saltwater dissolved oxygen (Cape Cod to
Cape Hatteras). Lists of references available to the Agency for copper,
silver, lead, cadmium, selenium, atrazine, diazinon, nonylphenol and
saltwater dissolved oxygen (Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras) are available on
the Office of Science and Technology's Home-page. References for iron,
MtBE and manganese will be posted on the Office of Science and
Technology's Home-page when they are available. EPA is soliciting any
additional pertinent data or scientific views that may be useful in
revising or developing these criteria.
ADDRESSES: Send an original and three copies of any data, references or
information to W-99-15 Comment Clerk, Water Docket, MC 4104, US EPA,
401 M Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20460. Information may also be
submitted electronically to OW-Docket@epa.gov. Information should be
submitted as a WP5.1, 6.1 and/or 8.0 or an ASCII file with no form of
encryption.
DATES: Submissions of information would be most useful if submitted
within 60 days. Information submitted too long after that time, and too
near the end of the document preparation process, may not receive the
degree of consideration that information received earlier would.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Mitchell, Health and
Ecological Criteria Division (4304), US EPA, 401 M. Street, S.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20460; (202) 260-6101; mitchell.jennifer@epa.gov
(copper, silver, iron) Cindy Roberts, Health and Ecological Criteria
Division (4304), US EPA, 401 M. Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20460;
(202) 260-2787; roberts.cindy@epa.gov (cadmium and lead) Frank
Gostomski, Health and Ecological Criteria Division (4304), US EPA, 401
M. Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20460; (202) 260-1321;
gostomski.frank@epa.gov (atrazine, diazinon, nonylphenol, MtBE and
manganese) Keith Sappington, Health and Ecological Criteria Division
(4304), US EPA, 401 M. Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20460; (202) 260-
9898; sappington.keith@epa.gov (selenium) Erik Winchester, Health and
Ecological Criteria Division (4304), US EPA, 401 M. Street, S.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20460; (202) 260-6107; erik.winchester@epa.gov
(saltwater dissolved oxygen (Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
What Are Water Quality Criteria?
Section 304(a)(1) of the Clean Water Act requires the EPA to
develop and publish, and from time to time revise, criteria for water
accurately reflecting the latest scientific knowledge. Water quality
criteria developed under section 304(a) are based solely on data and
scientific judgments. They do not consider economic impacts or the
technological feasibility of meeting the criteria in ambient water.
Section 304(a) criteria provide guidance to States and Tribes in
adopting water quality standards and provide a scientific basis for
them to develop controls of discharges or releases of pollutants. The
criteria also provide a scientific bases for EPA to develop federal
regulations under section 303(c).
What Type of Information Does EPA Want From the Public?
Today, EPA is notifying the public of its intent to revise the
current aquatic life criteria for copper, silver, lead, cadmium, iron
and selenium and to develop new aquatic life criteria for atrazine,
diazinon, nonylphenol, MtBE, manganese and saltwater dissolved oxygen
(Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras). EPA has recently completed a comprehensive
review of the available data for copper, silver, lead, cadmium,
selenium, atrazine, diazinon, nonylphenol and saltwater dissolved
oxygen (Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras). The lists of references identified
by the Agency for these chemicals are available on the Office of
Science and Technology's Home-page at: www.epa.gov/ost/standards/
aqualife.html. EPA is soliciting any additional pertinent data or
scientific views that may be useful in revising or developing the
aquatic life criteria for copper, silver, lead, cadmium, iron,
selenium, nonylphenol, MtBE and manganese. In particular, EPA is
interested in acquiring from the public any new data, not identified by
the Agency's literature review, on the acute or chronic toxicity of
these chemicals to aquatic life and scientific views on the
interpretation of data or on the application of the Agency's
methodology for deriving water quality criteria for these chemicals.
Any data submitted should be adequately documented and contain enough
supporting information to indicate that acceptable test procedures were
used and that the results are likely reliable.
The Agency is developing new criteria for atrazine, diazinon and
saltwater dissolved oxygen (Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras); however, these
criteria were under development prior to the Agency's revising its
criteria development process. Consequently, the criteria for diazinon,
atrazine and saltwater dissolved oxygen (Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras) are
near completion, but were not developed totally in accordance with the
Agency's new procedures. The availability of these criteria will be
announced in the Federal Register around the same time as this notice.
At that time the Agency plans to publish the atrazine, diazinon and
saltwater dissolved oxygen (Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras) documents as EPA
recommended criteria with an invitation to submit additional data and
comments. Additional data and comments will be considered in any
subsequent revisions to the criteria.
Biotic Ligand Model
EPA is assessing the biotic ligand model for copper, silver, lead
and cadmium. The biotic ligand model describes and quantifies the
bioavailability of certain metals to aquatic life. The model is based
on the theory that toxicity is not only related to total aqueous metal
concentration, but that metal complexation and
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interaction at the site of action (biotic ligand) of toxicity need to
be considered. Mortality occurs in aquatic organisms when the
concentration of metal bound to the biotic ligand (e.g., fish gill)
exceeds a certain threshold concentration. More detailed information on
the biotic ligand model can be found in the document entitled,
Integrated Approach to Assessing the Bioavailability and Toxicity of
Metals in Surface Waters and Sediments (EPA-822-E-99-001).
To help assess the applicability of the biotic ligand model to the
aquatic life criteria for these four metals, EPA is interested in
receiving toxicity test data that include measurements of dissolved
metal as well as: dissolved organic carbon (DOC), alkalinity or
dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), pH, calcium, magnesium, sodium,
chloride, sulfate and sulfide. Additionally, studies that measure metal
accumulation at the surface of the fish gill or at physiologically
active receptor sites for invertebrates are particularly useful.
Where Can I Find More Information on EPA's Revised Process for
Developing New or Revised Criteria?
The Agency published detailed information about its revised process
for developing and revising criteria in the Federal Register on
December 10, 1998 (63 FR 68354) and in the EPA document entitled,
National Recommended Water Quality-- Correction (EPA 822-Z-99-001,
April 1999). The purpose of the revised process is to provide expanded
opportunities for public input, and to make the criteria development
process more efficient.
Geoffrey H. Grubbs,
Director, Office of Science and Technology.
[FR Doc. 99-28314 Filed 10-28-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
