Colorado Water Quality Forum

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Colorado Water Quality Forum Annual Retreat -
Breckenridge COJuly 10 11, 2006
Office of Science Technology2006 Overview
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Overview

• Science and Criteria
• State of Science New Initiatives
• Criteria Development
• Water Quality Standards Program
• Triennial Reviews and ESA
• Training and Technical Support
• Designated Uses UAAs
• Nutrient Standards
• Effluent Limitations Guidelines
• 316(b) Phase III Cooling Water Intake Structures
• 304(m) 2006 Effluent Guidelines Plan
• Methods
• Technical Guidance

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State of Science New Initiatives

• Water Program Research Management Strategy
• Emerging Contaminants PPCPs, Prions, PFOA
• Human health ecological effects
• Occurrence information
• Analytical methods
• Human Health Risk Assessments
• Fluoride - Evaluate NAS Report
• Arsenic
• Working on arsenic report on human health
  non-cancer effects IRIS risk assessment (e.g.,
  diabetes, cardio-vascular effects, and other
  vascular effects)
• Cancer assessment and cancerrelated IRIS
  submitted to SAB
• SAB comments due July 2006

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Health Ecological Criteria

• Criteria
• Nonylphenol and diazinon final aquatic life
  criteria Feb. 2006
• FIFRA-CWA aquatic criteria risk assessment
  evaluation
• MTBE no criteria needed
• 7 TALU/Biocriteria pilots underway (2
  multi-state, 4 states, 1 tribe)
• Selenium evaluating additional research
• Copper biotic ligand model new draft aquatic
  life methodology
• Evaluating and prioritizing additional
  contaminants, e.g., pesticides
• Biosolids
• Sampling for metals, polyaromatic hydrocarbons,
  semi volatiles, and inorganic ions and PPCPs to
  start in August 2006
• Data collection at 80 POTWs to be completed late
  fall 2006
• SABS
• Suspended bedded sediments framework completed

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Water Quality Standards Program

• Triennial Reviews and ESA
• New/Revised Criteria
• Ensuring that an appropriate suite of the most
  recent science is being adopted by states in a
  timely manner where it matters the most
• WQS Backlog
• Reducing backlog and achieving more timely
  decisions on new submissions
• ESA
• EPA and FWS agreed to pilot a methodology for
  national consultation on Biological Evaluations
  (BEs)
• 1st pilot for cyanide sent to FWS in January
• Draft final Biological Evaluation transmitted to
  FWS in June
• Training and Public Meetings
• Multi-Stakeholder Public Meeting on Designated
  Uses and Use Attainability Analyses July 31
  August 1 in Seattle, WA
• WQS Academy Basic Course August 21-25 in Denver,
  CO
• AQUATOX Training Workshop July 25-27 in Olympia,
  WA
• Arid West WQS Issues Meeting Oct/Nov in Denver,
  CO

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Designated Uses UAAs

• Goal
• More effective and efficient UAA process with
  clear understanding of data needs/relevant
  policies and easy review and approval of
  acceptable UAAs
• Recent Accomplishments
• OST/Regions hosted 4 co-regulator meetings with
  states and 2 stakeholder discussion meetings --
  one planned for July in Seattle
• Distributed Use Attainability Analysis (UAA) case
  studies manual on March 13 to improve the
  effectiveness of UAA process
• Preparing QAs to address questions
  misconceptions from these meetings
• Updated the WQS Academy training

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Designated Uses in WQS (contd)

• Themes from Co-Regulator Meetings
• Recognition/appreciation of many states
  innovative approaches
• Interest in exploring and developing alternatives
  to use removal, such as variances and longer term
  compliance schedules
• Recognition of importance of developing UAA
  protocols in advance of use changes
• Concerns about public involvement and acceptance
  of use changes
• EPA guidance is needed

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Designated Uses in WQS (contd)

• Themes from Stakeholder Meetings
• Too much debate, not enough action
• Concern that indecision and inaction are a result
  of un-resolved standards issues
• Concern about return on investment
• Prioritization of resources and application where
  they will produce meaningful environmental
  progress
• Fear of doing too much, fear of doing too little
• Distrust that outcome of UAAs will result in
  ignoring restoration needs, or result in
  over-investment where nothing is to be gained
• EPA guidance is needed

