Deposition of Air Pollutants to the Great Waters: Third Report to Congress


&EPA
United States       Office of Air Quality       EPA-453/R-00-005
Environmental Protection  Planning and Standards     . June 2000
Agency          Research Triangle Park, NC 2771 1




Deposition of Air Pollutants


to the  Great Waters



Third Report to Congress

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The report was prepared by the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards of the U. S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Project Leads were Gail Lacy and Dale Evarts. Completion
of this report could not have been possible without significant contributions from the wider community of
scientists and environmental experts involved with the programs and issues described in the report. In
particular, EPA would like to thank those persons who provided peer review of the draft report:
Mary Ann Allan
Dr. Caroline Currin
Elisabeth Galarneau
Dr. Louis Guillette
Dr. Michael Murray
Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, California
National Marine Fisheries Service, Beaufort, North Carolina
Atmospheric Environment Service, Ontario, Canada
Department of Zoology, University of Florida
National Wildlife Federation, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Dr. Hans Paerl Institute of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina
Dr. Joseph Scudlark College of Marine Sciences, University of Delaware
In addition, EPA would like to acknowledge the substantive review and contributions provided by
Richard Artz and Margaret Kerchner of the Air Resources Lab of the National Oceanographic and
Atmospheric Administration, by Bob Larson of the National Atmospheric Deposition Program, and by
many staff of State, local and tribal agencies.

Within EPA, we would like to acknowledge the contributions of the Agency work group members
and others involved in the development of the report, including staff (too numerous to name) in the Offices
Air and Radiation, Water, Research and Development, Solid Waste and Emergency Response, Prevention,
Pesticides, and Toxic Substances, and General Counsel, as well as in the Great Lakes National Program
Office, the Chesapeake Bay Program Office, the Gulf of Mexico Program Office, EPA Regions IV and V,
and the National Estuary Program.
Cover photo credits:
S.C. Delaney/EPA
S.C. Delaney/EPA
S.C.
Delaney/EPA
S.C. Delaney/EPA
Carole Y. Swinehart/
Michigan Sea Grant
Extension
S.C. Delaney/EPA

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Errata
ERRATA
Page II-7, Table II-l, Rows 8 and 12:

"Chlor-alkali" row (Row 8) should be removed because it is a duplicate with Row 5, "Chlor-alkali
Production." "Others (<1 percent each)" row (Row 12) should be revised to read 10 tons/year and <
percent. The corrected table is included below.

Table 11-1
National Anthropogenic Mercury Air Emissions
(Based on 1994-1995 Inventory; U.S. EPA 1997e)
Source Category
Utility boilers: coal combustion, oil, and natural gas
Municipal waste combustion
Commercial/industrial boilers: coal and oil
Medical waste incineration
Chlor-alkali production
Hazardous waste combustors
Portland cement, excluding hazardous waste-fired
Residential boilers: oil and coal
Pulp and paper manufacturing
Others (<1 percent each) a
Total U.S. Anthropogenic Mercury Air Emissions
1994-1995
Anthropogenic Air
Emissions (tons/year)
52
30
28
16
7
7
5
4
2
10
158b'c
Percent Contribution to
Total U.S. Anthropogenic
Air Emissions
33
19
18
10
4
4
3
2
1
6
100b,c
1A list of the source categories that contribute less than 1 percent to total U.S. emissions is provided in Appendix B.
b This value represents anthropogenic mercury air emissions in the U.S. only.
0 Values do not add exactly due to rounding.
Page 11-51, Paragraph 3, Sentences 4 and 5:

Replace original sentences with revised sentences provided below. Also, one new reference should be
added, and one reference should be revised.

Original Text: "It should be noted, however, that ADN accounts for roughly only 1 percent of nitrogen
loadings in the Mississippi River basin, which has highly diverse sources of
anthropogenic nitrogen (Goolsby et al. 1998, as cited by Paerl 1999). The ADN is also
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Errata
Revised Text:
likely to be a relatively less important contributor to nitrogen loadings in Pacific coast
Great Waters than is the case in the east and Gulf coast areas, due to the prevailing
westerly winds over Pacific coastal waters and their watersheds, originating from
unpolluted ocean areas."

"In the Mississippi River basin, ADN accounts for at least 10 percent of nitrogen
loadings in the Mississippi River basin, which has highly diverse sources of
anthropogenic nitrogen (Goolsby et al. 1999; Alexander et al. 2000).  The ADN is likely
to be a relatively less important contributor to nitrogen loadings in Pacific coast Great
Waters than is the case in the east and Gulf coast areas, due to the prevailing westerly
winds over Pacific coastal waters and their watersheds, originating from unpolluted
ocean areas."
New Reference:                     :

Alexander, R.B., R.A. Smith, and G.E. Schwarz. 2000. Effects of stream channel size on the delivery of
nitrogen to the Gulf of Mexico. Nature.  403:758-761.

Revised Reference:

Goolsby, D.A., W.A. Battaglin, G.B. Lawrence, R.S. Artz, B.T. Aulenbach, R.P. Hooper, D.R. Kenney,
and G.J. Stensland. 1999. Flux and sources of nutrients in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin.
Topic 3 Report for the Integrated Assessment on Hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico: NOAA Coastal Ocean
Program, Decision Analysis Series No. 17.
Page 2
      Deposition of Air Pollutants to the Great Waters - 3  Report to Congress 2000

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                           EXECUTIVE  SUMMARY
       With section 112(m) of the 1990 Clean Air Act (CAA), Congress directed the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), to identify and assess the extent of atmospheric deposition of air pollutants to
the Great Lakes, the Chesapeake Bay, Lake Champlain, and coastal waters, collectively known as the
Great Waters.  Further, section 112(m) directed EPA to report its findings to Congress in periodic
reports. This is EPA's third Report to Congress on the deposition of air pollutants to the Great Waters.
The first report was published in May 1994, and the second report was published in June 1997.

       The goals of the Third Great Waters Report to Congress are to discuss the current state of
knowledge regarding atmospheric deposition of pollutants to the Great Waters based on new research
and program activities undertaken since the Second Report to Congress and to describe any necessary
revisions to requirements, standards, and limitations under the CAA or other Federal laws. This report is
not intended to be a comprehensive summary of all relevant scientific research and activities. Instead, it
summarizes and highlights major trends and key findings, and builds on conclusions presented in the
First and Second Reports to Congress.

How does deposition  of air pollutants affect public health and the
health of the Great Waters ecosystems?
       A rapidly growing number of atmospheric
deposition monitoring and modeling studies confirm
that, along with runoff and discharges of pollution into
waterways, atmospheric deposition is a significant
pathway of pollutant inputs to the Great Waters. These
studies show that the contribution of atmospheric
deposition to overall pollutant loadings varies greatly by
pollutant and location.  For example, studies show that
atmospheric deposition contributes from less than 5 to
100 percent of dioxins and furans entering the Great
Lakes, depending on the location of the monitoring site,
and from 2 to 38 percent of the nitrogen load to certain
coastal waters. Given this variability in contributions,
the improvement of the quality of the Great Waters
environments requires an understanding of all of the
sources of the pollutants into a waterbody, including
runoff from urban areas and farms, discharge from point
sediments, as well as atmospheric deposition.
       Great Waters Pollutants of Concern

    Cadmium and cadmium compounds
    Chlordane
    DDT/DDE
    Dieldrin
    Hexachlorobenzene
    a-Hexachlorocyclohexane
    Lindane (v-hexachlorocyclohexane)
    Lead and lead compounds
    Mercury and mercury compounds
    Polychlorinated biphenyls
    Polycyclic organic matter
    Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (dioxins)
    Tetrachlorodibenzofuran (furans)
    Toxaphene
    Nitrogen compounds
sources, and seepage from contaminated
       Like the First and Second Reports to Congress, this report focuses on 15 pollutants of concern,
including certain pesticides, metal compounds, chlorinated organic compounds, and nitrogen compounds
(see sidebar). Some of these pollutants are single compounds while others represent categories of several
or even hundreds of individual compounds. They are emitted into the air by a wide range of sources,
including industries and other human activities, natural sources, and re-emissions of these pollutants from
soil and water. What is known about their emission rates, concentrations in the environment,
transformation processes, deposition rates and pathways, and health and environmental effects varies
widely. Nevertheless, recent research has added to our knowledge of the adverse human health and
ecological effects of these pollutants. At certain levels, these pollutants are associated with adverse
Deposition of Air Pollutants to the Great Waters - 3rd Report to Congress 2000
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Executive Summary
effects on many target organs in humans and animals, including the liver, kidney, nervous system,
endocrine system, reproductive organs, and immunological system. Research since the Second Report to
Congress provides additional evidence that some of the pollutants are likely "endocrine disrupters,"
meaning they may interfere with the action of hormones in wildlife and humans.

