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Water Quality Criteria and Standards Newsletter

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

EPA-823-N-01-004; Spring-Summer 2001

DIVISION REORGANIZATION

The reorganization of the Standards and Applied Science Division and a change in the organizational name to the Standards and Health Protection Division became effective on January 15, 2001. The reorganization is designed to help the division meet the following objectives: 1) focus more resources on eliminating the backlog of water quality standards approval/disapprovals and preventing future backlog; 2) focus more resources on overhauling water quality standards guidance; 3) maintain the development, training and support for water quality models; and 4) maintain the contaminated sediment, fish, and beach programs and integrate them with the water quality standards program.

The Standards and Health Protection Division is responsible for maintaining and protecting water quality for safe fishing and swimming by guiding and managing the national water quality standards and advisories programs. The restructured Division consists of a small Immediate Office staff and two branches, each led by a supervisory Branch Chief, a non-supervisory Assistant Branch Chief and non-supervisory team leaders.

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STANDARDS AND HEALTH PROTECTION DIVISION (SHPD)

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SASD-NEWS LISTSERVER

We are reactivating the "WQS-NEWS" Listserver after leaving it dormant for some months. SASD news was set up in 1997 by EPA's Standards and Applied Science Division - hence the "SASD" - to help subscribers get electronic copies of various water quality-related announcements and publications and other announcements we think you may find of interest. We would like to change the title, since it is not very descriptive and does not reflect our recent reorganization. We are awaiting the installation of some new listserver software in a few months that will allow us to make the change in title.

Our objective is to bring you information more frequently than in the past and cover topics, including water quality criteria, fish advisories, the Beach Act program, sediments, and other related areas. We will also keep you posted concerning new additions to our web site at http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/.

To subscribe to the WQS-News listserver, send an email message to: listserver@unixmail.rtpnc.epa.gov, leave the subject line of the email blank, and type the following in the body of the message: subscribe sasd-news firstname lastname. If you have questions or suggestions about WQS-NEWS, please contact Ed Hanlon at (202) 260-5396 or via email at hanlon.ed@epa.gov. We are removing email addresses from our listserver that are undeliverable. If you previously subscribed but have not received any recent emails from WQS-NEWS, please resubscribe.

You may also be interested in subscribing to another EPA list server, WaterNews. WaterNews is a weekly on-line publication that announces publications, policies, and activities of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Water. Subjects concerning the Office of Water include wetlands, oceans, and watersheds; wastewater management; groundwater and drinking water; and water quality science and technology. To subscribe, send an email message, leaving the subject line blank, to: listserver@unixmail.rtpnc.epa.gov. In the body of the message write: subscribe WaterNews firstname last name.

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THE NATIONAL WATER QUALITY STANDARDS DATABSE (WQSDB)

Summary

EPA is developing a National Water Quality Standards Database to improve public access to information about the Nation's surface waters. http://www.epa.gov/wqsdatabase/ The first phase of this on-line database will consist of a compilation of "designated uses," stating the function(s) each waterbody is intended to support -- fishing, swimming, drinking water source, or some other use. Ultimately, the Water Quality Standards Database will include additional site-specific standards data, including water quality criteria. When completed, the Water Quality Standards Database will allow access to maps and data for all of the approximately two million surface waters across the Nation.

Background

Water Quality Standards are a three-part system for protecting the Nation's surface waters:

The National Water Quality Standards Database contains information on designated uses for 16 states. Eventually, EPA will expand the database to include designated uses and water quality criteria for each waterbody in all 50 states, authorized tribes, and territories. The database is a component of the WATERS information system, which contains state listings of impaired waters. For more information on WATERS, see http://www.epa.gov/waters/ or EPA fact sheet number EPA-800-F-01-001.

