Notice of Availability of Final Aquatic Life Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Nonylphenol, 9337-9339 [E6-2558]
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 36 / Thursday, February 23, 2006 / Notices
protection of aquatic organisms and
their uses (Stephan et al., 1985) and
found to be acceptable. These data were
included in the data set used to derive
the final acute freshwater criteria in
Table 1 of the final criteria document.
Comparison of the new data for the
Gammarus pseudolimnaeus to existing
data for another species in the genus
Gammarus (Gammarrus faciatus)
C. What Are the National
showed a range in sensitivity between
Recommended Water Quality Criteria
the two species in the genus.
for Diazinon?
Furthermore, the apparent sensitivity of
Gammarus faciatus was notably greater
Freshwater
than other invertebrate species. Based
Aquatic life should not be affected
on these findings, EPA requested a
unacceptably if the:
review of the original G. faciatus
One-hour average concentration of
toxicity test data by the U.S. Geological
diazinon does not exceed 0.17
Survey’s (USGS) laboratory where the
micrograms per liter more than once
original testing was conducted. The
every three years on the average (Acute
USGS review of the Gammarus faciatus
Criterion), and
toxicity test documentation revealed
Four-day average concentration of
that the acute toxicity values reported
diazinon does not exceed 0.17
for the test, both in the original
micrograms per liter more than once
publication (Johnson and Finley, 1980)
every three years on the average
and in a subsequent compilation
(Chronic Criterion).
publication (Mayer and Ellersick, 1986)
Saltwater
were in error. The USGS advised EPA,
in writing, that the acute LC50 for
Aquatic life should not be affected
Gammarus faciatus should be reported
unacceptably if the:
as 2.0 micrograms per liter, not as 0.2
One-hour average concentration of
micrograms per liter (Ingersoll, 2004).
diazinon does not exceed 0.82
This correction in the acute toxicity
micrograms per liter more than once
LC50 for Gammarus faciatus is included
every three years on the average (Acute
in Table 1 of EPA’s final criteria
Criterion), and
document.
Four-day average concentration of
The addition of the new toxicity data
diazinon does not exceed 0.82
for Gammarus pseudolimnaeus and the
micrograms per liter more than once
change to the toxicity data for
every three years on the average
Gammarus faciatus result in a change in
(Chronic Criterion).
the genus mean acute value (GMAV) for
D. Why Is EPA Notifying the Public
Gammarus from 0.2 micrograms per
About the Final Diazinon Ambient
liter to 5.8 micrograms per liter (see
Water Quality Criteria?
Table 1 and 3 in the final criteria
On December 31, 2003, EPA notified
document). The new data and correction
the public that draft aquatic life criteria
also change the rank order of the
GMAVs (Gammarus GMAV rank
for diazinon were available and
changes from 1 to 4) and, ultimately, the
solicited scientific views on those
final recommended acute freshwater
criteria (68 FR 75555). Based on data
and information submitted, EPA revised criteria value, from 0.10 micrograms per
liter to 0.17 micrograms per liter.
the draft criteria and is now making the
Based on scientific views received
final aquatic life criteria
and additional internal review, EPA also
recommendations. While these criteria
recommendations do not, in themselves, changed the final chronic saltwater
criterion. In the draft criteria document,
impose any requirements, states and
the saltwater Final Chronic Value (FCV),
authorized tribes can use them to
derived using the procedures outlined
develop water quality standards.
in the Guidelines, was 0.82 micrograms
E. What New Data and Changes Have
per liter. However, the saltwater FCV
Been Included in the Final Criteria
value was lowered to the Species Mean
Recommendations?