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Nutrient Standards

• Brief refresher
• Nutrients are a primary source of impairments
  consistently rank in top 3 causes of waterbody
  impairments
• 1998 EPA National Nutrient Strategy to get WQS in
  place
• Publish technical guidance develop national
  numeric criteria create Regional Technical Asst.
  Groups and Regional Nutrient Coordinators
  support states in adopting numeric nutrient
  criteria into WQS
• Nov. 2001 - most recent written EPA policy
  direction to states
• Directs states to develop plans and provides
  flexibility on how (approach, priority,
  parameters, criteria numeric or narrative with
  translator)
• Expectation by end of 2004
• All plans in and substantial progress in meeting
  plan commitments
• FY06 Performance Measures
• Number and of States and Territories that are
  on schedule to adopt nutrient criteria into their
  WQSs according to their plans
• So, where are we today?

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Nutrient Take Home Messages

• Most States have developed plans
• Slightly more than half reflect State/EPA
  agreement
• Remainder are under discussion
• States developing criteria using EPA recommended
  methods
• Lots of technical work underway by States to
  determine numeric standards
• States adopting criteria for certain waterbody
  types or subsets (e.g. Rivers and Streams, Lakes
  and Reservoirs, Scenic Rivers)
• Nitrogen criteria adoption generally behind
  phosphorus
• Pace is picking up. Generally, projections show
  that more than 25 of States will have numeric
  standards in place for some or all waterbodies by
  2009.

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State Nutrient Assistance Needs Concerns

• Need for data collection
• Need for data analysis and scientific assistance
• Need for specific technical guidance
• Information on implementation costs
• Information on benefits of implementing nutrient
  standards and concerns about public buy-in
• Changing/varying levels of EPA focus over time

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What More Can We Do?

• Extend available scientific expertise to assist
  states
• Work with ORD
• Release wetlands technical manual
• Launch web-based assistance and web-based tool
  box
• Provide modeling methodologies
• Provide States with technical implementation
  assistance
• Sponsor more All States nutrients meeting to
  share info and discuss technical issues (similar
  to Dallas meeting)
• Continue to support Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia work
• Help states make nutrients case with clearer
  benefits
• Address implementation issues (e.g., costs,
  statistical analysis of data, modeling support)
• Test, validate, and share BMP control strategies
• Identify specific needs and opportunities in
  particular
• states to help them get standards into place

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Effluent Guidelines Technical Assistance

• 316(b) Water Intake Structures, Phase III
• New offshore and coastal oil and gas Phase I
  new rule requirements apply
• BPJ will apply to existing facilities -- small
  electric utilities (under 50 MGD) and all
  manufacturing
• Pharmaceuticals guidance
• Supports implementation of 1998 effluent
  guidelines. Scope includes clarification that
  bioengineering processes are not covered by final
  rule how to write a permit case studies
• Aquaculture guidance
• Supports implementation of June 2004 effluent
  guidelines. Scope includes rule applicability
  how to write a BMP Plan with sample BMP forms
• Airport deicing questionnaires
• Screeners sent late April
• Detailed questionnaires to follow to more limited
  sample

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Effluent Guidelines Technical Assistance

• 2006 Effluent Guidelines Plan
• Preliminary plan signed in August 2005 proposed
  to further study tobacco, steam electric and pulp
  and paper industrial categories
• Commenters suggested new ELGs for LNG, Coal Bed
  Methane revisit manganese limit in coal mining
  ELG
• Final Methods Rules
• Chemical Methods Update Rule - proposed approval
  of several new analytical methods under SDWA
  CWA, new sample collection procedures, general
  analytical requirements for multi-analyte
  methods, and some method flexibilities
• Microbials rule - proposed new/revised analytical
  methods for E. coli and enterococci in
  wastewater and fecal coliforms and Salmonella in
  sewage sludge
• Drinking Water Facility Chlorine and
  Chlorinated Hydrocarbon Manufacturer
  Questionnaires in Fall 2006
• July FACA meeting on Detection and Quantitation
  Procedures/Uses.
• Pilot study of possible new procedures for
  detection and quantitation results in early 2007
• How detection and quantitation will be used for
  data reporting and compliance/enforcement
  purposes
• More 316b, Phase II Qs As in Summer 2006

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Additional Issues

• Questions?
• More information?
• Discussion?
• Thank You.