About the National Water Quality Standards Database

The first portion of the database is available on the Internet, at http://www.epa.gov/wqsdatabase/. It contains narrative information on designated uses for surface waters in 16 states, and surface water maps are available for 11 of these:

Arizona Uses and Map Nebraska Uses only
Colorado Uses and Map New Mexico Uses and Map
Delaware Uses and Map North Dakota Uses and Map
Iowa Uses and Map Oklahoma Uses only
Illinois Uses and Map Rhode Island Uses only
Missouri Uses and Map South Dakota Uses and Map
Mississippi Uses and Map Texas Uses only
Montana Uses only West Virginia Uses and Map

Users can generate reports about: 1) designated uses within a state, 2) comparison of designated uses across states, and 3) EPA numeric criteria. Users can also view a map of the selected state's surface waters and "click" on a surface water segment to see its designated use. You can find the maps at http://www.epa.gov/waters/enviromapper/. EnviroMapper allows information like designated uses to be shown on water body maps from the National Hydrographic Dataset, maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Environmental and Public Health Benefits

The National Water Quality Standards Database will provide information on water quality standards to environmental professionals, the regulated community, watershed associations, and interested citizens. As part of the WATERS information system, the database will provide an important tool for monitoring state progress in attaining water quality standards, thus providing communities the information they need to protect local waterways and alerting the public to potential health risks.

Technical Information

This product is an Oracle database housing Water Quality Standards designated use information. The database also stores the Oracle Web Server application and dynamic HTML forms necessary for users to query the database over the Web. There are several reports which contain additional query HTML links.

Contact for Additional Information

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WATER QUALITY CRITERIA AND STANDARDS NEWSLETTER

Issues of the Water Quality Criteria and Standards Newsletter will be on our website and available using the listserver. We want to continue to provide hardcopies of the Newsletter to our readers who do not have electronic access. A response card is included at the end of this issue. If you want to continue to receive the newsletter by mail, please send in the card.

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PUBLICATION OF NUTRIENT CRITERIA

Eutrophication of United States surface waters is a long standing problem, especially eutrophication associated with human activities. As much as half of the Nation's waters surveyed by states and tribes do not adequately support aquatic life because of excess nutrients. Nitrogen and phosphorus are the primary causes of eutrophication and algal blooms. Chronic symptoms of overenrichment include low dissolved oxygen, fish kills, cloudy murky water, and depletion of desirable flora and fauna. Nutrient levels that lead to these problems vary from one region of the country to another due to geographical variations in geology and soil types.

On January 9, 2001, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the publication of seventeen nutrient water quality criteria documents for lakes and reservoirs, rivers and streams and wetlands within specific geographic regions (ecoregions) of the United States (66 FR 1671). These recommended water quality criteria for nutrients were developed to reduce and prevent eutrophication on a national scale. Each document presents recommended criteria for causal parameters (total phosphorus and total nitrogen) and response variables (chlorophyll a and some form of turbidity). This information is intended to serve as a starting point for states, authorized tribes and others to develop more refined nutrient criteria, as appropriate, using EPA waterbody-specific technical guidance manuals and other scientifically defensible approaches. EPA will work with states and authorized tribes to help them adopt water quality criteria for nutrients into their water quality standards. The EPA nutrient website (http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/standards/nutrient.html) presents the geographic coverage of each nutrient ecoregion and the recommended nutrient water quality criteria for each nutrient ecoregion.

The Notice of Availability in the Federal Register was published to give the public the opportunity to provide scientific views on the criteria documents. Therefore, EPA will review and consider information submitted by the public on significant scientific issues and site-specific data that have not otherwise been identified by the Agency during the development of these criteria. In addition, EPA will forward pertinent data submitted by the public for a specific ecoregion to the Regional Technical Assistance Group which is developing nutrient criteria for that ecoregion. The criteria have been through external peer review, and a summary of these comments are available on the Nutrient website (http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/standards/nutrient.html)

Ecoregional nutrient criteria documents for lakes and reservoirs, rivers and streams, and wetlands within the remaining ecoregions, as well as estuarine and coastal waters, will be developed in the future by EPA.

EPA expects that states and tribes will use these seventeen ecoregional nutrient criteria documents as starting points to identify more precise numeric levels for nutrient parameters needed to protect aquatic life, recreational, or other uses on site-specific or subregion-specific conditions. EPA expects that these more precise numerical levels will be developed on a smaller geographic scale than the ecoregional values presented in the nutrient water quality criteria documents. States and tribes may also develop criteria using other scientifically defensible methods and appropriate water quality data or simply adopt EPA's recommended water quality criteria in their water quality standards in the absence of any better data. EPA recommends that states and authorized tribes develop a nutrient criteria plan outlining how they will develop and adopt nutrient criteria into water quality standards.

