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Nutrient Criteria Development; Notice of Nutrient Criteria Technical Guidance Manual: Lakes and Reservoirs, First Edition
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
[Federal Register: May 23, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 100)]
[Notices]
[Page 33322-33323]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23my00-52]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY.
[FRC-670S-1]
Nutrient Criteria Development; Notice of Nutrient Criteria
Technical Guidance Manual: Lakes and Reservoirs, First Edition
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of nutrient criteria technical guidance manual: Lakes
and reservoirs, first edition.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announces the
availability of a nutrient criteria technical guidance manual for lakes
and reservoirs. This document provides State and Tribal water quality
managers and others with guidance on how to develop numeric nutrient
criteria for lakes and reservoirs. This document does not contain site-
specific numeric nutrient criteria for any lake or reservoir. 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 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 to 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, we 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 to the
Agency by July 24, 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: Lakes and Reservoirs, First Edition. 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: Dr. George Gibson, USEPA, Health and
Ecological Criteria Division (4304), Office of Science and Technology,
Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20460;
or call (410) 305-2618; fax (410) 305-3093; or e-mail
gibson.george@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, that
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 lakes and reservoirs, 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 Lakes
and Reservoirs
EPA initiated the National Strategy to Develop Regional Nutrient
Criteria to address enrichment problems. The
[[Page 33323]]
Nutrient Criteria Technical Guidance Manual: Lakes and Reservoirs,
First Edition is the first 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 rivers and streams, estuarine and 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, State, Tribal
representatives who are working together to take EPA's forthcoming
section 304(a) nutrient criteria guidance as a starting point to
develop 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 ecoregions it has
identified.) EPA expects the RTAGs to use the processes set forth in
the waterbody-type specific manuals to develop recommended nutrient
criteria on an ecoregional basis or a more refined basis (such as
subecoregion, State or Tribe-level, more defined class of lakes/
reservoirs). Today's manual for lakes and reservoirs 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.
The key parameters addressed in Nutrient Criteria Technical
Guidance Manual: Lakes and Reservoirs, First Edition are total
phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll a, and Secchi depth. As set
forth in the manual, the elements that EPA expects States and Tribes to
consider in developing a nutrient criterion are:
(1) Historical data and other information to establish perspective;
(2) Current reference site information;
(3) Models used to simulate or validate the empirical relationships
established between causal (nutrients) and response (biological
indicators) variables; and
(4) Evaluation of downstream consequences before finalizing
criteria values. EPA also expects the States or Tribes (or the RTAG
when developing criteria guidance) to use their best professional
judgement when examining the information and establishing criteria.
EPA expects the criteria development and implementation process
(undertaken by EPA, the RTAGs and others) to proceed as follows:
Data acquisition and review, as well as additional data
gathering and processing methods.
Classification of the lakes and reservoirs by physical
characteristics.
Reference site selection and data reduction to identify
reference conditions.
Development of defensible nutrient criteria, verified by
an RTAG and evaluated for potential downstream effects.
Adoption of nutrient criteria by States and Tribes into
their water quality. Standards, ideally taking into account the
reference condition data and designated uses.
Implementation of EPA-approved nutrient criteria by EPA,
States, and Tribes to identify areas of water quality impairment due to
nutrients and to respond appropriately.
These subjects are described in detail in the Nutrient Criteria
Technical Guidance Manual: Lakes and Reservoirs, First Edition.
The manual concludes with chapters describing data models and
management options that actively protect or restore lake and reservoir
resources. Case histories illustrating nutrient criteria development
experiences are appended with the names of individual specialists to
contact for more information.
The Nutrient Criteria Technical Guidance Document: Lakes and
Reservoirs, First Edition that is being announced in this Notice was
developed after consideration of public comment and peer review. A
draft Technical Guidance Manual: Lakes and Reservoirs was placed on the
EPA Nutrient website (http://www.EPA.gov/OST/standards/nutrient.html)
on September 8, 1999, and EPA accepted correspondences and comments
until November 16, 1999. In addition, a peer review of the proposed
criteria document was conducted by a panel of five external reviewers.
Dated: May 4, 2000.
Geoffrey H. Grubbs,
Director, Office of Science and Technology.
[FR Doc. 00-12955 Filed 5-22-00; 8:45 am]
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