EPA Agrees To Revise Approval Decision On Kentucky Selenium Standard

摘要

EPA as part of a settlement agreement with environmental groups has agreed to revise portions of its 2013 approval of changes to Kentucky's water quality standards (WQS), including the state's definition of eutrophication, revisions to narrative criteria for nutrients and removal of its selenium water column value in favor of criteria based on fish tissue. The agency also agreed to complete an Endangered Species Act (ESA) section 7 consultation with federal wildlife authorities before affirming any portion of the WQS. EPA and the groups in an Oct. 30 filing asked the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky at Louisville to formally remand three parts of Kentucky's Nov. 15, 2013, regulations: its revised definition of eutrophication, revised narrative nutrient criteria, and removal of Kentucky's 5 micrograms per liter (ug/L) water column chronic criteria in favor of the state's new criteria of 8.6 micrograms per gram (ug/g) dry weight of whole fish tissue or 19.3 ug/g dry weight of fish egg/ ovary tissue. The filing is available on InsideEPA.com. Seepage 2 for details. (Doc. ID: 186164) The move could allow Kentucky to revise its criteria to more fully follow EPA's revised proposal for federal selenium water quality criteria.