You can get copies of the complete set of the seventeen ecoregional criteria documents or a specific ecoregional criteria document from the EPA's National Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP), 11029 Kenwood Road, Cincinnati, OH 45242; (513) 489-8190. Alternatively, consult EPA's nutrient website at http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/standards/nutrient.html for downloads. The waterbody-specific technical guidance manuals, which present the nutrient criteria derivation methodology used by EPA to develop the nutrient water quality criteria, are also available from EPA's nutrient website. Contacts: Bob Cantilli (HECD) at (202) 260-5546 or cantilli.bob@epa.gov and Tom Gardner (SHPD) at (202) 260-7309 or gardner.tom@epa.gov.

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NEW BEACH ACT STRIVES TO PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH

Every year, the vacations of many families center around America's bountiful coastal recreational resources. Unfortunately, some families arrive at their favorite beach only to find that the water is unsafe for swimming because of high levels of disease-causing microorganisms that enter the water from stormwater runoff, sewage treatment plant malfunctions or other contamination sources. Other families swim at their favorite beach, assuming the water is safe, but never know whether that beach actually has a program to monitor microorganism levels. The Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act of 2000, signed into law on October 10, 2000, addresses these issues by expanding beach protection by providing grants and technical assistance to assure that beaches are monitored and the public is notified of health risks at coastal and Great Lakes beaches.

Key provisions of the Act

EPA's Water Quality Criteria for Bacteria

Fresh waters: geometric mean values of 33 enterococci bacteria per 100 milliliters (ml) and 126 E. coli bacteria per 100 ml
Marine waters: geometric mean of 35 enterococci per 100 ml
EPA based these values on specific levels of risk of acute gastrointestinal illness.

The BEACH Act requires that all coastal states and territories and the Great Lakes states adopt EPA's water quality criteria for bacteria. If a state does not adopt standards that are "as protective of human health as EPA criteria," EPA must promptly propose revised standards for the state.

The new law also establishes a grants program to assist states and local governments. The law authorizes up to $30 million per year to help them monitor recreational waters and notify the public when these waters fail to meet standards.

To supplement the states' efforts, the Act requires EPA to further study the health risks from pathogen exposure, develop detection methods for pathogens and pathogen indicators, and prepare guidance on how states should apply the EPA's pathogen and pathogen indicator criteria in diverse geographic and aquatic conditions. Based on the results of this research, EPA must proposed new pathogen criteria within 5 years. To ensure the public has access to beach quality information, the Act requires EPA to establish a national coastal recreation water pollution occurrence database that contains beach advisories, pollution sources, and other information. The Act also requires EPA to develop performance criteria to assess whether the Act is being implemented effectively and to provide a baseline for determining whether states are eligible for grants. If a state or local government fails to implement the Act's monitoring and notification performance criteria, the Act directs EPA to establish and conduct a monitoring and notification program at the state's high priority beaches.

Why was the legislation initiated?

Currently, water quality monitoring along coastlines varies greatly between states. Most coastal states have developed their own water quality standards that they enforce through state programs. However, the standards themselves, how they are enforced, and the level of monitoring differ from one state to another. States that monitor do not always inform the public when the water exceeds standards. Because Congress recognized the need to ensure protection of public health and passed the BEACH Act to establish consistent national guidelines for standards, monitoring, and public notification.

The BEACH Act provisions are being incorporated into EPA's broader ongoing BEACH program, which strives to reduce the risk of disease to users of the Nation's recreational waters through improvements in recreational water programs, communication, and science. EPA BEACH personnel work with state, tribal, and local health and environmental officials to design, develop, and implement beach monitoring and advisory programs. The BEACH program also conducts an annual national survey (see below) to better inform the public about the status of beaches around the country. The new BEACH Act authorizes funds that will allow states to expand their present efforts and participate more fully in public notification efforts. For more information on EPA's BEACH program, see www.epa.gov/waterscience/beaches. To view the final version of the BEACH bill, see Beach Reports and References at http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/beaches/.