       A number of regional and national assessments and monitoring programs described in this report
suggest that, while environmental conditions are improving in general, the current concentrations of
pollutants of concern continue to impair the ecological health of many Great Waters. For example, the
NOAA Estuarine Eutrophication Surveys indicate that approximately 89 percent of the Great Waters that
are coastal estuaries show some degree of adverse effects associated with amounts; of nitrogen in excess
of natural levels.  (Nitrogen is a natural component of these waterbodies, but excess amounts can also be
introduced through natural and human activities such as runoff from urban and agricultural areas and
atmospheric deposition.) Because of long-range atmospheric transport and certain chemical properties
(e.g., persistence, mobility, bioaccumulation, and bioconcentration), the pollutants of concern may
contribute to ecological impairment far from known emission sources and long after releases.

       At current levels of contamination, pollutants of concern in the Great Waters pose potentially the
greatest health risks to individuals who consume fish from contaminated waters for subsistence or
cultural reasons, women of child-bearing age, the developing fetuses of pregnant women, and young
children who consume fish from contaminated waters. For mercury in particular, exposures do not
appear to pose a health risk to people consuming average amounts of fish, but sensitive sub-populations
(e.g., young children, and pregnant women and their developing fetuses) with higher than typical fish
consumption may be at risk.  Also at risk are subsistence fish-eating populations who consume large
amounts offish. The extent of risk for these groups depends on the amount offish consumed and the
mercury concentrations present in the fish.                                  :

What  are the recent and anticipated trends  in emission and
deposition  of Great Waters pollutants of concern and their
concentrations in the Great Waters environment?

       Where monitoring trends information exists, either nationally or locally, atmospheric deposition
of pollutants of concern to the Great Waters has declined or remained relatively constant in recent years,
as described in Chapter n.  Specifically, deposition of lead, cadmium, polycyclic organic matter (POM) -
which includes a group of compounds known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) -
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and some banned or restricted use pesticides is declining in the Great
Lakes. Other Great Waters have also shown decreasing trends of some of the pollutants of concern, such
as lead in Long Island Sound. Deposition of nitrogen in the U.S. has remained fairly constant. These
trends may reflect the results of emission reduction programs established under the CAA, pesticide bans,
as well as other local, tribal, State, Federal, and international pollution control efforts, many of which are
described in this report. There is considerable uncertainty in the trends estimates, however, because
limited monitoring capability, technological barriers, and variable collection and analysis methods make
it difficult to adequately characterize historical or current conditions.  In addition, these estimates do not
address all Great Waters waterbodies for all pollutants of concern.

       Emissions of mercury to the atmosphere come from human-made sources, natural emissions, and
re-emission from biologic and geologic processes. Emissions of mercury have been on a downward trend
since 1990, due chiefly to the phase-out of mercury in many products.  Nevertheless, monitoring suggests
that atmospheric deposition is a significant contributor of mercury to the Great Waters. At EPA's current
reference dose for mercury, levels in some lakes and streams remain sufficiently high to pose adverse
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Executive Summary
human health and ecological risks and to result in fish consumption advisories for mercury in many Great
Waters.

Lead air emissions, ambient air concentrations, and deposition levels in the Great Lakes region
have also decreased in recent years. Cadmium emissions in the Great Lakes region, on the other hand,
increased in the 1980s and have not shown a trend since then, while cadmium deposition in the Great
Lakes region is believed to have decreased in recent years. In the Chesapeake Bay, trends in atmospheric
deposition of lead and cadmium are difficult to discern with current information, but total inputs of both
lead and cadmium in some eastern parts of the bay have increased in recent years due to the increase in
population and industrial activities. In some areas of the Chesapeake Bay, levels of these metals may be
high enough in sediments to cause adverse ecological effects.

Air emissions of dioxins, furans, and POM (including PAHs) in the U.S. are from both natural
and human-made combustion and incineration processes. Emissions have declined for dioxins and
furans, while trends for POM are not known. A large degree of variation has been observed in deposition
levels of dioxins and furans over time within and between the Great Lakes. Deposition levels of these
compounds are related to the pattern of industrialization and population density. In many instances, long
term monitoring indicates that concentrations of dioxins and furans in biota in the Great Waters have
declined over time. Analytical results indicated that levels in aquatic species are declining steadily and
in several Great Waters, no dioxin was found in fish samples taken between 1987 and 1994.

Although CAA programs have had a major impact on nitrogen oxide (NOJ emissions, the
emission reductions have been balanced approximately equally with emission increases attributable to
economic growth, resulting in a relatively flat trend since 1980. Deposition monitoring data suggest that
the deposition rates of inorganic nitrogen (e.g., NOX, ammonia) to many of the Great Waters watersheds
have also been relatively constant for the past two decades, though some increases have been noted
downwind of areas where population or livestock operations are growing. The EPA expects that
additional NOX controls to be implemented under the CAA will slightly outpace emission increases
associated with economic growth, resulting in a net decreasing trend in NOX emissions through 2005.
Emissions are expected to remain steady at that level until 2010. Research is ongoing into the lesser
known, but apparently important, forms of nitrogen deposition (e.g., dry deposition, organic nitrogen).
Current and anticipated nitrogen deposition rates are significantly greater than natural rates, and
combined with nitrogen inputs from runoff from farms and cities, have the potential to overwhelm the
capacities of surface waters to assimilate the additional nitrogen.

Manufacture of PCBs in the U.S. no longer occurs; however, releases into the environment
continue to occur because of PCBs in electrical transformers and capacitors that are still in use, releases
from soils and sediments contaminated with PCBs, and releases during some combustion processes. The
number and magnitude of PCB sources in the U.S. has decreased 20-fold in the past 20 years.
Furthermore, deposition of PCBs in the Great Lakes has decreased and a net loss of PCBs has been
observed in the Chesapeake Bay. Overall, PCB concentrations in the environment appear to have
declined but are still present and continue to result in the need for fish consumption advisories in many
Great Waters.

Based on recent academic research on atmospheric pollutant concentrations in the Great Lakes
region, DDT and DDE, followed by dieldrin and chlordane, are estimated to fall below current detection
limits in the atmosphere between 2010 and 2020. Hexachlorocyclohexane and hexachlorobenzene are
projected to be eliminated in the atmosphere by 2030 and 2060, respectively. These estimates assume
current rates of long-range transport of these pollutants into the region and do not mean that
concentrations would be eliminated in deposited media (water and sediments) by these dates. However,
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these estimates indicate that reduction strategies in the Great Lakes, along with the original bans and
restrictions on the use of these substances, are having the intended effect.

What actions are EPA and others taking to address atmospheric
deposition?

