[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 80 (Tuesday, April 26, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-10055]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: April 26, 1994]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[OW-FRL-4875-8]

 

Sediment Quality Criteria & Support Documents; Re-opening of 
Notice of Availability and Request for Comment

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is to re-open the comment period 
for OW-FRL-4827-2 entitled ``Sediment Quality Criteria'' for 60 days. 
The comment period will close on June 27, 1994.
    The original notice was published on January 18, 1994, and the 
public comment period closed on April 18, 1994. The notice announced 
the availability of seven documents presenting proposed Sediment 
Quality Criteria for the Protection of Benthic Organisms for five 
priority pollutant (Section 307(a)) chemicals, guidelines for deriving 
these criteria on a site-specific basis, and the technical basis for 
deriving the criteria for public comment. The documents are entitled: 
``Technical Basis for Deriving Sediment Quality Criteria for Nonionic 
Organic Contaminants for the Protection of Benthic Organisms by Using 
Equilibrium Partitioning,'' ``Guidelines for Deriving Site-Specific 
Sediment Quality Criteria for the Protection of Benthic Organisms,'' 
and ``Sediment Quality Criteria for the Protection of Benthic 
Organisms: Dieldrin, Endrin, Acenaphthene, Fluoranthene, Phenanthrene'' 
(individual documents per chemical).

DATES: Written comments must be postmarked or submitted by hand on or 
before June 27, 1994, and should be addressed as indicated below.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed or delivered to: Sediment Quality 
Clerk, Water Docket MC-4101, Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M 
Street, SW., room L102, Washington, DC 20460. Commenters are requested 
to submit any references cited in their comments. Commenters are also 
requested to submit an original and 3 copies of their written comments 
and enclosures. Commenters who want receipt of their comments 
acknowledged should include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. No 
facsimiles (faxes) will be accepted.
    Requests for documents should be sent to: Sediment, U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, National Center for Environmental 
Publications and Information, 11029 Kenwood Road, Building 5, 
Cincinnati, Ohio 45242; telephone: 513-891-6561, fax: 513-891-6685. 
These documents are also available for public inspection and copying 
during normal business hours at the Water Docket Room L-102 (basement), 
Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street, SW., Washington, DC 
20460. For access to Docket materials, call (202) 260-3027 between 9 
a.m. and 3:30 p.m. for an appointment. Copies of these documents are 
also available for review in the EPA Regional office libraries. For the 
Regional Office library in your area contact: EPA Library, (202) 260-
3944. EPA's response to public comment will be available upon request, 
no sooner than December 1994, from the Office of Water Resource Center 
(202) 260-7786 and Sediment Public Comment, U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, National Center for Environmental Publications and 
Information, 11029 Kenwood Road, Building 5, Cincinnati, OH 45242; 
telephone: 513-891-6561, fax: 513-891-6685. As provided in 40 CFR Part 
2, a reasonable fee may be charged for copying services.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary C. Reiley, Sediment Quality 
Criteria Program, Office of Science and Technology, Mail Code 4304, 401 
M Street, SW., Washington, DC 20460, phone: 202-260-0658.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Agency has received requests to extend 
the comment period for a minimum of 30 days to ensure an adequate and 
thorough evaluation of the criteria's technical merit. In light of 
this, the comment period is reopened for 60 days, June 27, 1994.
    The seven documents for which public comment is requested are:
     Sediment Quality Criteria for the Protection of Benthic 
Organisms: Acenaphthene (EPA-822-R-93-013).
     Sediment Quality Criteria for the Protection of Benthic 
Organisms: Dieldrin (EPA-822-R-93-015).
     Sediment Quality Criteria for the Protection of Benthic 
Organisms: Endrin (EPA-822-R-93-016).
     Sediment Quality Criteria for the Protection of Benthic 
Organisms: Fluoranthene (EPA-822-R-93-012).
     Sediment Quality Criteria for the Protection of Benthic 
Organisms: Phenanthrene (EPA-822-R-93-014).
     Technical Basis for Deriving Sediment Quality Criteria for 
Nonionic Organic Contaminants for the Protection of Benthic Organisms 
by Using Equilibrium Partitioning (EPA-822-R-93-011).
     Guidelines for Deriving Site-Specific Sediment Quality 
Criteria for the Protection of Benthic Organisms (EPA-822-R-93-017).

Background Information

    Toxic contaminants in bottom sediments of the nation's lakes, 
rivers, wetlands, and coastal waters create the potential for continued 
environmental impact even where water column contaminant levels comply 
with established water quality criteria. In addition, contaminated 
sediments can have impacts on water quality even when additional 
pollutants are no longer being added by any other source. It is 
intended that sediment quality criteria be protective of benthic 
organisms and be used to: Assess the extent of sediment contamination, 
aid in implementing measures that limit or prevent additional 
contamination, and identify when appropriate remediation activities are 
needed.
    Section 304 (a)(1) of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1314(a)(1)), 
directs EPA to develop and publish criteria reflecting the latest 
scientific knowledge on the identifiable effects of pollutants on 
public health and welfare, aquatic life, wildlife and recreation. EPA 
has periodically issued ambient water quality criteria guidance, 
beginning with the publication of ``Water Quality Criteria 1972''. All 
criteria guidance through late 1986 was summarized in an EPA document 
entitled ``Quality Criteria for Water, 1986.'' EPA has subsequently 
published, from time to time, new ambient water quality criteria 
guidance for additional pollutants or revised existing criteria 
guidance.
    EPA's criteria documents are intended to provide a comprehensive 
toxicological evaluation of each chemical addressed therein, based on 
available information. For toxic pollutants, the documents tabulate the 
numeric acute and chronic toxicity information for aquatic life and, 
where sufficient information is available, derive the numeric criteria 
maximum concentrations (acute criteria) and the numeric criteria 
continuous concentrations (chronic criteria) that the Agency recommends 
to protect aquatic life resources. The documents also provide 
recommended criteria to protect human health. EPA has published numeric 
aquatic life criteria for 30 priority pollutants and human health 
criteria for 91 priority pollutants. Aquatic life criteria address 
potential water column impacts only.
    EPA is now proposing sediment quality criteria for five priority 
pollutant chemicals (endrin, dieldrin, fluoranthene, phenanthrene, and 
acenaphthene) that EPA has determined are present in the sediment of 
the Nation's waters and cause or have the potential to cause adverse 
effects to the water column and benthic assemblages and their 
hierarchical foodchains including humans. Pursuant to Section 104 of 
the Clean Water Act, the Agency has conducted research, experiments and 
demonstrations and has studied the effects of contaminated sediment on 
freshwater, marine, and estuarine aquatic life. EPA used this 
information to develop the proposed sediment quality criteria, which 
represent EPA's first effort to develop sediment quality criteria. 
These five chemicals were selected because of their known toxicity, 
hydrophobicity, and persistence.
    EPA developed the proposed sediment quality criteria using a 
methodology called the Equilibrium Partitioning Approach which was 
selected after considering a variety of approaches that could be used 
to assess sediment contamination. Technical reviews of the methodology 
and supporting science was conducted by the EPA Science Advisory Board 
(SAB) in February 1989 and June 1992. Data collected in support of the 
ambient aquatic life water quality criteria or an equivalent data base 
were also used to derive the proposed sediment quality criteria. 
Sediment criteria concentrations are expressed as micrograms chemical 
per gram organic carbon and apply to sediments with >/=0.2% organic 
carbon.

    Dated: April 20, 1994.
Robert Perciasepe,
Assistant Administrator for Water.
[FR Doc. 94-10055 Filed 4-25-94; 8:45 am]
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