Chronic Value (SMCV) of the
sheepshead minnow on the basis of it
New data on the toxicity of diazinon
being a commercially or recreationally
to the invertebrate species, Gammarus
pseudolimnaeus, were submitted to EPA important species. EPA received
during the comment and scientific view scientific views indicating that while
period (Hall and Anderson 2004). These sheepshead minnow is an ecologically
important species, it is not recognized
new data were reviewed per EPA’s
as recreationally or commercially
Guidelines for deriving numerical
important. Consideration of these views
national water quality criteria for the
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES
use, diazinon is frequently found in
effluents from wastewater treatment
plants and in storm water runoff in both
urban and agricultural areas. Diazinon is
toxic to aquatic life, particularly
invertebrates. For these reasons, EPA
has developed aquatic life ambient
water quality criteria to protect against
adverse effects of diazinon.
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16:15 Feb 22, 2006
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9337
resulted in EPA’s conclusion that use of
the SMCV as the basis of the saltwater
criterion is unwarranted. Thus, the final
saltwater species four-day average
concentration of diazinon is based on
the Final Chronic Value calculated by
dividing the Final Acute Value (1.64
micrograms per liter) by the Final
Acute-Chronic Ratio (2.0).
Reconsideration of the sheepshead
minnow data changes the final
recommended chronic saltwater criteria
value from 0.40 micrograms per liter to
0.82 micrograms per liter.
References
Hall, L.W. and R.D. Anderson. 2004.
Acute Toxicity of Diazinon to the
Amphipod, Gammarus
pseudolimnaeus. University of
Maryland, Agricultural Experiment
Station, Queenstown, MD.
Ingersoll, C. 2004. Diazinon toxicity
data for Gammarus fasciatus reported
in Johnson and Finley (1980) and in
Mayer and Ellersieck (1986). Letter
dated October 5, 2004 from U.S.
Department of the Interior to E.V.
Ohanian, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Washington, DC.
Johnson, W.W. and M.T. Finley. 1980.
Handbook of acute toxicity of
chemicals to fish and aquatic
invertebrates. Resource Publication
137. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Washington, DC.
Mayer, F.L. Jr. and M.R. Ellersick, 1986.
Manual of acute toxicity:
Interpretation and data base for 410
chemicals and 66 species of
freshwater animals. Resource
Publication No. 160, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Washington, DC.
Stephan, C.E., D.I. Mount, D.J. Hansen,
J.H. Gentile, G.A. Chapman and W.A.
Brungs. 1985. Guidelines for deriving
numerical national water quality
criteria for the protection of aquatic
organisms and their uses. PB85–
227049. National Technical
Information Service, Springfield, VA.
Dated: February 15, 2006.
Ephraim S. King,
Director, Office of Science and Technology.
[FR Doc. E6–2557 Filed 2–22–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[FRL–OW–8035–8]
Notice of Availability of Final Aquatic
Life Ambient Water Quality Criteria for
Nonylphenol
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
AGENCY:
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9338
ACTION:
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 36 / Thursday, February 23, 2006 / Notices
Notice of availability.
SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) announces the
availability of final recommended
aquatic life ambient water quality
criteria for nonylphenol. The Clean
Water Act (CWA) requires EPA to
develop and publish, and from time to
time revise, criteria for water accurately
reflecting the latest scientific
knowledge. These criteria provide EPA’s
recommendations to states and
authorized tribes as they establish their
water quality standards as state or tribal
law or regulation. An EPA water quality
criterion does not substitute for CWA or
EPA regulations, nor is it a regulation.
It does not impose legally binding
requirements on the EPA, states,
authorized tribes or the regulated
community. State and tribal decision
makers have discretion to adopt
approaches that differ from EPA’s
guidance on a case-by-case basis.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the criteria
document entitled, Aquatic Life
Ambient Water Quality Criteria—
Nonylphenol—Final (EPA–822–R–05–
005) may be obtained from EPA’s Water
Resource Center by phone at (202) 566–
1729, or by e-mail to
center.water.resource@epa.gov or by
conventional mail to: U.S. EPA Water
Resource Center, 4101T, 1200
Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington,
DC 20460. You can also download the
document from EPA’s Web site at
https://www.epa.gov/waterscience/
criteria/nonylphenol/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.