       Chapter IE of this report describes more than 60 programs under way from the local to
international levels that directly or indirectly contribute to reducing atmospheric deposition of pollution
to the Great Waters or to understanding its effects. Although EPA leads or supports many of these
programs, which often use multimedia and cross-program approaches to control pollution, other Federal
agencies, State and tribal organizations, industry groups, and Canada have also initiated and implemented
many important activities. Examples of EPA's cross-program and multimedia approaches include the
pulp and paper industry "cluster rule" that for the first time integrates, coordinates, and streamlines
applicable requirements of the Clean Water Act and the CAA.  The EPA's air and water programs are
also working together to address the contribution of air deposition into water quality protection under
total maximum daily load (TMDL) determinations. This also includes coordinated activities such as the
Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxics Initiative, Clean Water Action Plan, and Contaminated Sediment
Management Strategy.  Several State organizations have successfully worked with industry and
municipalities to develop pollution prevention programs and programs to collect banned and restricted
use pesticides.  Tribes are working to reduce exposure of indigenous populations to pollutants of concern
through a variety of efforts, and industry has initiated efforts to reduce the use of pollutants of concern in
products and processes. Canada has implemented a variety of programs, some of which are joint efforts
with the U.S., like the Binational Toxics Strategy which seeks to  eliminate pollutants of concern from the
Great Lakes environment.

       These coordinated Agencywide efforts demonstrate EPA's commitment to implement the
strategic directions discussed in the First and Second Reports to Congress and in the section 112(m)(6)
adequacy determination, and to pursue all authorities available for addressing atmospheric deposition and
Great Waters pollutants of concern.  In addition, developing and implementing these and other programs
and initiatives described in this report have not required revisions to requirements,' standards, and
limitations in accordance with the CAA and other Federal laws which provide protection of human health
and the environment from atmospheric deposition to the Great Waters.

What  are EPA's findings and conclusions from this Third Report
to Congress?

       The new scientific and programmatic information presented in this report supports and builds on
the three  broad conclusions presented in the First and Second Reports to Congress.

•      Atmospheric deposition from human activities can be a significant contributor of toxic  chemicals
       and nitrogen compounds to the Great Waters. The relative importance of atmospheric loading
       for a particular chemical in a given waterbody depends on many factors, including characteristics
       of the waterbody, properties  of the chemical, and the kind and amount of atmospheric or water
       discharges.

•      A plausible link exists between emissions into the air of Great Waters toxic pollutants of
       concern, the atmospheric deposition of these pollutants (and their transformation products), and
       the concentrations of these pollutants found in water, sediments and biota; especially fish and
       shellfish.  For mercury, fate and transport modeling and exposure assessments predict that the
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Executive Summary
anthropogenic contribution to the total amount of methylmercury in fish is, in part, the result of
anthropogenic mercury releases from industrial and combustion sources increasing mercury body
burdens (i.e., concentrations) in fish. Furthermore, the consumption offish is the dominant
pathway of exposure to methylmercury for fish-consuming humans and wildlife. However, what
is known about each stage of this process varies with each pollutant (for instance, the chemical
species of the emissions and its transformation in the atmosphere).

• Airborne emissions from local as well as distant sources, both within and outside the U.S.,
contribute pollutant loadings to waters through atmospheric deposition. Determining the relative
roles of particular sources- - local, regional, national, and possibly global, as well as
anthropogenic, natural, and re-emission of pollutants — contributing to specific waterbodies is
complex, requiring careful monitoring, atmospheric modeling, and other analytical techniques.

Actions taken by EPA and others to control sources of Great Waters pollutants of concern appear
to have positively affected trends in pollutant concentrations measured in air, water, sediment, and biota.
Overall deposition rates of pollutants of concern have declined slightly or remained constant. Several
pollutants of concern continue to enter the Great Waters primarily through atmospheric deposition. In
addition, long-range transport of pollutants of concern from other U.S. regions or other countries is
estimated to contribute significantly to atmospheric loadings to the Great Waters. For example, the
global reservoir of mercury (which includes mercury from both U.S. and foreign sources) is estimated to
contribute about 40 percent of the total mercury deposition to U.S. lands and waters.

Concentrations of some pollutants of concern in the water, sediment, and biota of the Great
Waters declined in recent years, whereas others were constant or variable. Concentrations of most
pollutants of concern still pose potential adverse ecological and human health effects. For example,
approximately 5 percent of the Nation's coastal and inland watersheds include "areas of probable
concern," meaning a watershed that is associated with a certain number of monitoring sites with sediment
contamination at levels likely to cause adverse effects. Water quality data also indicate that water quality
standards in place for drinking water supplies in the Great Waters are not being exceeded for the
pollutants of concern, but that surface water quality guidance and criteria are being exceeded for some of
the Great Waters. In addition, nationally, fish consumption advisories were in place for 39 of 56 Great
Waters waterbodies as of 1997.

Based on current trends, EPA expects atmospheric deposition to remain a significant source of
several pollutants of concern to the Great Waters for the foreseeable future. In addition, because of the
ability of these pollutants to persist and bioaccumulate, they are expected to remain in the water,
sediments and biota for much longer.

Implementation of existing EPA regulations is expected to further reduce emissions of mercury,
NOX, POMs, dioxins and furans, cadmium, and hexachlorobenzene. The EPA continues to'implement
programs under CAA authorities and expects that pollutant emissions will be further controlled by
several rules scheduled to take effect in coming years. As a result, atmospheric deposition and loadings
of these pollutants may be significantly reduced. In addition, actions taken to voluntarily reduce
chemical use, implement pollution prevention initiatives, advance technology (e.g., alternative fuel
vehicles), and implement pollution control laws issued by States and other nations will further reduce
pollutant loadings to the Great Waters.
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Executive Summary
What future directions will EPA follow to implement section
       The EPA developed six key recommendations that will assist in meeting the objectives and
requirements of the CAA related to the Great Waters program.

•      The EPA will continue to support the maintenance and expansion of efforts to monitor Great
       Waters pollutants of concern in order to evaluate the relative contributions of local, regional, and
       long-range transport to deposition in the U.S., as well as natural versus human-made sources.

•      The EPA will continue to develop and implement regulations and pollution prevention programs
       regionally and nationally, including multimedia programs, in order to reduce the impact of
       sources of Great Waters pollutants of concern within the U.S.

       For Great Waters pollutants emitted by sources outside the U.S., EPA will work within
       international frameworks to reduce sources of these pollutants.

       The EPA will support model development and research that establish and clarify the linkages
       from emissions to atmospheric deposition to waterbody loadings to adverse public health and the
       environmental effects of Great Waters pollutants of concern in order to enable effective risk
       management decisions.

•      The EPA will encourage and support the establishment of common baselines and measures of
       progress in order to better assess trends and health of Great Waters and other waterbodies
       affected by atmospheric deposition.

       The EPA will work to increase public awareness of risks of exposure to Great Waters pollutants.

       These key recommendations build on the strategic themes identified in the First and Second
Reports to Congress: (1) continued implementation of the CAA to directly control emissions of Great
Waters pollutants of concern; (2) use of an integrated multimedia approach throughout the Agency,
including coordination of clean air programs with programs available under other Federal laws (e.g.,
Clean Water Act); and, (3) continued support of research activities that address the goals of the Great
Waters program.

       In support of the first strategic theme, EPA will develop or assess the need for new rules and
programs under the CAA, including maximum achievable control technology (MACT) standards, section
 1 12(c)(6) standards, as well as standards that could stem from the residual risk program, the utility air
toxics determination, and the integrated urban air toxics strategy.  As appropriate, EPA will consider the
impacts of atmospheric deposition in developing standards under these authorities:  In addition, EPA will
ensure the timely implementation of NOX control programs already in place and will encourage
innovative, nonregulatory approaches to reducing NOX emissions and other sources of atmospheric
nitrogen.

       This report describes a number of multimedia and cross-program initiatives (e.g., Clean Water
Action Plan, Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxics Initiative) that are in line with EPA's second strategic
theme for the Great Waters program.  Some of these initiatives, such as the pulp and paper cluster rule,
will produce tangible environmental benefits within the near future. Other initiatives, such as
development of multimedia models in support of TMDL determinations and completion of the
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 Contaminated Sediment Non-point Source Inventory, will provide tools and data resources that will help
 EPA target future pollution control activities.

