West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection

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Mercury In Fish Regional Study
By Patrick Campbell

October 29,2004
West Virginia Department of Environmental
Protection
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TOPICS

• WV Fish Consumption Advisories (History and
  Process)
• Statewide Hg/PCB study
• Implications/Next Steps

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Fish Consumption Advisories

• First sampling done in the late 1970s
• 1980s first fish consumption advisories - based
  on FDA protocols
• 1996 WV issued 1st risk based advisory along w/
  other ORSANCO states based on Great Lakes
  Protocols for pcbs
• 2000 - WVDEP contracted with WVU to develop risk
  based guidelines for 23 contaminants

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Executive Order

• Order 16-00 entered into 9/11/2000
• Established a 7 member committee (2 from each
  agency and the Commissioner of BPH as chair)
• Directed BPH, DNR and DEP to develop an
  interagency agreement on the specifics
• BPH Commissioner issues advisories

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Interagency Agreement

• Between BPH, DNR, DEP
• Effected 11/8/2000
• Set forth principles for advisories (meal sizes,
  risk levels)
• Set forth roles - DEP manages tissue analysis
  and the data, DNR collects fish and surveys
  anglers BPH issues advisories and is primary
  media contact

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Total Number of Fish Consumption Advisories
2003 (Change from 2002)
Source 2003 National Listing of Fish and
Wildlife Advisories
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Fish Consumption Advisories for Mercury
NOTE This map depicts the presence and type of
fish advisories issued by the states for mercury
as of December 2002. Because only selected
waterbodies are monitored, this map does not
reflect the full extent of chemical contamination
of fish tissues in each state or province.
Source 2003 National Listing of Fish and
Wildlife Advisories
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Percentage of River Miles and Lake Acres Under
Advisory, 1993-2003
Source 2003 National Listing of Fish and
Wildlife Advisories
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Why such limited listings in WV?

• Until recently very limited data
• Concern after seeing ORSANCO results, NAWQA
  survey, and DEP opportunistic data
• Sought EPA funds for statewide Hg and PCB fish
  tissue monitoring

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WV Hg and pcb Fish Tissue Study

• Cooperative effort between DEP, DNR, BPH, WVU
  Fish and Wildlife Coop. Unit
• Began in Spring 2002, Sampling concluded fall
  2003
• Hg. And PCB results finalized May 04
• Well?

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Summary of data

• 65 Sites
• 295 Samples
• 78 would have some level of Hg. advisory
• 26 would have some level of PCB advisory

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Hg. Fish Tissue Sampling Locations in WV
includes ORSANCO sites
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Hg. Sample Summary
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PCB Sample Summary
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Loose Rules of Thumb

• Larger fish higher contaminant levels
• Higher Trophic Level fish higher Hg.
• Bottom feeders higher pcbs
• Industrial/downstream areas higher pcbs
• Lake fish higher Hg.

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Whats Next?

• Fish Consumption Advisory Committee will
  recommend what type of advisory to issue
• Decision will likely combine Hg. And PCB data.
• 303(d) Listings from Hg. data in 2004 Section
  303(d) List.
• Great deal of interest in this issue, impacts for
  all

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Interest

• Hg. TMDLs
• ASIWPCA, STAPPA, ECOS, NGA
• Industry
• Activists
• Clear Skies, MACT, EPA Hg. Reduction plan,
  Quicksilver caucus

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Some Good News

• People are talking
• Technology for Hg. removal
• Considerable research underway
• Positive Florida experience
• Hg. reduction possible from other sources
• Still better than a Big Mac?

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Final thoughts

• EPA received thousands of comments on Air rule
  proposals - must decide a path forward by spring
• Look for NODA this fall
• Power plants positioning themselves to install
  controls
• Injection of activated carbon into the
  wastestream looks promising
• Will be cobenefits by installing SOx scrubbers

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Discussion/Questions