federal_register: 2012-28909
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| 2012-28909 | 2012 Recreational Water Quality Criteria | Notice | Pursuant to section 304(a) of the Clean Water Act (CWA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the availability of the 2012 Recreational Water Quality Criteria (RWQC). The document contains the EPA's recreational water quality criteria recommendations for protecting human health in ambient waters that are designated for primary contact recreation. CWA Section 304(a) water quality criteria recommendations are intended as guidance to States and authorized Tribes in developing water quality standards. The 2012 RWQC document describes the relevant scientific findings, explains how these findings were used to derive criteria for two indicators of fecal contamination (enterrococcus and E. coli) as measured by culture based test methods. On December 21, 2011, EPA made available draft national recommended recreational water quality criteria (2011 Draft RWQC) and provided the public an opportunity to provide scientific views. The 2012 RWQC differs from the current 1986 Ambient Water Quality Criteria in the following ways: the EPA recommends States use one of two sets of criteria values, and no longer recommends multiple "use intensity" values; the RWQC consist of both a geometric mean (GM) and a Statistical Threshold Value (STV); the RWQC are now comprised of a magnitude, a duration, and frequency of excursion for the GM and STV; the EPA introduces a rapid analytical technique for beach monitoring, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), for the detection of enterococci in recreational water (EPA Method 1611; the EPA provides information on tools for evaluating and managing recreational waters, such as predictive modeling; the EPA is providing a beach action value for use in beach notification programs; and the EPA is providing tools for developing site-specific criteria. The CWA, as amended by the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act of 2000, directed the EPA to conduct studies associated with pathogens and human health under section 104(v), and to publish new or revised criteria for pathogens and pathogen indicators based on those studies under section 304(a)(9). The criteria announced today are the new or revised criteria that EPA is directed to publish under section 304(a)(9) of the CWA, as amended by the BEACH Act. | 2012-11-29 | 2012 | 11 | https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2012/11/29/2012-28909/2012-recreational-water-quality-criteria | https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2012-11-29/pdf/2012-28909.pdf | Environmental Protection Agency | 145 | Pursuant to section 304(a) of the Clean Water Act (CWA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the availability of the 2012 Recreational Water Quality Criteria (RWQC). The document contains the EPA's recreational water quality... |