[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 130 (Thursday, July 8, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41262-41264]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-15532]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7783-8]


Notice of Intent To Re-Evaluate the Aquatic Life Ambient Water 
Quality Criteria for Ammonia

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Request for data and information.

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SUMMARY: Section 304(a) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) authorizes the 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop and publish, and 
from time to time revise, criteria recommendations for water accurately 
reflecting the latest scientific knowledge. Today, EPA is notifying the 
public of its intent to re-evaluate the current aquatic life criteria 
for ammonia to determine if a revision is warranted based on new 
toxicity data for aquatic organisms. EPA is also soliciting any 
additional pertinent toxicity data or information that may be useful in 
re-evaluating these criteria.

DATES: Submit data and information on or before August 9, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Data and information may be submitted electronically, by 
mail, or through hand deliver/courier. Follow the detailed instructions 
as provided in Unit I.B. of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amie Howell, U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, Office of Water, Health and Ecological Criteria 
Division (4304T), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460. 
(202) 566-1143. [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. How Can I Get Copies of Related Information?

    1. Docket. EPA has established an public docket for this action 
under Docket ID No. OW-2004-0012. The official public docket consists 
of the documents specifically referenced in this action, any data 
received, and other information related to this action. Although a part 
of the public docket, the

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public docket does not include Confidential Business Information (CBI) 
or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. The 
public docket is the collection of materials that is available for 
public viewing at the Water Docket in the EPA Docket Center, EPA West, 
Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket 
Center Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the 
Public Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the 
Water Docket is (202) 566-2426.
    2. Electronic Access. You may access this Federal Register document 
electronically through the EPA Internet under the ``Federal Register'' 
listings at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.
    An electronic version of the public docket is available through 
EPA's electronic public docket and comment system, EPA Dockets. You may 
use EPA Dockets at http://www.epa.gov/edocket/ to submit or view data 
and information, access the index listing of the contents of the public 
docket, and to access those documents in the public docket that are 
available electronically. Once in the system, select ``search,'' then 
key in the appropriate docket identification number.
    Certain types of information will not be placed in the EPA Dockets. 
Information claimed as CBI and other information whose disclosure is 
restricted by statute, which is not included in the official public 
docket, will not be available for public viewing in EPA's electronic 
public docket. EPA's policy is that copyrighted material will not be 
placed in EPA's electronic public docket but will be available only in 
printed, paper form in the official public docket. To the extent 
feasible, publicly available docket materials will be made available in 
EPA's electronic public docket. When a document is selected from the 
index list in EPA Dockets, the system will identify whether the 
document is available for viewing in EPA's electronic public docket. 
Although not all docket materials may be available electronically, you 
may still access any of the publicly available docket materials through 
the docket facility identified in Unit I.B.
    For additional information about EPA's electronic public docket 
visit EPA Dockets online or see 67 FR 38102, May 31, 2002.
    It is important to note that EPA's policy is that data and 
information, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made 
available for public viewing in EPA's electronic public docket as EPA 
receives them and without change, unless the data contain copyrighted 
material, CBI, or other information whose disclosure is restricted by 
statute. When EPA identifies copyrighted material, EPA will provide a 
reference to that material in the version of the document that is 
placed in EPA's electronic public docket. The entire printed document, 
including the copyrighted material, will be available in the public 
docket.
    Data and information submitted on computer disks that are mailed or 
delivered to the docket will be transferred to EPA's electronic public 
docket. Data and information that are mailed or delivered to the Docket 
will be scanned and placed in EPA's electronic public docket. Where 
practical, physical objects will be photographed, and the photograph 
will be placed in EPA's electronic public docket along with a brief 
description written by the docket staff.

