[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 166 (Monday, August 28, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44487-44488]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-21282]



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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-5287-1]


A Public Meeting on Streamlining Promulgation of Analytical 
Methods at 40 CFR Part 136 and Workshop on Trace Metals Analysis

AGENCY: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Science and Technology within EPA's Office of 
Water is conducting a public meeting on approaches to streamlining the 
proposal and promulgation of analytical methods at 40 CFR Part 136 
under Section 304(h) of the Clean Water Act; and the Office of Water is 
also sponsoring a workshop to aid attendees in resolving the problems 
associated with the sampling and analysis of trace metals, including 
the difficulty in precluding contamination.

DATES: EPA will conduct the Trace Metals Workshop on Wednesday, 
September 27, 1995; and the public meeting on Streamlining will be held 
the following day on Thursday, September 28, 1995. Workshop 
Registration will begin at 10:00 am. The workshop will be conducted 
from 12:00 pm to 5:30 pm. The Public meeting will be held from 9:00 am 
to 5:30 pm. A specific agenda for the public meeting will be published 
in an upcoming notice.

ADDRESSES: The Trace Metals Workshop will be held at the Crowne Plaza 
Hotel-Seattle, Seattle, Washington. The public meeting on Streamlining 
will be held at the Federal Building in Seattle, Washington.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Meeting arrangements are being 
coordinated by DynCorp EENSP. For information on registration contact 
Cindy Simbanin, 300 N. Lee Street, Suite 500, Alexandria, VA 22314. 
Phone: (703) 519-1386. Facsimile number: (703) 684-0610. Space is 
limited and reservations are being taken on a first come, first served 
basis. No fees will be charged to attend.
    Hotel reservations may be made by contacting the Crowne Plaza Hotel 
in Seattle at (800) 521-2762. Guest rates are $83 single and $106 
double occupancy, including tax. Reservations must be made by 9/08/95, 
and you must specify that you are attending the EPA Workshop to qualify 
for the group rate. Accommodations are limited, so please make your 
reservations early.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The USEPA Office of Water's interest in 
trace metals determinations has been driven by the development of 
ambient water quality criteria (WQC) in response to Congressional 
mandates in the 1987 Water Quality Act. Ambient water quality criteria 
require determinations of metals at levels significantly lower than 
those required by technology-based effluent limits or achievable by 
routine environmental laboratory analyses.
    The Office of Water's purpose in sponsoring this workshop is to 
assist State and Regional authorities, regulated community, and 
commercial laboratories in understanding the requirements and 
techniques necessary to determine trace metals at EPA's ambient WQC 
levels. This workshop 

[[Page 44488]]
will focus on sampling and analysis techniques, data review, and 
quality assurance measures necessary to support reliable trace metals 
measurements for data gathering and compliance monitoring purposes.
    The objective of the public meeting on Streamlining is to outline 
plans for method flexibility and for streamlining proposal and 
promulgation of new methods at 40 CFR Part 136 under Section 304(h) of 
the Clean Water Act.
    EPA has promulgated analytical methods at 40 CFR Part 136 as needed 
to support monitoring under the National Pollutant Discharge 
Elimination System (NPDES). Methods approved for use at 40 CFR Part 136 
have been developed by EPA, by industrial associations, and by other 
government agencies. In the past, the methods proposal and promulgation 
process has been cumbersome, and has by design limited the contribution 
of emerging analytical technologies.
    In response to the Administration's Environmental Technology 
Initiative, EPA desires to increase method flexibility in existing 
methods and to streamline the proposal and promulgation of new methods 
to take advantage of these emerging technologies.
    The Subjects to be discussed at the meeting are: (1) Flexibility--
unlimited, limited, and none, and the advantages of each, (2) 
standardization of quality control to support determination of method 
equivalency, (3) streamlined proposal and promulgation of new methods 
to take advantage of emerging analytical technologies, (4) 
harmonization of wastewater methods with other Agency methods to allow 
standardization of methods, and (5) standardized data elements for 
reporting to allow access to Agency databases in a standardized data 
format.

    Dated: August 23, 1995.
James Hanlon,
Acting Director, Office of Science and Technology.
[FR Doc. 95-21282 Filed 8-25-95; 8:45 am]
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