[For more information, contact Rick Hoffmann, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (4305), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20460. Phone: (202) 260-0642; e-mail: hoffmann.rick@epa.gov]

EPA's BEACH SURVEY SHEDS LIGHT ON NEED FOR BEACH ACT

In the spring of 2000, EPA conducted the third annual National Health Protection Survey of Beaches. This voluntary survey of government agencies solicited information on local beach health activities and conditions during the 1999 swimming season. Survey results are available at www.epa.gov/waterscience/beaches. We asked survey participants (usually local governmental agencies from coastal and Great Lakes counties, cities, or towns):

For the 1999 swimming season, organizations in 32 states and territories representing all coastal and Great Lakes states reported on 1,891 beaches. EPA's survey showed that 459 beaches (24 percent of the reported beaches) had been affected by at least one advisory or closing. The survey respondents issued advisories and closings for various reasons, including when monitoring revealed a violation of pathogen indicators (such as enterococci levels) in the water, after events like sewage spills and heavy rain, and during water conditions such as red tides, algae blooms, or the presence of seaweed and zebra mussels.

Not all beaches covered by the survey were monitored. The survey showed that 89 percent of the beaches had some type of water quality monitoring program, but the monitoring programs were inconsistent. Although some states and local governments monitored water quality at their beaches using EPA-recommended indicators (enterococci for saltwater and E. coli for fresh water), many continued to use older less accurate measures such as total coliforms or fecal coliforms. Currently, of the 1,682 beaches with reported monitoring programs (679 freshwater and 1,013 saltwater), only 379 freshwater beaches use E. coli and 261 estuarine and saltwater beaches use enterococci for issuing beach advisories or closings. Information on local beach health activities and conditions during the 2000 swimming season is being collected by EPA and will be made available on EPA's website in fall 2001.

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NATIONAL FISH AND WILDLIFE CONTAMINATION PROGRAM

National Methylmercury Fish Consumption Advisory

On January 12, 2001, EPA and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued concurrent national fish consumption advisories recommending restricted consumption of freshwater, coastal and marine species of fish due to methylmercury contamination. EPA's advisory targeted women of childbearing age and children who may be consuming noncommercial freshwater fish caught by family or friends. The advisory specifically recommends that women who are pregnant or could become pregnant, women who are nursing a baby, and their young children, should limit consumption of freshwater fish caught by family and friends to one meal per week unless the state health department has different advice for the specific waters where the fish are caught. For adults, one meal is six ounces of cooked fish or eight ounces uncooked fish; for a young child, one meal is two ounces of cooked fish or three ounces uncooked fish. FDA issued advice on mercury in fish bought from stores and restaurants, which includes ocean and coastal fish as well as other types of commercial fish. FDA advises that women who are pregnant or could become pregnant, nursing mothers and young children not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tilefish. FDA also advises that women who are pregnant or could become pregnant may eat an average of 12 ounces of fish purchased in stores and restaurants each week. EPA recommends that women who are or could become pregnant, nursing mothers and young children follow the FDA advice for coastal and ocean fish caught by family and friends. EPA and FDA both recommend that the public check with state or local health authorities for specific consumption advice about fish caught or sold in the local area. The EPA and FDA advisories are available through the EPA fish advisory website (http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/).

EPA's is disseminating the new fish advisory in a special brochure targeting women of childbearing age and young children titledShould I Eat the Fish I Catch. The brochure includes the new mercury consumption advice as well as information regarding the health benefits associated with consuming fish species known to have low levels of contaminants as part of a healthy diet. The brochures, along with posters physicians' offices, are being distributed to all members of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Association of Family Practitioners, the American Academy of Pediatricians, and other major medical organizations in the U.S. Copies of the brochures and poster are available to the public upon request at http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/.

National Risk Communication Conference: Effectively Communicating Health Risks from Fish Contaminants

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Minnesota Department of Health, and the Society for Risk Analysis cosponsored a national conference on the topic of communicating health risks from contaminated fish to hard-to-reach, at-risk populations. The conference took place in Chicago, Illinois, on May 7 and 8, 2001.