B. How and To Whom Do I Submit Data and Information?

    You may submit data and information electronically, by mail, or 
through hand delivery/courier. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, 
identify the appropriate docket identification number in the subject 
line on the first page of your materials. Please ensure that your 
materials are submitted within the specified comment period.
    1. Electronically. If you submit data and information as prescribed 
below, EPA recommends that you include your name, mailing address, and 
an e-mail address or other contact information. Also include this 
contact information on the outside of any disk or CD ROM you submit, 
and in any cover letter accompanying the disk or CD ROM. This ensures 
that you can be identified as the submitter of the data and information 
and allows EPA to contact you in case EPA cannot read your materials 
due to technical difficulties or needs further information on the 
substance of your materials. EPA's policy is that EPA will not edit 
your materials, and any identifying or contact information provided in 
the body of a document will be included as part of the materials that 
is placed in the official public docket, and made available in EPA's 
electronic public docket. If EPA cannot read your materials due to 
technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA 
may not be able to consider your materials.
    i. EPA Dockets. Your use of EPA's electronic public docket to 
submit data and information to EPA electronically is EPA's preferred 
method for receiving data. Go directly to EPA Dockets at http://www.epa.gov/edocket, and follow the online instructions. Once in the 
system, select ``search,'' and then key in Docket ID No. OW-2004-0012. 
The system is an ``anonymous access'' system, which means EPA will not 
know your identity, e-mail address, or other contact information unless 
you provide it along with your data.
    ii. E-mail. Data and information may be sent by electronic mail (e-
mail) to [email protected], Attention Docket ID No. OW-2004-0012. In 
contrast to EPA's electronic public docket, EPA's e-mail system is not 
an ``anonymous access'' system. If you send an e-mail directly to the 
Docket without going through EPA's electronic public docket, EPA's e-
mail system automatically captures your e-mail address. E-mail 
addresses that are automatically captured by EPA's e-mail system are 
included as part of the data and information that is placed in the 
official public docket, and made available in EPA's electronic public 
docket.
    iii. Disk or CD ROM. You may submit data and information on a disk 
or CD ROM that you mail to the mailing address identified in Unit 
I.B.2. These electronic submissions will be accepted in WordPerfect or 
ASCII file format. Avoid the use of special characters and any form of 
encryption.
    2. By Mail. Send an original and three copies of any data or 
information to: Water Docket, Environmental Protection Agency, 
Mailcode: 4101T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, 
Attention Docket ID No. OW-2004-0012.
    3. By Hand Delivery or Courier. Deliver your data and information 
to: EPA Docket Center, (EPA/DC) EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, Attention Docket ID No. OW-2004-0012. 
Such deliveries are only accepted during the Docket's normal hours of 
operation as identified in Unit I.A.1.

Table of Contents

I. What Are Water Quality Criteria?
II. Why Is EPA Re-Evaluating Its Aquatic Life Ambient Water Quality 
Criteria for Ammonia?
III. What Type of Information Does EPA Want From the Public?
IV. Where Can I Find More Information on EPA's Revised Process for 
Developing New or Revised Criteria?

I. What Are Water Quality Criteria?

    Section 304(a) of the CWA authorizes the EPA to develop, publish, 
and from time to time revise criteria recommendations for water that 
accurately reflect the latest scientific knowledge. Water quality 
criteria developed under section 304(a) are based solely on data and 
scientific

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judgements. They do not consider economic impacts or the technological 
feasibility of meeting the criteria in ambient water. Section 304(a) 
criteria recommendations provide a scientific basis to States and 
tribes for adopting water quality standards. The criteria also provide 
a scientific basis for EPA to develop water quality standards where 
appropriate under section 303(c) of the CWA.

II. Why Is EPA Re-Evaluating its Aquatic Life Ambient Water Quality 
Criteria for Ammonia?

    EPA published ``Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Ammonia--1984.'' 
Since that time, results of additional toxicity tests on ammonia have 
been published that could affect the freshwater criterion for ammonia. 
The Agency published a 1998 Update to revise the 1984/1985 ammonia 
criteria document by addressing important issues to the extent 
possible. EPA obtained public comment on the 1998 Update. In response 
to those comments, EPA modified its criteria recommendations and 
prepared a 1999 Update. The 1999 Update differed from the 1998 Update 
primarily in the handling of the temperature-dependency for the chronic 
criterion (CCC) and, therefore, the formulation of the CCC and the 
expression of the national criterion.
    Today, EPA is notifying the public of its intent to re-evaluate the 
aquatic life criteria for ammonia to determine if revisions are 
warranted based on new toxicity data on aquatic organisms. In 
particular, recent studies on freshwater mussels suggest that some 
freshwater mussel species may be more sensitive to ammonia exposure 
than the aquatic organisms considered in deriving the current ammonia 
criteria.

III. What Type of Information Does EPA Want From the Public?

    EPA recently completed a comprehensive review of the available 
toxicity data for ammonia. The list of pertinent references identified 
by the Agency for this chemical is available from EPA's electronic 
public docket under Docket ID No. OW-2004-0012. EPA is soliciting 
additional pertinent toxicity data or information it might use to re-
evaluate the ammonia criteria. In particular, EPA is interested in 
obtaining from the public any new data, not identified by the Agency's 
literature review, on the acute or chronic toxicity of ammonia to 
aquatic life and scientific views on the interpretation of submitted 
data, particularly new data on the toxicity of ammonia to freshwater 
mussels. You should adequately document any data you submit. It should 
also contain enough supporting information to show that acceptable test 
procedures were used and that the results are reliable. Please refer to 
the ``Guidelines for Deriving Numerical National Water Quality Criteria 
for the Protection of Aquatic Organisms and Their Uses'' (EPA-822-R-85-
100, January 1985) for guidance on data suitability. This document may 
be ordered online from http://yosemite.epa.gov/water/owrccatalog.nsf or 
is available from EPA's electronic public docket at http://www.epa.gov/edocket/ under Docket ID No. OW-2004-0012.

IV. 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 revised process provides greater opportunities for 
public input and makes the criteria development process more efficient.

    Dated: July 1, 2004.
Geoffrey H. Grubbs,
Director, Office of Science and Technology.
[FR Doc. 04-15532 Filed 7-7-04; 8:45 am]
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