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Nutrient Criteria Development; Notice of Nutrient Criteria Technical Guidance Manual: Rivers and Streams

Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.

 [Federal Register: July 27, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 145)]
[Notices]
[Page 46167-46169]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr27jy00-57]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OW-FRL-6841-7]


Nutrient Criteria Development; Notice of Nutrient Criteria
Technical Guidance Manual: Rivers and Streams

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of nutrient criteria technical guidance manual: rivers
and streams.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency announces the availability
of a nutrient criteria technical guidance manual for Rivers and
Streams. This document provides State and Tribal water quality managers
and others with guidance on how to develop numeric nutrient criteria
for Rivers and Streams. This document does not contain site-specific
numeric nutrient criteria for any river or stream systems. This
guidance was principally developed to assist States and Tribes in their
efforts to establish nutrient criteria. States and Tribes are clearly
in the best position to consider site-specific conditions in

[[Page 46168]]

developing nutrient criteria. While this guidance contains EPA's
scientific recommendations regarding defensible approaches for
developing regional nutrient criteria, this guidance is not regulation;
thus it does not impose legally binding requirements on EPA, States,
Territories, Tribes, or the public, and might not apply to a particular
situation based upon the circumstances. States, Territories, and
authorized Tribes retain the discretion to adopt, where appropriate,
other scientifically defensible approaches for developing regional or
local nutrient criteria that differ from these recommendations.
    We have decided to issue technical guidance in a manner similar to
that which we are using to issue new and revised criteria (see Federal
Register, December 10, 1998, 63 FR 68354 and in the EPA document
titled, National Recommended Water Quality--Correction EPA 822-Z-99-
001, April 1999). Therefore, we invite the public to provide scientific
views on this guidance. We will review and consider information
submitted by the public on significant scientific issues that might not
have otherwise been identified by the Agency during development of this
guidance. This guidance has been through external peer review, and a
summary of these comments is available on the Nutrient website (http://
www.EPA.gov/OST/standards/nutrient.html). After review of the submitted
significant scientific information, the Agency will publish a revised
document, or publish a notice indicating its decision not to revise the
document.
    This document has been prepared for publication by the Office of
Science and Technology, Office of Water, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not
constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.

DATES: All significant scientific information must be submitted by
September 25, 2000. Any scientific information submitted should be
adequately documented and contain enough supporting information to
indicate that acceptable and scientifically defensible procedures were
used and that the results are likely reliable.

ADDRESSES: This notice contains a summary of the Nutrient Criteria
Technical Guidance Manual: Rivers and Streams. Copies of the complete
document may be obtained from EPA's Water Resource Center by phone at
202-260-7786, or by e-mail to: center.water-resource@epa.gov, or by
conventional mail to EPA Water Resource Center, RC-4100, Ariel Rios
Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20460. The
document is also available electronically at: http://www.epa.gov/OST/
standards/nutrient.html.
    An original and two copies of written significant scientific
information should sent to Robert Cantilli (MC-4304), U.S. EPA, Ariel
Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460.
Written significant scientific information may be submitted
electronically in ASCII or Word Perfect 5.1, 5.2, 6.1, or 8.0 formats
to OW-General@epa.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Debra Hart, USEPA, Health and
Ecological Criteria Division (4304), Office of Science and Technology,
Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20460;
or call (202) 260-0905; fax (202) 260-1036; or e-mail
hart.debra@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Introduction

    On March 24, 1998, the President's Clean Water Action Plan was
presented in the Federal Register. The Clean Water Action Plan
specifically stated that EPA will establish recommended water quality
criteria for nutrients that reflect the different types of water bodies
and different ecoregions of the country and that will assist States and
Tribes in adopting numeric water quality standards for nutrients.
Consistent with the objectives of the Clean Water Action Plan, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency presented a National Strategy for the
Development of Regional Nutrient Criteria on June 25, 1998. The
Strategy described the approach the Agency would follow in developing
nutrient information and working with States and Tribes to adopt
nutrient criteria as part of State/Tribal water quality standards. The
major focus of the strategy is the development of waterbody-type
technical guidance and recommended ecoregion-specific nutrient criteria
by the year 2000. Once EPA develops waterbody-type guidance and
recommended nutrient criteria, EPA intends to assist States and Tribes
in adopting numeric nutrient criteria into water quality standards by
the end of 2003.