Frank Gostomski, Health and Ecological
Criteria Division (4304T), U.S. EPA,
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.,
Washington, DC 20460; (202) 566–1105;
gostomski.frank@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Interested Entities
Entities potentially interested in
today’s notice are those that produce,
use, or regulate nonylphenol. Categories
and entities interested in today’s notice
include:
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES
Category
State/Local/Tribal
Government.
Nonylphenol Dischargers.
Nonylphenol Users ....
Examples of
interested entities
States and Tribes.
Sewage treatment
plants.
Producers of
surfactants.
This table is not intended to be
exhaustive, but rather provides a guide
for readers regarding the entities likely
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16:15 Feb 22, 2006
Jkt 205001
to be interested in this notice. Other
types of entities not listed in the table
could also be interested.
B. How Can I Get Copies of This
Document and Other Related
Information?
1. Docket. EPA has established an
official public docket for this notice
under Docket ID No. OW–2003–0080.
The official public docket also consists
of the draft criteria document, and
scientific views received. Although a
part of the official docket, the public
docket does not include Confidential
Business Information (CBI) or other
information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Publicly available
docket materials are available either
electronically through https://
www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at
the Water Docket in the EPA Docket
Center, (EPA/DC) EPA West, Room
B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC. The EPA Docket
Center Public Reading Room is open
from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday, excluding legal
holidays. The telephone number for the
Public Reading Room is (202) 566–1744,
and the telephone number for the Water
Docket is (202) 566–2426. To view these
documents and materials, please call
ahead to schedule an appointment.
Every user is entitled to copy 266 pages
per day before incurring a charge. The
Docket may charge 15 cents a page for
each page over the 266-page limit plus
an administrative fee of $25.00.
2. Electronic Access. You may access
this Federal Register document
electronically through the EPA’s
Internet listings under the Federal
Register at https://www.epa.gov/
fedrgstr/.
II. Background and Today’s Notice
A. What Are EPA Recommended
Ambient Water Quality Criteria?
An EPA recommended ambient water
quality criterion is a level of a pollutant
or other measurable substance in water
that, when met, will protect aquatic life
and/or human health. Section 304 (a) of
the Clean Water Act (CWA) requires
EPA to develop and publish and, from
time to time, revise, recommended
ambient water quality criteria to
accurately reflect the latest scientific
knowledge. Ambient water quality
criteria developed under section 304 (a)
provide guidance to states and tribes in
adopting water quality criteria into their
water quality standards under section
303 (c) of the CWA. Once adopted by a
state or tribe, the water quality
standards are then a basis for
developing regulatory controls on the
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discharge or release of pollutants and
other alterations of water quality. EPA’s
section 304 (a) criteria also provide a
scientific basis for EPA to develop any
necessary federal water quality
regulations under section 303 (c) of the
CWA.
The recommended criteria in today’s
notice are based on the factors specified
in Section 304(a) of the Clean Water
Act, including the kind and extent of
effects of the pollutant on human health
and aquatic organisms. EPA’s
recommended criteria are used by the
states and tribes in developing their
regulatory criteria under Section 303(c)
of the CWA. Under the Clean Water Act,
regulatory criteria must protect the
designated use, independent of the
economic and technical feasibility of
meeting the criteria. Economic and
technical feasibility factors are
considered by states and tribes when
they adopt designated uses into their
water quality standards under Section
303(c) of the Act and when states, tribes,
and EPA consider variance requests for
regulatory controls. Moreover, states
and tribes may also consider alternative
scientifically-defensible approaches to
adopting criteria into their water quality
standards.
B. What Is Nonylphenol and Why Are
We Concerned About It?
Nonylphenol is an organic chemical
used primarily as an intermediate to
produce nonionic surfactants of the
nonylphenol ethoxylate type. It is
produced in large quantities in the
United States. It is toxic to aquatic
organisms and is found in ambient
waters. Environmental exposure occurs
mainly from its release as a breakdown
product from industrial and domestic
sewage treatment plant effluents.