        There has been substantial progress in research activities relevant to the Great Waters program
 since the Second Report to Congress.  However, important information gaps remain, and there are critical
 limitations to current atmospheric monitoring and modeling capabilities. Consistent with the third
 strategic theme, therefore, EPA will initiate and continue to support scientific research to fill these
 critical gaps, including the following activities:

 •       Support research to examine and quantify the ecological effects of atmospheric deposition and to
        better quantify the water quality benefits of air pollution controls;

 •       Expand the geographic coverage and consistency of waterbody monitoring to enable more
        accurate characterizations of the extent of contamination and ecosystem effects due to
        atmospheric deposition;

        Encourage and support interagency coordination to better quantify the indirect loadings of
        atmospheric deposition to the Great Waters through the development of tools that can quantify
        watershed transport of pollutants of concern;

        Continue to support the development of modeling tools which address the transport and fate of
        pollutants in ecosystems and characterize risk, including research to clarify mechanisms of
        mercury methylation so as to better predict and manage ecosystems at risk;

 •       Develop reliable approaches for quantifying and monitoring nitrogen dry deposition and wet
        organic nitrogen deposition;

        Support joint work with States and industry to fill gaps in emissions information for MACT
        source categories and further refine emissions measurement methods, inventories, and modeling
        for Great Waters pollutants of concern;

 •       Support research on viable prevention and controls for sources of pollutants of concern;

 •       Encourage and support greater coordination and expansion of monitoring networks to assess
        deposition of pollutants to coastal waters, to assess the contribution of long-range transport to
        deposition in the U.S., and to evaluate the impact of agricultural and urban sources;

        Develop standard methods to monitor pollutants of concern to enable the comparison of data and
        trends analyses;

        Support international efforts to quantify the transboundary contributions of pollutants of concern
        and to share technology, information, and expertise with other countries on reducing releases to
        the environment and on cost-effective alternatives to their use;

 •       Working closely with other EPA and inter-governmental efforts to address, in particular,
        persistent bioaccumulative toxic pollutants, and to identify and evaluate additional pollutants
        which may be of concern to the Great Waters;

 •       Continue research to identify additional endocrine disrupting chemicals and their associated
        effects; and,
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•      Continue coordination and support of efforts to improve the consistency of fish consumption
       advisories and the awareness and understanding of advisories among populations most at risk to
       exposure to the Great Waters pollutants of concern.                     •

       The EPA is committed to continuing to address air deposition of pollutants into the Nation's
waters as a priority matter. To that end, and to assure continued coordination of the many related tasks
involved and outlined in this report, EPA will develop a detailed biennial work plan for implementation
actions beginning this year and updated every two years. As EPA develops and implements plans,
programs and initiatives with NOAA and its other Federal, State, tribal, industry and community
partners, we expect to make significant, measurable progress toward our goal of assuring the protection
of human health and the environment from adverse effects attributable to atmospheric deposition of
pollution to the Great Waters.
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                           TABLE OF CONTENTS
                                                                                   PAGE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY	i

LIST OF TABLES	xii

LIST OF FIGURES	xiv

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS	 xv

I.     INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND	1-1
       A. Overview of the Great Waters Program	1-3
              Definition of Great Waters  	1-3
              Program Participants and Organizations	1-3
              Government Goals Supported by the Great Waters Program and Its Partners	1-6
       B. Pollutants of Concern	1-7
       C. Goals of the Third Report to Congress	1-13

II.     ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS	  II-l
       Pollutant-Specific Changes	  0-3
              Mercury and Compounds	  H-4
              Other Metals (Lead and Cadmium)	  11-19
              Combustion Emissions	  II-31
              Nitrogen and Compounds  	  11-40
              Banned and Restricted Use Substances	  11-58
       Cross-Pollutant Trends	  II-67
              Fish Consumption Advisories ..	  11-68
              Water Quality Assessments	  11-69
              NOAA's National Status and Trends Program	  11-70
              National Sediment Quality Survey  	  11-73
              Chesapeake Bay Program  	  11-73
              Lake Champlain Sediment Toxics Assessment Program 	  11-75
              San Francisco Estuary Regional Monitoring Program for
                     Trace Substances  	  II-76

III.    MAJOR PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES	HI-1
       A. National Programs and Activities	ni-3
              Multimedia Activities 	ni-4
              Hazardous Air Pollutant (HAP) Controls  	III-l 1
              Stationary Source Controls Addressing NOX	111-17
              Mobile Source Program Activities  	111-29
              Ozone and PM NAAQS and Proposed Regional Haze Rule	111-30
              Other National Programs	111-30
       B.  Regional and Waterbody-Specific Programs  	111-34
              Great Lakes Program	 IH-35
              Lake Champlain Basin Program  	111-37
              Chesapeake Bay Program 	111-38
              Gulf of Mexico Program	111-41
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National Estuary Program 111-42
NOAA Activities HI-48
Ozone Transport Commission (OTC) 111-49
C. State, Local, and Tribal Activities IH-51
State and Local Activities 111-51
Tribal Activities 111-60
D. Industry Activities 111-63
Chlor-alkali Industry Mercury Reduction Goal 111-63
Voluntary Mercury Agreement with Northwest Indiana Steel Mills 111-64
American Hospital Association MOU : 111-64
Electric Power Research Institute Studies '•. 111-65
E. Work with Other Countries HI-66
Canada-U.S. Binational Toxics Strategy 111-66
International Joint Commission ; 111-69
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe LRTAP Protocols
on Heavy Metals and POPs 111-70
United Nations Environment Program Global POPs Initiative 111-71
NAFTA Commission on Environmental Cooperation Sound Management
of Chemicals Program 111-71
U.S.-Canada Air Quality Agreement in-72

IV. SCIENCE AND TOOLS . . . IV-1
What Major Advancements Have Occurred Since the Second Report? IV-2
Emission Inventories IV-2
Ambient Air and Deposition Monitoring Networks ! IV-4
Other Environmental Monitoring Networks and Databases : IV-8
Environmental Transport and Fate IV-11
Measuring and Monitoring Techniques IV-20
Exposure and Effects Research IV-21

V. NEXT STEPS FOR THE GREAT WATERS PROGRAM V-l
A. Pollutant Sources V-4
Findings and Conclusions V-4
Recommendations for Continued and Further Action V-5
B. Contribution of Atmospheric Deposition to Pollutant Loadings in the Great Waters .... V-8
Findings and Conclusions V-8
Recommendations for Continued and Further Action V-10
C. Environmental and Public Health Effects : , V-l 1
Finding and Conclusions V-l 1
Recommendations for Continued and Further Action V-l2
D. Exceedances of Water Quality or Drinking Water Standards V-14
Finding and Conclusions ' V-14
Recommendations for Continued and Further Action V-14
E. Summary and Key Recommendations : V-16

REFERENCES

INDEX OF WATERBODIES
Deposition of Air Pollutants to the Great Waters - 3rd Report to Congress 2000
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                                                                       Table of Contents
APPENDIX A:

APPENDIX B:


APPENDIX C:

APPENDIX D:
Major Sources of Information - Publications and Internet Sites

Detailed Breakdown of Air Emissions Inventory by Pollutant for Source
Categories Emitting Less than One Percent of Total U.S. Emissions

Fish Consumption Advisories Issued for the Great Waters

Names of Numbered Sites from Figure 11-17: Locations of Watersheds
Designated as Areas of Probable Concern
Deposition of Air Pollutants to the Great Waters - 3rd Report to Congress 2000
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Table of Contents
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                                   LIST OF TABLES