Participants met to examine, discuss, and evaluate risk communication methods designed for populations that are exposed and susceptible to contaminants in fish and are hard to reach because they may not hear, understand, or be receptive to risk information about fish contaminants. Conference participants could attend focused interactive sessions to discuss best practices and research needs for improving risk communication with at-risk and hard-to-reach populations. Information and recommendations developed during the conference will be part of a conference proceedings document to published by December 2001.

This conference was intended for anyone interested in effectively communicating risks associated with chemically-contaminated fish. The participants were from federal, state, tribal, and local governments, community groups (including environmental and children's health advocates), health care providers, industry, and academia. Speakers included experienced risk communicators from academia, Native American tribes, state government, and community-based organizations.

The sponsors combined this conference with the Annual National Forum on Contaminants in Fish (Forum). This year, in addition to providing updated guidance regarding mercury, PCBs, dioxin/furans, and arsenic, the Forum dedicated a significant portion of the agenda to the integration and coordination of the fish advisory and water quality standards programs.

Third Editions of National Fish Advisory Guidance

EPA completed the third editions of the guidance documents titled Guidance for Assessing Chemical Contaminant Data for Use in Fish Advisories Volume I: Fish Sampling and Analysis (EPA-823-B-00-007) and Volume 2: Risk Assessment and Fish Consumption Limits (EPA-823-B-00-008). These two national guidance documents are part of a four-volume set that was developed to provide guidance to professionals who assess the health risks associated with exposure to chemical contaminants in noncommercial fish and shellfish. The series provides a recommended, peer reviewed, scientifically sound and cost-effective approach to establishing fish consumption advisories. The continued development of these guidance documents underscores the commitment of the USEPA to continue providing the latest information to the states and others about the development of risk-based consumption advisories.

Copies of the third editions of Volume I or Volume 2 may be obtained by writing to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Center for Environmental Publications and Information, 11029 Kenwood Rd., Cincinnati, Ohio, 45242, or calling 1-800-490-9198.

For more information concerning the methylmercury advisories, the Risk Communication Conference, the new national guidance documents, or other issues related to the National Fish and Wildlife Contamination Program, contact Jeffrey Bigler, National Program Coordinator, Phone (202-260-1305) FAX (202-260-9830) e-mail: bigler.jeff@epa.gov or write: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Fish and Wildlife Contamination Program, Maildrop 4305, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20460. Information may also be obtained at http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/.

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AQUATOX VERSION RELEASE 1 - A SIMULATION MODEL FOR AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS

A primary goal of the Clean Water Act is "to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the Nation's waters". One of the biggest challenges in achieving these goals is to adequately understand the interrelationships between the chemical and physical characteristics of waterbodies and the aquatic life which inhabit them. In particular, water quality analysts need tools to predict the effects of chemical pollutants and other environmental stressors on aquatic ecosystems.

The Standards and Health Protection Division recently released a new tool, an ecosystem simulation model known as AQUATOX. AQUATOX predicts the fate of various pollutants, such as nutrients and organic toxicants, and their effects on the ecosystem, including fish, invertebrates, and aquatic plants. AQUATOX is a valuable tool for ecologists, biologists, water quality modelers, and anyone involved in performing ecological risk assessments for aquatic ecosystems.

Cartoon graphic What AQUATOX Is

AQUATOX simulates the transfer of biomass, energy and chemicals from one compartment of the ecosystem to another. It does this by simultaneously computing each of the most important chemical or biological processes for each day of the simulation period. AQUATOX can predict not only the environmental fate of chemicals in aquatic ecosystems but also their direct and indirect effects on the resident organisms. Therefore, it can establish causal links between chemical water quality and biological response and aquatic life uses.

AQUATOX differs from most water quality models in several ways. Most models include few if any biological components, whereas AQUATOX is an ecosystem model. It includes numerous types of plants, invertebrates and fish, as well as the interactions of the biota with the chemical/physical system. Because it explicitly simulates the chemical and physical reactions, AQUATOX a process model, as opposed to an empirical model. Empirical models may establish correlations between variables but will not explain the mechanisms of the relationship.

What AQUATOX Does

AQUATOX simulates the behavior of numerous inter-related components

AQUATOX is not intended to include every species of plant or animal, or every ecological process, but attempts to characterize the significant factors in the proper functioning of the aquatic ecosystem.