Nonylphenol is moderately soluble and
resistant to natural degradation in water.
Because of nonylphenol’s toxicity,
chemical properties, and widespread
use as a chemical intermediate,
concerns have been raised over the
potential risks to aquatic organisms
posed by exposure to it. For these
reasons, EPA has developed ambient
water quality criteria for nonylphenol.
C. What Are the National
Recommended Ambient Water Quality
Criteria for Nonylphenol?
Freshwater: Aquatic life should not be
affected unacceptably if the:
One-hour average concentration of
nonylphenol does not exceed 28 µg/L
more than once every three years on the
average (Criteria Maximum
Concentration (CMC) or Acute
Criterion); and Four-day average
concentration of nonylphenol does not
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 36 / Thursday, February 23, 2006 / Notices
exceed 6.6 µg/L more than once every
three years on the average (Criteria
Continuous Concentration (CCC) or
Chronic Criterion).
Saltwater: Aquatic life should not be
affected unacceptably if the:
One-hour average concentration of
nonylphenol does not exceed 7.0 µg/L
more than once every three years on the
average (Criteria Maximum
Concentration (CMC) or Acute
Criterion); and Four-day average
concentration of nonylphenol does not
exceed 1.7 µg/L more than once every
three years on the average (Criteria
Continuous Concentration (CCC) or
Chronic Criterion).
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES
D. Why Is EPA Notifying the Public
About the Final Aquatic Life Ambient
Water Quality Criteria for Nonylphenol
and How Did the Criteria Change?
Today, EPA is notifying the public
that the final aquatic life ambient water
quality criteria for nonylphenol are
available. In a separate Federal Register
on January 5, 2004 (69 FR 340), EPA
notified the public that draft aquatic life
ambient water quality criteria for
nonylphenol were available and
solicited scientific input. Based on the
information and data submitted, EPA
revised the draft criteria and is now
making the final aquatic life ambient
water quality criteria for nonylphenol
available to the public. The freshwater
acute criterion of 28 µg/L did not
change. Recalculation of the final acute/
chronic ratio for nonylphenol resulted
in changing the final freshwater chronic
criterion from 5.9 µg/L to 6.6 µg/L. The
saltwater acute criterion changed from
6.7 µg/L to 7.0 µg/L. The saltwater
chronic criterion changed from 1.4 µg/
L to 1.7 µg/L.
E. What Other Activities Is EPA Engaged
in Related to Nonylphenol?
As part of its Environmental
Stewardship program, EPA is
developing the Safer Detergents
Stewardship Initiative (SDSI). The SDSI
would help ensure the health, safety,
and vitality of U.S. waters by
encouraging the development,
manufacture, and use of safer
detergents.
The Agency is initiating this new
program, in part, because of the
increasing levels of nonylphenol in
certain receiving streams, which appear
to correlate with increasing production
and use of nonylphenol ethoxylate
surfactants. By encouraging the
manufacture and use of safer
surfactants, the SDSI aims to reduce the
quantity of nonylphenol ethoxylates
discharged to ambient waters. The SDSI
and the recommended ambient water
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16:15 Feb 22, 2006
Jkt 205001
quality criteria for nonylphenol
complement one another as components
in EPA’s efforts to protect U.S. waters.
SDSI is cosponsored by the Office of
Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic
Substances (OPPTS) and the Office of
Water (OW). To learn more about the
SDSI, visit https://www.epa.gov/dfe/ or
for further information, contact David
DiFiore, Economics, Exposure and
Technology Division (7406M), U.S.
EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20460; (202) 564–8796;
difiore.david@epa.gov.
Dated: February 16, 2006.
Ephraim S. King,
Director, Office of Science and Technology.