 CHAPTER I                                                                          PAGE

 Table 1-1:      Uses/Sources and U.S. Regulatory Status of Great Waters Pollutants of
                  Concern	I_9
 Table 1-2:      EPA Multimedia and Cross-program Management of the Great Waters
                  Pollutants of Concern	1-10
 Table 1-3:      Great Waters Pollutants of Concern Addressed by Selected Waterbody, Regional,
                  and International Activities	1-12

 CHAPTER II

 Table II-1:     National Anthropogenic Mercury Air Emissions 	 n-7
 Table II-2:     Preliminary Estimates of Total Atmospheric Mercury Deposition to
               Lake Michigan	  H-13
 Table II-3:     Mercury Sources Identified in Mass Balance Studies (By Percent Contribution)  ..  11-14
 Table II-4:     National Anthropogenic Lead Air Emissions  	  11-23
 Table II-5:     National Anthropogenic Cadmium Air Emissions 	  11-25
 Table II-6:     Trace Metals Inputs to the Chesapeake Bay	  11-26
 Table II-7:     Direct Atmospheric Deposition of Lead and Cadmium to Massachusetts
                  Bay	  n-27
 Table II-8:     Temporal Changes in Metal Concentrations in Chesapeake Bay
                  Tributaries Based on Sediment Cores	  11-29
 Table II-9:     Cadmium and Lead in Sediments of the Chesapeake Bay Mainstem	  11-30
 Table 11-10:    Lead and Cadmium in Horseshoe Crab Eggs from Delaware Bay	  11-30
 Table 11-11:    National Anthropogenic Dioxin and Furan TEQ Air Emissions	  11-32
 Table 11-12:    Current Rates of Dioxins and Furans Accumulation in Great Lakes
                  Sediments  	  H-33
 Table 11-13:    Modeled Air Deposition, Depositional Flux, and Waterborne Inputs of Dioxins
                  and Furans to the Great Lakes	  11-33
 Table 11-14:    National Anthropogenic 16-PAH Air Emissions	  11-35
 Table 11-15:    Sum of Wet and Dry Deposition of PAHs onto Massachusetts Bay  	  11-38
 Table 11-16:    Estimates of PAH Inputs to the Chesapeake Bay  	  11-39
 Table 11-17:    Annual PAH Inputs to and Losses from the Chesapeake Bay	  11-39
 Table 11-18:    Common Forms of Atmospheric Nitrogen 	  II-42
 Table 11-19:    Transfer of Atmospheric Deposition Nitrogen (ADN) from Various Watershed
                  Areas	  H-52
 Table 11-20:    Transfer of Atmospheric Deposition Nitrogen (ADN) from Watersheds to
                  Several Bays and Estuaries	  H-52
 Table 11-21:    Atmospheric Nitrogen Loads Relative to Total Nitrogen Loads in Selected
                  Great Waters	  H-53
 Table 11-22:    National Anthropogenic PCB Air Emissions  	  11-59
 Table 11-23:    IADN Loading Estimates of PCBs (wet and dry) for the Great Lakes	  11-60
 Table 11-24:    IADN Loading Estimates of DDT (wet and dry) to the Great Lakes  	  11-64
 Table 11-25:    Current and Maximum Rates of Toxaphene Accumulation in Great Lakes
                  Sediments  	  H-66
 Table 11-26:    Modeled Air Deposition, Depositional Flux, and Waterborne Inputs of HCB to
                  the Great Lakes	  11-67
 Table 11-27:    Trends of Pollutant Concentrations in Mussel Watch Project (1986-1996)	  11-72
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List of Tables
                                                                                       PAGE

Table 11-28:    Percentages of 1996 Samples that Exceeded Guidelines in the San
                  Francisco Estuary	 11-76

CHAPTER HI

Table ni-1:    Source Categories With Effective Compliance Dates and Anticipated Reductions
                  of HAP Emissions	HI-11
Table III-2:    Proposed and Final Rules Affecting Pollutants of Concern	Ill-13
Table III-3:    Emission Reductions Expected from Control Equipment Used to Retrofit A
                  Typical Existing MWC Plant	in-17
Table III-4:    Emission Reductions Expected from Existing HMIWI	,	Ill-18
Table III-5:    Emission Reductions Expected at New HMIWI after 5 Years of NSPS
                  Implementation .	• • • • HI-19
Table III-6:    Recent Regulations Affecting Stationary Source NOX Emissions	111-20
Table III-7:    Pounds of Pesticides Collected through Clean Sweep Programs
                  Nationwide  	111-57
Table III-8:    U.S. BNS Challenge Goals and Activities for Level I Substances 	111-68
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                                LIST OF FIGURES
CHAPTER I
  PAGE
Figure 1-1:     Pollutant Transport Pathways to Waterbodies	1-1
Figure 1-2:     Locations of the Great Waters	1-3

CHAPTER II

Figure II-1:    Atmospheric Release, Transport, and Deposition Processes	 II-2
Figure II-2:    Monitoring Sites of the Mercury Deposition Network - 1999 	 11-10
Figure II-3:    1993 Lead Emissions in the Great Lakes Region 	 11-22
Figure II-4:    1982 Lead Emissions in the Great Lakes Region 	 11-22
Figure II-5:    1993 Cadmium Sources in the Great Lakes Region 	 11-23
Figure II-6:    Chesapeake Bay Tidal and Non-tidal Waters  	 11-26
Figure II-7:    LADN Loading Estimates of B[a]P to the Great Lakes	 11-37
Figure II-8:    National NOX Emission Trends, 1985-1996 		 11-45
Figure II-9:    1996 NOX Emissions by State  	 H-46
Figure 11-10:   1996 National Anthropogenic NOX Emissions by Principle Source
                  Category  	 11-45
Figure II-11:   Estimated Nitrogen Emissions to Air by Principle Source Category in North
                  Carolina - Anthropogenic and Biogenic	 11-47
Figure 11-12:   Estimated Inorganic Nitrogen Wet Deposition, 1997 	 11-48
Figure 11-13:   Nitrogen Wet Deposition in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed	 11-50
Figure 11-14:   Nitrogen Wet Deposition in the Great Lakes Watersheds	 11-50
Figure 11-15:   Nitrogen Wet Deposition in the Lake Champlain Watershed	 11-50
Figure 11-16:   Expected Year that Great Waters Pesticides will be Below Current Detection
                  Limits in the Great Lakes Atmosphere	 11-64
Figure 11-17:   Locations of Areas of Probable Concern Within Watersheds	 11-74

CHAPTER III

Figure III-l:   Projected National NOX Emission Trends, 1996-2010  	HI-19
Figure III-2:   The 43 Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes Basin 	111-36

CHAPTER IV

Figure IV-1:    Monitoring Sites of Ambient Air and Deposition Monitoring Networks Measuring
                  Pollutants of Concern  	IV-5
Figure IV-2:   Revised Principal Airshed for the Chesapeake Bay 	IV-15
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List of Figures
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                 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

