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  2. Water Quality Standards: Regulations and Resources

Water Quality Standards: Establishment of a Numeric Criterion for Selenium for Fresh Waters in California

Related Information
  • Water Quality Standards Regulations: California
  • California Toxics Rule

Summary

On December 10, 2024, the EPA Administrator signed a final rule to revise the current federal Clean Water Act freshwater selenium water quality criterion applicable to certain waters of California. The criterion reflects the latest scientific information and establishes levels of selenium that protect California’s aquatic life and aquatic-dependent wildlife. The criterion replaces California’s previous selenium criterion for certain waters that the EPA promulgated in 2000 as part of the California Toxics Rule.


Final Rule

  • Federal Register Notice: Final Rule - Water Quality Standards; Establishment of a Numeric Criterion for Selenium for the State of California
  • Technical Fact Sheet: Final Rule Establishing a Freshwater Numeric Water Quality Criterion for Selenium for California Waters (pdf) (223.29 KB, December 2024)
  • Method for Translating Selenium Tissue Criterion Elements into Site-specific Water Column Criterion Elements for California, Version 2 (pdf) (753.84 KB, December 2024, EPA 820-R-24-008)
  • Technical Support Document: FINAL Aquatic Life and Aquatic-Dependent Wildlife Selenium Water Quality Criterion for Freshwaters of California (pdf) (3.34 MB, December 2024, EPA 822-R-24-014)

Proposed Rule

  • Federal Register Notice: Extension of Public Comment Period for Water Quality Standards; Establishment of a Numeric Criterion for Selenium for the State of California (February 12, 2019)
  • Federal Register Notice: Proposed Rule for Water Quality Standards; Establishment of a Numeric Criterion for Selenium for the State of California (December 13, 2018)
  • Fact Sheet: Proposed Aquatic Life and Aquatic-Dependent Wildlife Selenium Criterion for California Fresh Waters (pdf) (505.26 KB, January 2019, EPA 823-F-18-003)
  • Establishment of a Numeric Criterion for Selenium for the State of California
    • Draft Translation of Selenium Tissue Criterion Elements to Site-Specific Water Column Criterion Elements for California (pdf) (454.29 KB, August 8, 2018)
    • Technical Support Document: DRAFT Aquatic Life and Aquatic-Dependent Wildlife Selenium Water Quality Criterion for Freshwaters of California (pdf) (3.3 MB, November 2018)

Public Hearings

The EPA held two public hearings so that interested parties could provide oral comments on the proposed rule.

  • Transcript for Online Public Hearing: March 19, 2019
  • Transcript for Online Public Hearing: March 20, 2019

The EPA considered all oral comments provided during the hearings along with written comments submitted via the docket for this rulemaking (available at Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2018-0056).


Comments on the Proposal

The EPA accepted public comments on the proposed rule between December 13, 2018 and March 28, 2019. All written comments that were submitted on the proposal can be accessed at regulations.gov (Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2018-0056).

Water Quality Standards: Regulations and Resources

  • What are Water Quality Standards?
  • Federal WQS Requirements
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Contact Us: Standards for Water Body Health - Regulations and Resources
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Last updated on December 23, 2024
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