WaterNews for January 5, 2001

WaterNews is a weekly on-line publication that announces publications, policies, and activities of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Water.

Inside this week's WaterNews:

1. 1) EPA Takes Action To Protect Waters from Raw Sewage Overflows
2. 2) Proposed Metal Products and Machinery Effluent Guidelines
3. 3) Proposed Effluent Guidelines For Iron and Steel Manufacturing
4. 4) EPA Sets Water Quality Criteria for Nutrients
5. 5) EPA Sets Water Quality Criteria for Methylmercury

1) EPA Takes Action To Protect Waters from Raw Sewage Overflows

EPA took action to protect public health and the nation's beaches and waterways from disease-causing organisms and contamination that occurs from 40,000 raw sewage overflows each year. EPA specifically is taking action to reduce the sewer overflows that can lead to beach closures by proposing significant improvements in the operation and maintenance of the nation's sewer systems. The proposed rule would require improved management of capacity and maintenance programs to reduce sewer overflows by strengthening current Clean Water Act permit conditions for over 19,000 sewage treatment plants around the country. The proposal would require 4,800 "satellite" sewage collection systems to get permits for the first time. Cities would be required to develop and implement plans to improve plant performance, encourage new investments in infrastructure, as well as perform a number of technical upgrades. EPA would clarify that communities have limited protection from enforcement in very rare circumstances. For more information, visit http://www.epa.gov/water/ under "What’s New."

On Jan. 3, EPA proposed effluent limitation guidelines for wastewater discharges into waterways from the metal products and machinery industry. When implemented, the proposals are expected to reduce the discharge of 20 pollutants by 170 million pounds per year, improving water quality in more than 1,100 streams. EPA's proposal for the metal products and machinery industry would establish technology-based effluent limitations and pretreatment standards for wastewater discharges in a number of industries, including aerospace, electronic equipment, hardware, railroad, ship, and stationary industrial equipment. The guidelines would apply to both new and existing facilities that manufacture, rebuild, or maintain finished metal products, parts or machines. For more information, visit http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/guide/ on the Internet.

On Dec. 27, 2000, EPA proposed to revise guidelines and standards for wastewater discharges into waterways from the iron and steel manufacturing industry, potentially reducing annual discharge of toxic and nonconventional pollutants by 210 million pounds. The proposal would establish technology-based effluent limitations guidelines for discharges into waterways and into publicly owned treatment works from the operation of new and existing iron and steel mills. Additional information is available at http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/guide/ on the Internet.

EPA is setting water quality criteria which serve as recommendations to states and tribes for water quality standards for nutrients, including nitrogen and phosphorous. States are expected to adopt or revise their nutrient standards by 2004, based on the new criteria. The new criteria are expected to significantly reduce nutrients in the nation's waterways. In a l998 water quality report to Congress, nutrients were listed as a leading cause of water pollution. About half of the nation's waters surveyed by states do not adequately support aquatic life because of excess nutrients. In 1998, states reported that excessive nutrients have degraded almost 3.5 million acres of lakes and reservoirs and over 84,000 miles of rivers and streams to the point where they no longer meet basic uses such as supporting healthy aquatic life. For more information, visit http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/standards/nutrient.html on the Internet.

EPA is protecting human health from methylmercury, the form of mercury that is found in contaminated fish. EPA is issuing under the Clean Water Act its first water quality criterion for methylmercury to be used by states in determining methylmercury levels in fish tissue. The new methylmercury water quality criteria are based on a new risk assessment (a reference dose) that EPA has developed in response to last summer's recommendation by the National Academy of Sciences. Both the new criteria and the new reference dose are based on updated scientific data on environmental fate and human health effects of methylmercury. Additional information is available at http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/criteria/methylmercury/ on the Internet.

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