[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 178 (Wednesday, September 15, 2004)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 55547]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-20795]


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 Proposed Rules
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
 the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
 notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
 the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
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  Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 178 / Wednesday, September 15, 2004 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 55547]]



ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 136

[FRL-7813-5 ]


Potential Stakeholder Process for Detection and Quantitation 
Procedures

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: This document announces EPA's intent to explore the 
feasibility and design of a process through which stakeholders could 
provide their ideas and recommendations on procedures for the 
development of detection and quantitation limits and uses of these 
limits in Clean Water Act (CWA) programs.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marion Kelly: Engineering and Analysis 
Division (4303T); Office of Science and Technology; Office of Water; 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Ariel Rios Building; 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20460, or call (202) 566-1045 
or E-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA approves analytical methods (i.e., test 
procedures) used for monitoring and reporting chemical pollutants under 
the CWA. EPA's analytical methods specify detection limits to determine 
if a pollutant is present. Quantitation limits describe the 
concentration of a pollutant that can be measured with a known level of 
confidence. These values are often used as reporting and compliance 
limits by the States, Tribes and EPA Regions that administer and 
enforce permit limits on direct discharges into water. These values are 
also often used by States and localities in administering and enforcing 
pretreatment programs for indirect discharges.
    EPA published two documents in the Federal Register on this topic 
on March 12, 2003, for public comment. One document announced the 
availability of EPA's assessment of detection and quantitation 
procedures that are applied to analytical methods used under the CWA 
(68 FR 11791). The second document proposed revisions to the detection 
and quantitation definitions and procedures specified at 40 CFR part 
136 (68 FR 11770). The proposed regulatory revisions were based largely 
on the results of the assessment and on comments from users of the 
method detection limit procedure. Further analysis of some of the 
public comments, prompted EPA to explore the feasibility and design of 
a stakeholder process to obtain additional stakeholder input on 
procedures for the development of detection and quantitation limits and 
uses of these limits in CWA programs.
    The Agency is beginning the process to engage a neutral third party 
to conduct a situation assessment to determine whether a stakeholder 
process should go forward and, if so, how that process should be 
designed. During a situation assessment, the neutral third party talks 
with affected stakeholders about their ideas for the design of multi-
party discussions on the policy and technical issues. As a result of 
these discussions, EPA expects the neutral third party to make 
recommendations about the feasibility and design of a stakeholder 
process, including format, schedule, and topics for discussion. If the 
neutral third party recommends that a stakeholder process is feasible, 
EPA will, as soon as possible, implement a process during which 
stakeholders could provide their ideas and recommendations on 
procedures for the development of detection and quantitation limits and 
uses of these limits in CWA programs. We estimate that the neutral 
third party's recommendations will probably be available in November 
2004.
    EPA plans to post the final situation assessment report on the EPA 
Web site at http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/methods/det/index.html

    Dated: September 9, 2004.
Benjamin H. Grumbles,
Acting Assistant Administrator for Water.
[FR Doc. 04-20795 Filed 9-14-04; 8:45 am]
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