[FR Doc. E6–2558 Filed 2–22–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Office of the Comptroller of the
Currency
[Docket No. 05–21]
FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
[Docket No. OP–1246]
FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE
CORPORATION
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Office of Thrift Supervision
[No. 2005–56]
NATIONAL CREDIT UNION
ADMINISTRATION
Interagency Guidance on
Nontraditional Mortgage Products;
Extension of Comment Period
AGENCIES: Office of the Comptroller of
the Currency, Treasury (OCC); Board of
Governors of the Federal Reserve
System (Board); Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation (FDIC); Office of
Thrift Supervision, Treasury (OTS); and
National Credit Union Administration
(NCUA).
ACTION: Proposed guidance; extension of
comment period.
SUMMARY: On December 29, 2005, the
OCC, Board, FDIC, OTS, and NCUA (the
Agencies) published for public
comment proposed Interagency
Guidance on Nontraditional Mortgage
Products (Guidance). The Agencies are
extending the comment period on the
proposed guidance for 30 days.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on
or before March 29, 2006.
ADDRESSES: The Agencies will jointly
review all of the comments submitted.
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9339
Therefore, interested parties may send
comments to any of the Agencies and
need not send comments (or copies) to
all of the Agencies. Please consider
submitting your comments by e-mail or
fax since paper mail in the Washington
area and at the Agencies is subject to
delay. Interested parties are invited to
submit comments to:
OCC: You should include ‘‘OCC’’ and
Docket Number 05–21 in your comment.
You may submit your comment by any
of the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
• OCC Web site: https://
www.occ.treas.gov. Click on ‘‘Contact
the OCC,’’ scroll down and click on
‘‘Comments on Proposed Regulations.’’
• E-Mail Address:
regs.comments@occ.treas.gov.
• Fax: (202) 874–4448.
• Mail: Office of the Comptroller of
the Currency, 250 E Street, SW., Mail
Stop 1–5, Washington, DC 20219.
• Hand Delivery/Courier: 250 E
Street, SW., Attn: Public Information
Room, Mail Stop 1–5, Washington, DC
20219.
Instructions: All submissions received
must include the agency name (OCC)
and docket number for this notice. In
general, the OCC will enter all
comments received into the docket
without change, including any business
or personal information that you
provide.
You may review comments and other
related materials by any of the following
methods:
• Viewing Comments Personally: You
may personally inspect and photocopy
comments at the OCC’s Public
Information Room, 250 E Street, SW.,
Washington, DC. You can make an
appointment to inspect comments by
calling (202) 874–5043.
• Viewing Comments Electronically:
You may request that we send you an
electronic copy of comments via e-mail
or mail you a CD–ROM containing
electronic copies by contacting the OCC
at regs.comments@occ.treas.gov.
• Docket Information: You may also
request available background
documents and project summaries using
the methods described above.
Board: You may submit comments,
identified by Docket No. OP–1246, by
any of the following methods:
• Agency Web site: https://
www.federalreserve.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments at
https://www.federalreserve.gov/
generalinfo/foia/ProposedRegs.cfm.