 ADN            Atmospheric deposition nitrogen
 AEOLOS        Atmospheric Exchange Over Lakes and Ocean Surfaces
 AIEO            American Indian Environmental Office
 AILESP          American Indian Lands Environmental Support Project
 AIRMoN        Atmospheric Integrated Research Monitoring Program
 AOC            Areas of concern
 APC            Areas of probable concern
 AQC            Air Quality Committee
 ARL            Air Resources Laboratory
 ATSDR          Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
 BACT           Best available control technology
 BASMAA        Bay Area Stormwater Management Agencies Association
 BNS            Binational Toxics Strategy
 BRACE          Bay Regional Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment
 CAA            Clean Air Act
 CASTNet        Clean Air Status and Trends Network
 CBADS          Chesapeake Bay Atmospheric Deposition Study
 CBEP            Community-Based Environmental Program
 CBP            Chesapeake Bay Program
 CBPO            Chesapeake Bay Program Office
 CEC            Commission on Environmental Cooperation
 CENR           Committee on Environment and Natural Resources
 CHPAC          Children's Health Protection Advisory Committee
 CMAQ           Community multi-scale air quality
 CTDEP          Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection
 CVAFS          Cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry
 CWA            Clean Water Act
 CZM            Coastal zone management
 DC              District of Columbia
 DDD            1,1 '-(2,2-dichloroethylidene)bis(4-chlorobenzene)
 DDE            1,1 '-(dichloroethenylidene)bis(4-chlorobenzene)
 DDT            1,1 '-(2,2,2-trichloroethylidene)bis(4-chlorobenzene)
 DIN/SRP         Dissolved inorganic  nitrogen to soluble reactive phosphorus
 DNREC          Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation
 EAGLE          Effects on Aboriginals from the Great Lakes Environment
 EDSTAC         Endocrine Disrupter Screening and Testing Advisory Committee
 EEGLE          Episodic Events/Great Lakes Experiment
 EGU            Electric generation units
 EMAP           Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program
 EPCHC          Environmental Protection Committee of Hillsborough County
 EOM            Extractable organic matter
 EPA             Environmental Protection Agency
 EPRI            Electric Power Research Institute
 FAMS            Florida Atmospheric Mercury Study
 FCP             Fish Contamination Program
 FDEP            Florida Department of Environmental Protection
 FIFRA           Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
 FIP              Federal implementation plan
 FR              Federal Register
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Abbreviations and Acronyms
g                Gram
GIS              Geographic Information System
GLNPO          Great Lakes National Program Office
GLWQA         Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
GMPO           Gulf of Mexico Program Office
GPRA           Government Performance and Results Act
HAP             Hazardous air pollutant                                 ;
HCB             Hexachlorobenzene
HCH             Hexachlorocyclohexane
HMIWI          Hazardous/medical/infectious waste incinerators
HNO3            Nitric acid
HYSPLIT        Hybrid single particle Lagrangian integrated trajectory
IADN            Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network               ;
IAQAB          International Air Quality Advisory Board
IBI              Index of Biotic Integrity
IDEM           Indiana Department of Environmental Management
IJC              International Joint Commission
INC             International Negotiating Committee
kg               Kilogram
LaMP            Great Lakes Lakewide Management Plans
LAER           Lowest achievable emission rate
LCBP            Lake Champlain Basin Program
LISS             Long Island Sound Study
LMMBS         Lake Michigan Mass Balance Study
LRTAP          Europe Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution
MACT          Maximum achievable control technology
MCL            Maximum contaminant level
MCM            Mercury cycling model
MDEQ          Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
MDN            Mercury Deposition Network
MOU            Memorandum of Understanding
MPCA          Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
MTRL          Maximum tissue residue level
MWC           Municipal waste combustors
N               Nitrogen
NAAEC         North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation
NAAQS         National ambient air quality standard
NADP           National Atmospheric Deposition Program                :
NADP-MDN     National Atmospheric Deposition Program - Mercury Deposition Network
NADP-NTN      National Atmospheric Deposition Program - National Trends Network
NAFTA         North American Free Trade Agreement
NCSU           North Carolina State University
NDAMN        National Dioxin Air Monitoring Network
NEP             National Estuary Program
NERRS         National Estuarine Research Reserve System
NESCAUM      Northeast States and Eastern  Canadian Provinces Mercury Study
NH3             Ammonia
NH4+            Ammonium
NHX             Reduced nitrogen compounds (e.g., ammonia, ammonium)
NLFWA         National Listing of Fish and Wildlife Advisories
 Pagexviii
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                                                                Abbreviations and Acronyms
 NLEV            National low emission vehicle
 NO              Nitric oxide
 NO2              Nitric dioxide
 NO3              Aerosol nitrate
 NOAA           National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
 NOEL            No observed effects level
 NOX              Oxides  of nitrogen
 NS&T            National Status and Trends
 NSI              National Sediment Inventory
 NSPS            New source performance standards
 NSQS            National Sediment Quality Survey
 NTI              National Toxics Inventory
 NORBIC          North Business-Industrial Council
 OAP             Office of Atmospheric Programs
 OAQPS           Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards
 OAR             Office of Radiation
 OC              Organochlorine chemical
 OCHP            Office of Children's Health Protection
 QMS             Office of Mobile Sources
 OPPTS           Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics
 ORD             Office of Research and Development
 OTAG            Ozone Transport Assessment Group
 OTAQ            Office of Transportation and Air Quality
 OTC             Ozone Transport Commission
 OTR             Ozone Transport Region
 OW              Office of Water
 PAH             Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
 PBT              Persistent bioaccumulative toxic
 PCB              Polychlorinated biphenyl
 PCDD            Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin
 PCDF            Polychlorinated dibenzofuran
 PEL              Probable effects level
 PM              Particulate matter
 POM             Polycyclic organic matter
 POP              Persistent organic pollutant
 RACT            Reasonably available control technology
 RADM            Regional Atmospheric Deposition Model
 RAP              Regional action plan
 RELMAP         Regional Lagrangian Model of Air Pollution
 R-EMAP          Regional Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program
 REMSAD         Regulatory Modeling System for Aerosols and Deposition
 SAB              Science  Advisory Board
 SAV              Submerged aquatic vegetation
 SFEI              San Francisco Estuary Institute
 SFEP             San Francisco Estuary Project
 SIP               State implementation plan
 SMOC            Sound management of chemicals
 SoFAMMS        South Florida Atmospheric Mercury Monitoring Study
 SVOC            Semi-volatile organic compound
 SWFWMD .       Southwest Florida Water Management District
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Abbreviations and Acronyms
SWMP           System-Wide Monitoring Program
TBNEP          Tampa Bay National Estuary Program
TEQ             Toxic equivalent quantity
TLRJ            Toxics Loading and Release Inventory
TMDL           Total maximum daily load
tpy              Tons per year
TRANSCO       Transfer coefficient
TRI              Toxic Release Inventory
TRIM            Total Risk Integrated Methodology
TSCA            Toxic Substances Control Act
UNC-CH         University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
UN-ECE         United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
UNEP            United Nations Environment Program
US              United States
USGS            U.S. Geological Survey
VOC            Volatile organic compound
WLSSD          Western Lake Superior Sanitary District
WMNP          Waste Minimization National Plan
WMPT          Waste Minimization Prioritization Tool
WQB            Water Quality Board
WRDA          Water Resources Development Act
yr               Year
Page xx
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                                     CHAPTER I
                INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
        Although water quality has improved in past years, ongoing research indicates that many of the
 Nation's waterbodies, including the Great Waters, are impacted by degraded water quality and associated
 adverse health and ecological effects. These impacts are due, in part, to inputs of pollutants from a
 variety of sources and through multiple pathways, including atmospheric deposition (Figure 1-1). The
 role of air pollution as an important contributor to water pollution has long been recognized and, in
 recent years, has been the subject of growing scientific study and concern to regulatory agencies. Section
 112 of the CAA provides the statutory basis for hazardous air pollutant (HAP) programs directed by
 EPA.  In response to mounting evidence that air pollution contributes to water pollution, Congress
 included section 112(m), Atmospheric Deposition to Great Lakes and Coastal Waters, in the 1990
 Amendments to the CAA to establish research, reporting, and potential regulatory requirements related to
 atmospheric deposition of HAPs to the "Great Waters."

                                          Figure 1-1
                       Pollutant Transport Pathways to Waterbodies
                   .  . Air
                    deposition
       This report fulfills the requirements in section 112(m)(5), which direct EPA, in cooperation with
NOAA, to periodically submit a Report to Congress including information on pollutant sources and
emissions, loadings, effects, and exceedances of guidelines in the Great Waters.  The biennial report is
required under section 112(m) of the CAA to cover the following:

1.      The contribution of atmospheric deposition to pollution loadings in the Great Waters;

2.      The environmental and public health effects of any pollution attributable to atmospheric
       deposition to these waterbodies;

3.      The sources of any pollution attributable to atmospheric deposition to these waterbodies;
Deposition of Air Pollutants to the Great Waters - 3rd Report to Congress 2000
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Chapter I
Introduction and Background
4.     Whether pollution loadings in these waterbodies cause or contribute to exceedances of drinking
       water or water quality standards or, with respect to the Great Lakes, exceedances of the specific
       objectives of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement; and,

5.     Descriptions of any revisions of the requirements, standards, and limitations of relevant CAA
       and Federal laws to ensure protection of human health and the environment.