AQUATOX can represent a variety of aquatic ecosystems

AQUATOX simulates the fate and effects of multiple environmental stressors

AQUATOX links water quality with aquatic life by integrating ecological processes

Aquatox Model Structure

Environmental fate

AQUATOX Features

AQUATOX runs on a PC and is user-friendly. Many features facilitate the modeling process from data input, model setup, presentation and graphing of results, to easy export of results to spreadsheet programs for additional analysis.

Data input

AQUATOX provides a realistic representation of aquatic ecosystems with a minimal amount of detailed site specific information or site calibration. It requires data on pollutant loadings, general site characteristics, chemical characteristics of any organic toxicants, and bioenergetics information on the plants and animals being modeled. AQUATOX comes bundled with numerous data "libraries" that provide default data. The libraries are of particular importance for the biological data, which are probably the most difficult for a user to obtain. Over time we plan to add to the data libraries.

Model output and analysis

The output of AQUATOX is the time-varying concentrations of biomass and chemicals. The user can view results within AQUATOX in table or graph format or export results to a spreadsheet program. AQUATOX also provides an uncertainty analysis module for evaluation of model uncertainty and sensitivity.

Applications for AQUATOX

AQUATOX has a myriad of uses for water management programs, including water quality criteria and standards, TMDLs (Total Maximum Daily Loads), and ecological risk assessments. The choice of an appropriate model or other tool depends upon the questions to be answered, the complexity of the situation, and the outcome. AQUATOX should be considered where the user needs to understand the processes relating the chemical and physical environment to the biological community, or to predict ecological responses to management alternatives.

Application to eutrophication analysis

AQUATOX predicts commonly-used endpoints in nutrient analysis, such as dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll a, secchi depth, nitrogen and phosphorus. Its biological components can include phytoplankton and zooplankton in stratified lakes and reservoirs, plus periphyton, macrophytes and benthic invertebrates in streams.

Nutrient in Water
Algal Biomass

Application to aquatic life uses

Because AQUATOX treats the biota as integral to the chemical/physical system, and the ecological processes are simulated explicitly, AQUATOX can describe the cause and effect

relationships between water quality and aquatic life. Where there are multiple stressors (for instance, nutrients and organic toxicants), it may help identify the most important one.

Forage Fish

Application to organic toxicants and bioaccumulation

AQUATOX can predict the environmental fate of organic toxicants in the aquatic environment, in addition to assessing their toxic effects. It simulates chemical transformations and the partitioning to water, sediments and biota. The simulation of dietary uptake and fish tissue concentration allows calculation of bioaccumulation factors.

Fate and Effects of Organic Toxicants

Model validations and studies

AQUATOX documentation includes reports on three model validation studies: eutrophication in Onondaga Lake, NY and Coralville Reservoir, IA, and PCB bioaccumulation in Lake Ontario. Input files for these and other example studies are included. We are preparing a validation for nutrients in a stream environment. AQUATOX is also being applied to the Housatonic River, MA, a Superfund project involving bioaccumulation of PCBs.

AQUATOX on the Internet

You can learn more about AQUATOX by going to the AQUATOX home page at www.epa.gov/waterscience/models/aquatox. The model and documentation are available for downloading at no charge. As time goes on, we will post model updates, example applications, expanded data libraries, and technical support in the form of technical notes and frequently asked questions.

How to obtain AQUATOX

AQUATOX can be downloaded from the AQUATOX website. Alternatively, CD-ROMs and printed versions of the supporting documents are available from the National Service Center for Environmental Publications, P.O. Box 42419, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242. NSCEP can be reached by phone at 1-800-490-9198, or at www.epa.gov/ncepihom/orderpub.html on the Internet. When ordering from NSCEP be sure to include the document numbers:

For additional information, contact Marjorie Coombs Wellman, Office of Science and Technology, U.S. EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW (4305), Washington, DC, 20460 (telephone: 202-260-9821, or email: wellman.marjorie@epa.gov)

HEALTH AND ECOLOGICAL CRITERIA DIVISION (HECD)

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ESTUARINE AND COASTAL MARINE WATERS: BIOASSESSMENT AND BIOCRITERIA TECHNICAL GUIDANCE

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a new technical guidance to help better protect and restore estuarine and coastal marine waters. This technical guidance provides an extensive collection of methods and protocols for conducting bioassessments in estuarine and coastal marine waters and the procedures for deriving biocriteria for these waters. Using this guidance, state/tribal and federal water resource managers will be able to better protect and restore the biological integrity of coastal and estuarine resources.

