Water Quality Standards Workgroup Introduction Purpose of WQS - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Water Quality Standards

Workgroup Introduction

Purpose of WQS Workgroup

This workgroup will provide input and assistance to the Department in developing and refining appropriate water quality standards for the protection of Missouri’s streams, lakes, and wetlands.

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• Workgroup last met in 2015 while

working on nutrient criteria

• Reconvening the workgroup for the

2019/2020 triennial review

• Will make plans for future meetings

• Published in CSR April 2018
• “Alaska Rule” [40 CFR 131.21]

WQS cannot be used for CWA purposes until after EPA approval

• EPA approved NNC for lakes
• Waiting on EPA approval for

all other items

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2018 WQS Rulemaking Status

• Waters of the State

Definition

• Mixing Zones and ZIDs
• Hardness
• pH (4-day average)
• General Criteria Revisions
• Antidegradation

Implementation Procedure

• Losing Stream Reference

and Table J

• Modify Site-Specific Criteria

Table

• MUDD Update
• Section 304(a) Water Quality

Criteria

• WQS Variance - Kirksville
• MDV Framework
• Miscellaneous Text Revisions

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2018 WQS Rulemaking Status

Items Awaiting EPA Approval:

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WQS Projects

Pre- Planning (Queue) Project Planning Technical Review Ready for Rulemaking

A new way to conduct WQS work!

GOAL: Separate WQS projects from rulemaking WQS Unit staff will work on projects according to

• priority. The rulemaking timeline will not dictate the

projects we work on.

GOAL: 18 month rulemaking Working out the detailed timeline, but goal is to publish in the CSR before the end of 2020

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2019/2020 WQS Rulemaking

2019/2020 Triennial Review Meetings 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

• July 23
• August 6
• September 13
• September 24

September 18th is reserved as flex if needed

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Meeting Dates and Times

• 1. Review items discussed/decided on from

previous meeting(s)

• 2. Overview of the day’s meeting
• 3. Topic presentation
• 4. Open discussion/questions
• WQS Unit’s recommendation
• Implementation
• 5. Closing remarks and preview of next meeting

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Meeting Format

Includes:

• Summary of our

technical review

• Rulemaking history
• WQS Unit’s

recommendations to the group

• Starting point for

discussions

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Reference and Recommendations

https://dnr.mo.gov/env/wpp/cwforum/adv-uncl-waters-wetlands.htm

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WQS Workgroup Web Page

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2019/2020 Triennial Review

SCOPE

Scope – What’s In?

• Aluminum
• Cadmium (acute)
• Copper BLM vs. WER
• Chloride plus sulfate
• DWS and IND use review
• MUDD WBID revision by

watershed

• Variances – Joplin, Salem,

Bolivar

• Site-specific DO criteria

(Blue Springs)

• Site-specific chloride

criteria (Smithfield)

• Losing stream language

moved to 7.015

• AIP moved to 7.015
• MDV Framework revisions
• Update MUDD with UAA

and presumed use review results

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Scope – What’s In?

• Tentative schedule
• f topics in folder
• Flex time
• Flex date
• Will update as

needed

• Copy of current rule

text in folders

• List of Tables in

folders

• Will provide redlined

version to workgroup later

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Rule Text and Table Review

• Regional DO
• Mollusk ammonia
• Human health protection 304(a)
• Aquatic Life UAA Protocol
• Water body-specific NNC
• Chlorides and sulfates
• Wetlands
• Copper
• Cold water use review
• Bacteria and pathogens
• WBC-A for lakes on public lands
• Cyanotoxins
• NNC for lakes – recreational use
• Hydrologic classifications
• Natural conditions provision
• Outstanding State Resource Waters
• NNC for streams and rivers
• NNC for lakes – BRP ecoregion
• Selenium

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Scope – What’s Out?

Disclaimer: These are items that have been brought up in previous discussions and/or comment letters through the years and recorded by the WQS Unit. It is not considered an all-inclusive list, nor are all of the items projects the WQS Unit will pursue.

• Bootheel ditches
• Low gradient
• Low sinuosity
• Multi-year Study
• Continuous DO data
• Biological data
• Analyze data to establish

DO criteria for the region

• n channelized streams

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Regional Dissolved Oxygen

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Mollusk Ammonia

• Presence/Absence of

mollusks: mussels and gill-breathing snails

• Create distribution maps
• Investigate

implementation options (limit derivation)

• Treatment costs
• How can this fit in to the

MDV Framework?

Concerns from previous rulemaking:

• Fish consumption

rates

• Drinking water

volumes

• Cancer risk rates
• “Compounding

Conservatism”

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304(a) Criteria for HHP

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Aquatic Life UAA

• AQL UAA Protocol was

worked on around 2013- 2015

• Current staff need to

familiarize themselves with this previous work

• Reintroduce topic and

draft protocol to workgroup for discussion

• Previous disapproval of hardness-based criteria
• Request of EPA to develop recommendations for

these criteria

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Chlorides and Sulfates

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Lake-Specific NNC

• Reevaluate site-specific nutrient criteria
• Are the state-wide NNC also protective of these

lakes? Divers at Table Rock Lake

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Wetlands

• Classify wetlands on public lands
• Establish and assign wetland designated uses
• Narrative criteria for wetlands

To Do:

• Collect more data
• n reference

wetlands (EPA offers grant money for this)

• Research wetland

WQS in other states

Released at end of each calendar year

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WQS Inventory of Projects

WQS Workgroup Meetings will resume late this year/early next year

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WQS Inventory of Projects

• How frequent?
• Every other month
• Quarterly
• Standing presentation at

quarterly forum

• Webinars

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Questions?