EPA Notice on PCB's and Great Lakes

[asagady@sojourn.com]

This EPA  notice on PCBs in the Great Lakes just arrived today,
and a SNIPPED portion is shown below.

Note that EPA is proposing to increase permissible PCB water
pollution concentration "criteria," which are the basis for water quality 
standards,  in response to  comments by "several industries and
trade associations."

Folks paying attention to  industrial and municipal wastewater
discharges should pay particular attention to this notice.


I'd be happy to forward by email the entire notice to anyone who wanted
it.   just drop me a note to    asagady@sojourn.com

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[Federal Register: October 22, 1996 (Volume 61, Number 205)]
[Proposed Rules]               
[Page 54748-54756]
>From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Parts 132

[FRL-5617-8]

 
Proposed Revisions to the Polychlorinated Biphenyl Criteria for 
Human Health and Wildlife for the Water Quality Guidance for the Great 
Lakes System

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: EPA is proposing revisions to the polychlorinated biphenyl 
(PCB) ambient water quality criteria for human health and wildlife for 
the final Water Quality Guidance for the Great Lakes System (the 
Guidance). The Guidance was published on March 23, 1995. Following 
publication, several industries and trade associations challenged the 
human health and wildlife criteria for PCBs in the Guidance. Among the 
issues they raised was the equation used to calculate the weighted 
geometric mean baseline bioaccumulation factor (BAF) for PCBs. EPA re-
examined the issue, and decided that a different approach for 
calculating a composite baseline BAF would be preferable because it 
would be more consistent with the definition of bioaccumulation factors 
since it more appropriately relates the concentrations of the PCB 
congeners in tissue to the concentrations of the PCB congeners in 
water. The proposed revisions are limited to the method for deriving a 
composite BAF for PCBs and for deriving a composite octanol-water 
partition coefficient (K<INF>ow) for PCBs. The human health cancer 
criteria for PCBs would change from 3.9 E-6 ug/L to 6.8 E-6 ug/L. The 
wildlife criteria for PCBs would change from 7.4 E-5 ug/L to 1.2 E-4 
ug/L. EPA believes the proposed revisions more accurately represent the 
numerical limits necessary to protect human health and wildlife in the 
Great Lakes System. Finally, EPA is not proposing to revise any other 
aspect of the BAFs for PCBs or the PCB criteria for human health and 
wildlife.

DATES: EPA will accept public comments on the proposal until November 
21, 1996.

ADDRESSES: An original and 4 copies of all comments on the proposal 
should be addressed to Mark Morris (4301), U.S. EPA, 401 M Street., SW, 
Washington, D.C. 20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Morris (4301), U.S. EPA, 401 M 
Street, SW, Washington, D.C. 20460 (202-260-0312).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

A. Potentially Affected Entities

    Entities potentially affected by this action are those discharging 
pollutants to waters of the United States in the Great Lakes System. 
Potentially affected categories and entities include:

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                                     Examples of potentially affected   
            Category                             entities               
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Industry.......................  Industries discharging PCBs to waters  
                                  in the Great Lakes System as defined  
                                  in 40 CFR 132.2.                      
Municipalities.................  Publicly-owned treatment works         
                                  discharging PCBs to waters of the     
                                  Great Lakes System as defined in 40   
                                  CFR 132.2.                            
States and Tribes..............  Great Lakes States and Tribes must     
                                  adopt criteria consistent with EPA's  
                                  criteria by March 1997.               
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    This table is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather provides a 
guide for readers regarding entities likely to be affected by this 
action. This table lists the types of entities that EPA is now aware 
could potentially be affected by this action. Other types of entities 
not listed in the table could also be affected. To determine whether 
your facility may be affected by this action, you should examine the 
definition of Great Lakes System in 40 CFR 132.2 and examine 40 CFR 
132.2 which describes the purpose of water quality standards such as 
those established in this rule. If you have any questions regarding the 
applicability of this action to a particular entity, consult the person 
listed in the preceding FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.

B. Great Lakes Water Quality Guidance

    In March 1995, EPA promulgated the final Water Quality Guidance for 


[ALL THE REST OF A VERY LONG NOTICE IS SNIPPED]



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Alex J. Sagady & Associates    		Email:  asagady@sojourn.com
Environmental Consulting and Database Systems
PO Box 39
East Lansing, MI  48826-0039  
(517) 332-6971 (voice); (517) 332-8987 (fax)