Copies of the complete document, Estuarine and Near Coastal Marine Waters: Bioassessment Technical Guidance (EPA 822-B-00-024), can be obtained from EPA's Water Resource Center by phone at: 202-260-7786, or by email to center.water-resource@epa.gov online at: http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/biocriteria/ or by conventional mail to U.S. EPA Water Resource Center, Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC 20460. Alternatively, the National Service Center for Environmental Publications takes requests both by phone at 800-490-9198, and online at http://www.epa.gov/ncepi/.

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STRESSOR IDENTIFICATION DOCUMENT

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the Stressor Identification Guidance Document (EPA 822-B-00-025). The Stressor Identification (SI) guidance leads the water resource manager or environmental investigator through stressor identification and evidence assembly. The SI guidance helps you evaluate the information you have in your possession to identify the main stressor(s) causing biological impairment. The guidance will help you see where evidence is weak or lacking and where further evidence needs to be developed. Where evidence is adequate, you will be able to estimate the likely cause, or causes. You may use this guidance for any type of aquatic ecosystem. The SI process is a logical way of evaluating evidence. The SI guidance is not a mandated procedure.

Copies of the complete document, titled Stressor Identification (SI) Guidance Document can be downloaded from the web at http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/. The document may also be obtained from EPA's Water Resource Center by phone at 202-260-7786, by emailing a request to

center.water-resource@epa.gov, or by mailing a request to U.S. EPA Water Resource Center, Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC 20460.

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FINAL REVISIONS TO THE METHODOLOGY FOR DERIVING AMBIENT WATER QUALITY CRITERIA FOR THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN HEALTH

EPA published its final revisions to the methodology used to develop human health water quality criteria on November 3, 2000, in accordance with the Clean Water Act (the "2000 Human Health Methodology"). These revisions replace the existing 1980 National guidelines and methodology. The revisions incorporate many significant scientific advances that have occurred during the past 20 years in such key areas as cancer and noncancer risk assessments, exposure assessments, and bioaccumulation in fish.

In the area of cancer risk assessment, the methodology applies the principles of the July 1999 revised Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment that are consistent with the 1986 cancer guidelines. EPA will also publish new or revised criteria for carcinogens. In the area of noncancer risk assessment, EPA has recommended incorporating guidelines published by the Agency since the original 1980 water quality criteria methodology. The Agency recommended more quantitative risk assessment approaches (i.e., benchmark dose, categorical regression) when data support their use, in addition to the traditional (i.e., NOAEL/LOAEL) approach. In the area of exposure assessment, EPA is strongly encouraging states and authorized tribes to use local or regional fish consumption data over EPA defaults. EPA also recommends more protective default fish consumption intake values for freshwater and estuarine fish and shellfish, based on the most recent national survey data available. These rates include 17.5 grams/day for the general population and for recreational fishers, and 142.4 grams/day for subsistence fishers. The methodology also recommends a method for considering multiple sources of exposure when calculating the criteria [known as the "Relative Source Contribution" (RSC) policy] that will be applied to noncarcinogens and nonlinear carcinogens. Finally, in the area of bioaccumulation, bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) are primarily used instead of bioconcentration factors because they are considered better predictors of chemical concentration in fish tissues (due to accounting for uptake from all routes of exposure). The methodology presents a hierarchy of four methods for deriving BAFs, with highest preference being field measured BAFs and lowest preference being predicted BAFs.