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
E:\FR\FM\23FEN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 36 (Thursday, February 23, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9337-9339]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-2558]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-OW-8035-8]
Notice of Availability of Final Aquatic Life Ambient Water
Quality Criteria for Nonylphenol
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
[[Page 9338]]
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announces the
availability of final recommended aquatic life ambient water quality
criteria for nonylphenol. The Clean Water Act (CWA) requires EPA to
develop and publish, and from time to time revise, criteria for water
accurately reflecting the latest scientific knowledge. These criteria
provide EPA's recommendations to states and authorized tribes as they
establish their water quality standards as state or tribal law or
regulation. An EPA water quality criterion does not substitute for CWA
or EPA regulations, nor is it a regulation. It does not impose legally
binding requirements on the EPA, states, authorized tribes or the
regulated community. State and tribal decision makers have discretion
to adopt approaches that differ from EPA's guidance on a case-by-case
basis.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the criteria document entitled, Aquatic Life
Ambient Water Quality Criteria--Nonylphenol--Final (EPA-822-R-05-005)
may be obtained from EPA's Water Resource Center by phone at (202) 566-
1729, or by e-mail to center.water.resource@epa.gov or by conventional
mail to: U.S. EPA Water Resource Center, 4101T, 1200 Pennsylvania
Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20460. You can also download the document
from EPA's Web site at https://www.epa.gov/waterscience/criteria/
nonylphenol/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Frank Gostomski, Health and
Ecological Criteria Division (4304T), U.S. EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania
Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20460; (202) 566-1105;
gostomski.frank@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Interested Entities
Entities potentially interested in today's notice are those that
produce, use, or regulate nonylphenol. Categories and entities
interested in today's notice include:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Examples of interested
Category entities
------------------------------------------------------------------------
State/Local/Tribal Government............. States and Tribes.
Nonylphenol Dischargers................... Sewage treatment plants.
Nonylphenol Users......................... Producers of surfactants.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
This table is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather provides a
guide for readers regarding the entities likely to be interested in
this notice. Other types of entities not listed in the table could also
be interested.
B. How Can I Get Copies of This Document and Other Related Information?
1. Docket. EPA has established an official public docket for this
notice under Docket ID No. OW-2003-0080. The official public docket
also consists of the draft criteria document, and scientific views
received. Although a part of the official docket, the public docket
does not include Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Publicly
available docket materials are available either electronically through
https://www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the Water Docket in the
EPA Docket Center, (EPA/DC) EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution
Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center Public Reading Room is
open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding
legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public Reading Room is
(202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the Water Docket is (202)
566-2426. To view these documents and materials, please call ahead to
schedule an appointment. Every user is entitled to copy 266 pages per
day before incurring a charge. The Docket may charge 15 cents a page
for each page over the 266-page limit plus an administrative fee of
$25.00.
2. Electronic Access. You may access this Federal Register document
electronically through the EPA's Internet listings under the Federal
Register at https://www.epa.gov/ fedrgstr/.
II. Background and Today's Notice
A. What Are EPA Recommended Ambient Water Quality Criteria?
An EPA recommended ambient water quality criterion is a level of a
pollutant or other measurable substance in water that, when met, will
protect aquatic life and/or human health. Section 304 (a) of the Clean
Water Act (CWA) requires EPA to develop and publish and, from time to
time, revise, recommended ambient water quality criteria to accurately
reflect the latest scientific knowledge. Ambient water quality criteria
developed under section 304 (a) provide guidance to states and tribes
in adopting water quality criteria into their water quality standards
under section 303 (c) of the CWA. Once adopted by a state or tribe, the
water quality standards are then a basis for developing regulatory
controls on the discharge or release of pollutants and other
alterations of water quality. EPA's section 304 (a) criteria also
provide a scientific basis for EPA to develop any necessary federal
water quality regulations under section 303 (c) of the CWA.
The recommended criteria in today's notice are based on the factors
specified in Section 304(a) of the Clean Water Act, including the kind
and extent of effects of the pollutant on human health and aquatic
organisms. EPA's recommended criteria are used by the states and tribes
in developing their regulatory criteria under Section 303(c) of the
CWA. Under the Clean Water Act, regulatory criteria must protect the
designated use, independent of the economic and technical feasibility
of meeting the criteria. Economic and technical feasibility factors are
considered by states and tribes when they adopt designated uses into
their water quality standards under Section 303(c) of the Act and when
states, tribes, and EPA consider variance requests for regulatory
controls. Moreover, states and tribes may also consider alternative
scientifically-defensible approaches to adopting criteria into their
water quality standards.
