[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]



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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-D[email protected]. 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; [email protected] 
(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; [email protected] (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; 
[email protected] (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; [email protected] (selenium) Erik Winchester, Health and 
Ecological Criteria Division (4304), US EPA, 401 M. Street, S.W., 
Washington, D.C. 20460; (202) 260-6107; [email protected] 
(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