EPA is working to develop two Technical Support Document (TSD) volumes on Exposure Assessment and Bioaccumulation that will provide greater detail on these portions of the methodology and better enable states and tribes to use the methodology and modify parameters to reflect local/regional conditions. EPA published the first TSD volume on Risk Assessment along with the final methodology on November 3, 2000. EPA will also publish in 2001 a new compilation table of its recommended national 304(a) water quality criteria with partially revised criteria values (incorporating risk assessment updates, the new default fish intake value of 17.5 grams/day, and any existing RSC values). New concepts in the methodology are also described in the human health criteria portion of the Water Quality Standards Academy training.

The revised methodology will provide more flexibility for decision-making at the state, tribal and EPA regional levels. Additional information can be found on EPA's website at http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/humanhealth/

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NEW AMBIENT WATER QUALITY CRITERIA DOCUMENTS FOR 2001

Tributyltin (TBT)

A final water quality criteria document for TBT for the protection of aquatic life is expected to be published by fall 2001. The proposed TBT criteria document has received public comment and external peer review. The proposed saltwater chronic criterion of 10 ng/l (ten parts per trillion) is being reviewed in response to comments which advocate a more stringent level. The major source of TBT in the aquatic environment is from antifouling paints used to coat the hulls of large ships. Contact: Frank Gostomski (202) 260-1321 or gostomski.frank@epa.gov.

Atrazine

A draft water quality criteria document for Atrazine for the protection of aquatic life is expected to be published for public comment on its scientific basis by October 2001. The draft Atrazine criteria document has received external peer review. A notice of intent to develop aquatic life criteria for Atrazine was published in the Federal Register on October 29, 1999 (64 FR 58409). The major source of Atrazine in the aquatic environment is from its use as an herbicide. Contact: Frank Gostomski (202) 260-1321 or gostomski.frank@epa.gov.

Methyl Tertiary-Butyl Ether (MTBE)

A draft water quality criteria document for MTBE for the protection of aquatic life is expected to be published for public comment by the end of 2001 or early 2002. This criteria document is being issued as the result of a cooperative effort between EPA and the American Petroleum Institute (API). The draft MTBE criteria document has received external peer review. A notice of intent to develop aquatic life criteria for MTBE was published in the Federal Register in October 1999 (64 FR 58409). The major source of MTBE in the aquatic environment is from gasoline use and spills. Contact: Frank Gostomski (202) 260-1321 or gostomski.frank@epa.gov.

Nonylphenol

A draft water quality criteria document for Nonylphenol for the protection of aquatic life is expected to be published for public comment on its scientific basis by October 31, 2001. The draft Nonylphenol criteria document has received external peer review. A notice of intent to develop aquatic life criteria for Nonylphenol was published in the Federal Register on October 29, 1999 (64 FR 58409). Major sources of Nonylphenol in the aquatic environment are from sewage treatment plant effluents and textile, pulp, and paper industries. Contact: Frank Gostomski (202) 260-1321 or gostomski.frank@epa.gov.

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STREAMLINED WATER-EFFECT RATIO PROCEDURE FOR DISCHARGES OF COPPER

The Health and Ecological Criteria Division published the Streamlined Water-Effect Ratio Procedure for Discharges of Copper (EPA-822-R-01-005). It provides guidance on determining site-specific criteria for copper based on water-effect ratios.

The water-effect ratio is a mechanism for adjusting national or statewide criteria for site-specific influences on pollutant bioavailability and toxicity, based on toxicity tests for the pollutant, performed using water from the site. It provides a value for the site criterion that is both sufficient and necessary for full protection of aquatic life uses.

The new guidance adds to and complements the 1994 Interim Guidance on Determination and Use of Water-Effect Ratios for Metals (EPA-823-B-94-001). Whereas the 1994 Interim Procedure applies to essentially all situations for most metals, the Streamlined Procedure is recommended only for situations where copper concentrations are elevated primarily by continuous point source effluents. Because this is a relatively common regulatory situation, a great deal of experience is available to guide the development of a more efficient procedure.

The Streamlined Procedure does not supersede the 1994 Interim Procedure, even for the limited situations to which it applies. Rather, it provides an alternative approach. In these situations the entity conducting the study may choose between using the Interim Procedure or using the Streamlined Procedure. Implementation policies for the Streamlined Procedure follow the same principles as for the 1994 Interim Procedure. If you would like a copy of the document, or have any questions contact Charles Delos at (delos.charles@epa.gov).

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