       The First and Second Great Waters Reports to Congress on atmospheric deposition to the Great
Waters were published in May 1994 (U.S. EPA 1994) and June 1997 (U.S. EPA 1997b). The first two
reports presented the programmatic background and covered the scientific issues that are addressed by
the Great Waters program. The Third Great Waters Report to Congress provides an update to the
information presented in previous reports and specifically highlights progress made since the Second
Report to Congress, including changes in pollutant emissions, deposition, and effects, as well as recent
advancements in the scientific understanding of relevant issues.  In addition, the report discusses recent
activities and accomplishments of the many different initiatives that help protect the Great Waters from
pollutants deposited from the atmosphere.
Page 1-2
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                                                                                 Chapter I
                                                               Introduction and Background
LA   OVERVIEW OF THE GREAT WATERS PROGRAM

DEFINITION OF GREAT WATERS

       The waterbodies collectively referred to as the "Great Waters" in this report are the Great Lakes,
Lake Champlain, Chesapeake Bay, and specific coastal waters defined in the statute as coastal waters
designated through the National Estuary Program (NEP) and the National Estuarine Research Reserve
System (NERRS).  Figure 1-2 displays the locations of these waterbodies. Examples of some of the
coastal waters designated as Great Waters include Tampa Bay, Santa Monica Bay, San Francisco Bay,
Puget Sound, Galveston Bay, Casco Bay, the New York Bight, and Albemarle-Pamlico Sounds.

                                         Figure 1-2
                              Locations of the Great Waters
           + Great Waters designated by name
           • EPA National Estuary Program (NEP) Site
           • NOAA NERRS Designated Site

           D EPA NEP Site and NOAA NERRS Designated Site
NOAA—National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NERRS—National Estuanrine Research Reserve System
PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS AND ORGANIZATIONS

       The EPA's Great Waters program was established to implement the provisions of section 112(m)
of the CAA.  In partnership with NOAA, this program is charged with examining the sources and impacts
of air pollutant deposition to the Great Waters and recommending potential solutions in Reports to
Congress.  In addition to these two agencies, other international, national, regional, and local
organizations are engaged in activities that seek to reduce sources and quantities of pollution to the Great
Waters and also contribute to the body of science relevant to the Great Waters program.  This Report to
Congress, like the first two reports, describes the most recent activities of these programs, both within
and outside of EPA.
Deposition of Air Pollutants to the Great Waters - 3  Report to Congress 2000
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Chapter I
Introduction and Background	__^_	

       Increasingly, EPA is utilizing cross-program teams and partnerships with other agencies and
organizations to study and solve complex, "multimedia" environmental issues (i.e., issues that cut across
air, water, land, and biological resources). For example, the Clean Water Action Plan, issued by EPA in
1998, which includes many activities relevant to the Great Waters program, is a coordinated Federal
effort involving EPA and the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Interior, and Commerce, all of which
have authorities affecting the quality of the Nation's water resources. This Report to Congress describes
several such collaborative efforts that support targeted data gathering and decision making for multiple
objectives, including those of the Great Waters program.

       Because deposition of atmospheric pollutants to the Great Waters is a multimedia problem,
several media-based and geographically-based programs are part of EPA's integrated efforts to address
pollution in the Great Waters, including the following.

•      Office of Air and Radiation (OAR) administers the Great Waters program along with other
       programs under the CAA that affect the Great Waters. For example, air regulations and
       programs developed by OAR reduce emissions of air toxics and nitrogen from many mobile and
       stationary sources of Great Waters pollutants of concern.  Offices within OAR responsible for
       air pollution control programs include (1) the Office of Air Quality Planning  and Standards
       (OAQPS), which has overall responsibility for the Great Waters, air toxics, and air quality
       management programs; (2) the Office of Atmospheric Programs (OAP), which manages the
       acid rain and global climate change programs; and, (3) the Office of Transportation and Air
       Quality (OTAQ; formerly the Office of Mobile Sources or OMS), which is responsible for
       regulating on- and off-road vehicles and fuels.

•      Office of Research and Development (ORD) undertakes and coordinates research and
       monitoring programs that provide information for assessment of human health and
       environmental risks associated with exposures to  pollutants of concern in the Great Waters  as
       well as for risk management decisions.  The ORD is the lead EPA office in developing a mercury
       research strategy and is working closely with EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic
       Substances (OPPTS) in preparing a dioxin reassessment.

•      Office of Water (OW) leads numerous activities that are integral to the Great Waters program.
       For example, OW provides data on trends in fish and sediment contamination in the Great
       Waters and is working to factor atmospheric deposition into waterbody-specific water pollution
       standards.  In addition, OW manages the Non-Point Source Control Program under section 319
       of the Clean Water Act. Within OW, the Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds is
       responsible for, among other things, coastal protection (e.g., the National Estuary Program) and
       the TMDL determination. The Office of Science and Technology provides critical tools to help
       understand and reduce water pollution, and, in cooperation with NOAA and other Federal and
       State and tribal agencies, reviews and monitors fish and shellfish contamination across the U.S.

•      National Estuary Program (NEP), which is managed by OW, was established by EPA in  1987
       to implement section 320 of the Clean Water Act. The purpose of the NEP is to restore and
       enhance nationally significant estuaries that are threatened or impaired by pollution,
       development, or overuse.  Management decisions are made by conferences composed of EPA
       and local stakeholder groups. The NEP currently includes 28 estuaries, several of which have
       identified air deposition as a concern and have received Great Waters program funding to address
       the problem.
Page 1-4
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Chapter I
Introduction and Background
• Chesapeake Bay Program Office (CBPO) represents EPA as a partner in the Chesapeake Bay
Program. This program was created in 1983 by an agreement between EPA, the State of
Maryland, the Commonwealths of Virginia and Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia. The
Chesapeake Bay Program uses a cooperative, watershed approach to research and resolve public
health and environmental issues affecting the bay.

• Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) is responsible for EPA activities specific to
the Great Lakes, including responsibilities defined by the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
with Canada, Great Lakes Program requirements under section 118 of the Clean Water Act, and
the Great Lakes Critical Programs Act of 1990. The GLNPO also supports EPA's OAQPS and
Region V activities specific to the Great Lakes for the air toxics program under section 112 of
the CAA. In addition, GLNPO conducts and funds monitoring research in support of the Great
Waters program.

• Gulf of Mexico Program Office (GMPO) is a nonregulatory organization that sets
environmental goals and implements projects to protect the environmental resources of the Gulf
of Mexico. Partners in the GMPO include EPA, other governmental agencies (Federal, State,
and local), private and non-profit sector stakeholders, and interested citizens. The Gulf of
Mexico shoreline includes a substantial percentage of the Nation's estuaries and other significant
coastal ecosystems.

• EPA Regional Offices (Regions I-X) are responsible for working directly with States, tribes,
and regional organizations to implement national environmental programs, including the Great
Waters program. For instance, Region I and Region II work with the States in the Northeast to
address pollution in the Lake Champlain Basin, as well as the National Estuary Programs from
Maine to New Jersey.

In addition to the EPA Offices listed above, many others contribute to the integrated efforts as
well. For example, the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) provides Agencywide
policy, guidance, and direction for the EPA's solid waste program and emergency response program.
The Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance is responsible for leading the Agency in ensuring
compliance with the rules that limit pollution. The OPPTS leads the Agency in pollution prevention
activities, among many other activities. Chapter III discusses many of the programs led by these and
other offices.