Overview of the Problem

    Cultural eutrophication (i.e., that associated with humans) of
United States surface waters is a long-standing problem; approximately
half of the reported impairments in National waters are attributable to
excess nutrients. Nitrogen and phosphorus are the primary cause of
eutrophication, and algal blooms are often a response to enrichment.
Within Rivers and Streams, chronic symptoms of overenrichment include
low dissolved oxygen, fish kills, increased sediment accumulation, and
species and abundance shifts of flora and fauna. The problem is
National in scope, but varies in nature from one region of the country
to another due to geographical variations in geology and soil types.
For these reasons, EPA has decided to develop its recommend nutrient
criteria on an ecoregional basis for use by States and Tribes.

Summary of Nutrient Criteria Technical Guidance Manual for Rivers
and Streams

    EPA initiated the National Strategy to Develop Regional Nutrient
Criteria to address enrichment problems. The Nutrient Criteria
Technical Guidance Manual: Rivers and Streams is the second of a series
of waterbody-type specific manuals produced to assist EPA Regions,
States, and Tribes in establishing ecoregionally appropriate nutrient
criteria. EPA is also developing manuals for estuarine/coastal waters
and wetlands. EPA expects States and Tribes to use these manuals as the
basis for developing State water quality standards for nutrients, to
help identify water quality impairments, and to evaluate the relative
success in reducing cultural eutrophication. In addition to developing
these waterbody-type specific manuals, EPA is developing nutrient
criteria guidance under section 304(a) for each of the 14 ecoregions it
has identified in the continental United States. EPA expects States and
Tribes to use the manuals, other information, and local expertise to
refine EPA's 304(a) nutrient criteria guidance so that the nutrient
water quality criteria eventually adopted by States and Tribes are
tailored to more localized conditions. In order to assist States and
Tribes in this undertaking, as well as to verify section 304 (a)
nutrient criteria guidance, and to provide national consistency
wherever possible, EPA has established Regional Technical Assistance
Groups (RTAGs). RTAGs are a collection of EPA, other Federal agencies,
State, and Tribal representatives who are working together to use EPA's
forthcoming section 304(a) nutrient criteria guidance as a starting
point for developing more refined ecoregional nutrient criteria. (EPA
is also using data and expertise provided by the RTAGs in the
development of its section 304(a) nutrient criteria guidance for the 14

[[Page 46169]]

ecoregions it has identified.) Today's manual for Rivers and Streams
also explains how States or Tribes can adopt nutrient water quality
standards based on the ecoregional criteria values recommended by the
EPA and/or RTAGs.
    A directly prescriptive approach to nutrient criteria development
is not appropriate due to regional differences that exist and the lack
of a clear technical understanding of the relationship between
nutrients, algal growth, and other factors (e.g., flow, light,
substrata). Therefore, the approach chosen for criteria development
must be tailored to meet the specific needs of each State or Tribe. The
criteria development process described in this guidance can be divided
into the following iterative steps.
    1. Identify water quality needs and goals with regard to managing
nutrient enrichment problems.
    2. Classify rivers and streams first by type, and then by trophic
status.
    3. Select variables for monitoring nutrients, algae, macrophytes,
and their impacts.
    4. Design sampling program for monitoring nutrients and algal
biomass in rivers and streams.
    5. Collect data and build database.
    6. Analyze data.
    7. Develop criteria based on reference condition and data analyses.
    8. Implement nutrient control strategies.
    9. Monitor effectiveness of nutrient control strategies and
reassess the validity of nutrient criteria.
    The components of each step are explained in detail in succeeding
chapters of the document. Appended to the guidance document are case
studies from various ecoregions around the country and technical
discussions of analytical methods, statistical analyses, and computer
modeling.
    The Nutrient Criteria Technical Guidance Document: Rivers and
Streams that is being announced in this Notice was developed after
consideration of public comment and peer review. The draft technical
guidance manual for Rivers and Streams was placed on the EPA Nutrient
website (http://www.EPA.gov/OST/standards/nutrient.html) on October 8,
1999, and EPA accepted correspondences and comments until June 23,
2000. In addition, a peer review of the proposed criteria document was
conducted by a panel of five external reviewers.

    Dated: July 20, 2000.
Jeanette Wiltse,
Acting Director, Office of Science and Technology.
[FR Doc. 00-19014 Filed 7-26-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P

 
 

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