B. What Is Nonylphenol and Why Are We Concerned About It?
Nonylphenol is an organic chemical used primarily as an
intermediate to produce nonionic surfactants of the nonylphenol
ethoxylate type. It is produced in large quantities in the United
States. It is toxic to aquatic organisms and is found in ambient
waters. Environmental exposure occurs mainly from its release as a
breakdown product from industrial and domestic sewage treatment plant
effluents. Nonylphenol is moderately soluble and resistant to natural
degradation in water. Because of nonylphenol's toxicity, chemical
properties, and widespread use as a chemical intermediate, concerns
have been raised over the potential risks to aquatic organisms posed by
exposure to it. For these reasons, EPA has developed ambient water
quality criteria for nonylphenol.
C. What Are the National Recommended Ambient Water Quality Criteria for
Nonylphenol?
Freshwater: Aquatic life should not be affected unacceptably if
the:
One-hour average concentration of nonylphenol does not exceed 28
[mu]g/L more than once every three years on the average (Criteria
Maximum Concentration (CMC) or Acute Criterion); and Four-day average
concentration of nonylphenol does not
[[Page 9339]]
exceed 6.6 [mu]g/L more than once every three years on the average
(Criteria Continuous Concentration (CCC) or Chronic Criterion).
Saltwater: Aquatic life should not be affected unacceptably if the:
One-hour average concentration of nonylphenol does not exceed 7.0
[mu]g/L more than once every three years on the average (Criteria
Maximum Concentration (CMC) or Acute Criterion); and Four-day average
concentration of nonylphenol does not exceed 1.7 [mu]g/L more than once
every three years on the average (Criteria Continuous Concentration
(CCC) or Chronic Criterion).
D. Why Is EPA Notifying the Public About the Final Aquatic Life Ambient
Water Quality Criteria for Nonylphenol and How Did the Criteria Change?
Today, EPA is notifying the public that the final aquatic life
ambient water quality criteria for nonylphenol are available. In a
separate Federal Register on January 5, 2004 (69 FR 340), EPA notified
the public that draft aquatic life ambient water quality criteria for
nonylphenol were available and solicited scientific input. Based on the
information and data submitted, EPA revised the draft criteria and is
now making the final aquatic life ambient water quality criteria for
nonylphenol available to the public. The freshwater acute criterion of
28 [mu]g/L did not change. Recalculation of the final acute/chronic
ratio for nonylphenol resulted in changing the final freshwater chronic
criterion from 5.9 [mu]g/L to 6.6 [mu]g/L. The saltwater acute
criterion changed from 6.7 [mu]g/L to 7.0 [mu]g/L. The saltwater
chronic criterion changed from 1.4 [mu]g/L to 1.7 [mu]g/L.
E. What Other Activities Is EPA Engaged in Related to Nonylphenol?
As part of its Environmental Stewardship program, EPA is developing
the Safer Detergents Stewardship Initiative (SDSI). The SDSI would help
ensure the health, safety, and vitality of U.S. waters by encouraging
the development, manufacture, and use of safer detergents.
The Agency is initiating this new program, in part, because of the
increasing levels of nonylphenol in certain receiving streams, which
appear to correlate with increasing production and use of nonylphenol
ethoxylate surfactants. By encouraging the manufacture and use of safer
surfactants, the SDSI aims to reduce the quantity of nonylphenol
ethoxylates discharged to ambient waters. The SDSI and the recommended
ambient water quality criteria for nonylphenol complement one another
as components in EPA's efforts to protect U.S. waters.
SDSI is cosponsored by the Office of Prevention, Pesticides and
Toxic Substances (OPPTS) and the Office of Water (OW). To learn more
about the SDSI, visit https://www.epa.gov/dfe/ or for further
information, contact David DiFiore, Economics, Exposure and Technology
Division (7406M), U.S. EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington,
DC 20460; (202) 564-8796; difiore.david@epa.gov.
Dated: February 16, 2006.
Ephraim S. King,
Director, Office of Science and Technology.
[FR Doc. E6-2558 Filed 2-22-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