The NOAA administers the 23 National Esruarine Research Reserves System (NERRS) sites -
all are coastal Great Waters - which were created in 1972 by the Coastal Zone Management Act. The
NERRS sites, which were selected to be representative of various regions and estuary types, are managed
cooperatively with the States to provide opportunities for long-term research, education, and stewardship.
Research conducted at NERRS sites includes studies of the impacts of toxic pollutants deposited from
the atmosphere.

The NOAA also conducts or funds several other monitoring and research programs that
contribute to the Great Waters program. For example, the Atmospheric Integrated Research Monitoring
Program (AIRMoN) conducts daily deposition monitoring, the National Status and Trends Program
gathers and maintains data on the environmental quality of U.S. estuaries and coastal waters, and the
NERRS System-wide Monitoring Program currently gathers water quality and weather data. In addition,
NOAA plays a critical role in working with EPA to jointly assess the transport and deposition of nitrogen
and other pollutants on surface waters.
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Chapter I
Introduction and Background	  ,	

       Other involved participants include State, tribal, and local agencies, non-profit organizations,
private sector groups, industry and industry groups, universities, other countries, and international
research organizations. Relevant research and other activities of these partners are described throughout
the report. The combined activities of all of these partners are responsible for progress to date in
identifying, assessing, and resolving Great Waters problems, including problems associated with
pollutants deposited from air pathways.

GOVERNMENT GOALS SUPPORTED  BY THE GREAT WATERS
PROGRAM AND  ITS PARTNERS

       The EPA's Strategic Plan (U.S. EPA  1997c) defines ten strategic goals used by the Agency for
planning and resource allocation, as required by the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA).
The efforts by EPA, NOAA, and partners support the following GPRA goals:

1.     Clean Air -- "The air in every American community will be safe and healthy to breathe ...
       Reducing air pollution will also protect the environment, resulting in many benefits, such as
       restoring life in damaged ecosystems and reducing health risks to those whose subsistence
       depends directly on those ecosystems."

2.     Clean and Safe Water —  "All Americans will have drinking water that is clean and safe to
       drink. Effective protection of America's rivers, lakes, wetlands, aquifers, and coastal and ocean
       waters will sustain fish, plants, and wildlife, as well as recreational, subsistence, and economic
       activities..."

3.     Preventing Pollution and Reducing Risk in Communities, Homes, Workplaces and
       Ecosystems — "EPA will safeguard ecosystems and promote the health of natural communities
       that are integral to the quality of life in this Nation ..."

4.     Reduction of Global and Cross-Border Environmental Risks — "The U.S. will lead other
       nations hi successful, multilateral efforts to reduce significant risks to human health and
       ecosystems..."
                                                                       i
5.     Sound Science, Improved Understanding of Environmental Risk, and Greater Innovation
       to Address Environmental Problems — "EPA will develop and apply the best available
       science for addressing current and future environmental hazards, as well as new  approaches
       toward improving environmental protection."

       These efforts support these goals either directly or by contributing information on atmospheric
deposition helpful to EPA's place-based (i.e., geographically-based programs, such as GLNPO) or
media-oriented programs (e.g., programs in OW that focus on water resources).  Specifically, the Great
Waters program and its partners help the Agency achieve atmospheric deposition objectives outlined in
the clean air and clean and safe water goals and the atmospheric transport and deposition component
related to international pollution transport goal. Furthermore, the aspects of the work  devoted to
investigation and assessment of atmospheric deposition support EPA's efforts under the  sound science
goal to provide the best available science on which to base decisions on how best to reduce the presence
and effects of this pollution. As shown in later sections of the report, progress toward each of these goals
involves and emphasizes multimedia and multiprogram collaboration.
Page 1-6
Deposition of Air Pollutants to the Great Waters - 3 Report to Congress 2000

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                                                                                   Chapter I
                                                                Introduction and Background
I.B   POLLUTANTS OF CONCERN

       This report focuses on the 15 pollutants of concern addressed in the First and Second Great
Waters Reports to Congress. The general types of emission sources and uses (and use restrictions) of
these pollutants are summarized in Table 1-1. In general, sources of these pollutants can include U.S.
short-range and long-range transport from stack emissions, natural emissions, re-emitted emissions from
natural and human-made sources, long-range transport from foreign countries, and cycling within the
global pool of each pollutant.

       As in the two previous reports, these pollutants are organized into the following pollutant groups
(with one change):

•      Mercury and Mercury Compounds

•      Other Metals

       — Cadmium and cadmium compounds
       — Lead and lead compounds

•      Combustion Emissions

       — Polycyclic organic matter (POM), including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
       — Dioxins (tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, 2,3,7,8-TCDD) and furans (tetrachlorodibenzofuran,
       2,3,7,8-TCDF)
       — Hexachlorobenzene (HCB)1

•      Nitrogen Compounds (including NOX, ammonia and ammonium, and organic nitrogen)

•      Banned and Restricted Use Substances

       — Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
       -- Pesticides
              - Chlordane
              - DDT/DDE
              - Dieldrin
              - Hexachlorobenzene (HCB)1
              - Hexachlorocyclohexane (cc-HCH)2
              - Lindane (y-hexachlorocyclohexane, or Y-HCH)2
              - Toxaphene

       This last revised grouping is based on the fact that the use and manufacture of these pollutants
have either been banned or severely restricted under other Federal statutes, such as the Federal
Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
       1 HCB is a product of incomplete combustion as well as a pesticide. In Chapter II of this report, HCB is
discussed under the pesticides pollutant group.

       2 There are different isomers of HCH of concern that can transform into other HCH isomers that have
different persistence and toxicity characteristics.
Deposition of Air Pollutants to the Great Waters - 3rd Report to Congress 2000
Page 1-7

-------
Chapter I
Introduction and Background ____^_

With these pollutants, in general, historical contamination (e.g., in sediments and landfills), and not
current national releases from U.S. industrial or agricultural activities, appears to be the problem. For the
most part, the sources of these pollutants to the Great Waters today include resuspension of contaminated
sediments, releases from contaminated soils, atmospheric deposition from long-range transport of
pollutants from foreign countries where uses are still permitted, and accidental releases from stockpiles
or intentional dumping. The revised grouping helps to organize research into these pollutants of concern
and management of the reduction of the risks they pose to the Great Waters (e.g., work under
international frameworks to reduce global releases, activities to remediate contaminated sediments).

Many programs and activities address these pollutants of concern either directly or indirectly and
through statutory requirements or voluntary initiatives. The above pollutants are of concern to multiple
programs because they share the problematic characteristics of toxicity, persistence, and/or potential for
long-range transport in the environment (e.g., via the atmosphere). Because of these properties, many of
these contaminants are ubiquitous in the environment and may accumulate to potentially harmful
concentrations in water, sediments, soil, or the food web. This presents difficult challenges and places a
premium on multimedia, interdisciplinary approaches for solving problems associated with these
pollutants.

Table 1-2 provides examples of how the Great Waters pollutants of concern are being addressed
in the U.S. by closely related multimedia programs and other activities authorized by the CAA. All of
the programs and activities identified in this table, along with several others, are discussed later in the
report. Collectively, these programs and activities demonstrate EPA's holistic perspective and steps
toward approaching the goals of clean air, clean water, and healthy ecosystems in an integrated manner.

Building strong partnerships with other governmental agencies and stakeholders is a guiding
principle of EPA's Strategic Plan and one of five key attributes of EPA's reinvention plan (U.S. EPA
1997c). This report describes several ways in which EPA's progress toward the Great Waters program
goals can be attributed to the collective efforts of many partners at the local, tribal, State, Federal, and
international levels. Table 1-3 identifies some of the programs at different levels that address Great
Waters pollutants of concern. Each of these programs and activities is described later in this report.
Page 1-8
Deposition of Air Pollutants to the Great Waters - 3rd Report to Congress 2000

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