\ WATER QUALITY STANDARDS CRITERIA DIGEST A COMPILATION OF FEDERAL/STATE CRITERIA ON -MERCURY AND HEAVY METALS- ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY WASHINGTON, D.C. ------- Region Vs /" ;.:>-.. .-.:; 230 S;.r..;:= T v"- -'-- ------- INTRODUCTION This digest was compiled in order to provide general information to the public as well as to Federal, State, and local officials. It contains excerpts from the individual Federal-State water quality standards establishing mercury and heavy metals criteria for interstate waters. The water quality standards program is directed by the Environmental Protection Agency, an independent regulatory agency which has responsibility for approving State-adopted standards for interstate waters, evaluating adherence to the standards, and overseeing enforcement of standards compliance. Standards, the first nationwide strategy for water quality management, contain four major elements: the use (recreation, drinking water, fish and wildlife propagation, industrial, or agricultural) to be made of the inter- state water; criteria to protect those uses; implementation plans (for needed industrial-municipal waste treatment improvements, among others) and enforce- ment plans; and an antidegradation statement to protect existing high quality waters. Minimum water quality criteria, or numerical specificationsof physical, chemical, temperature, and biological levels, are stated in the National Technical Advisory Committee report to the Secretary of the Interior, Water Quality Criteria, dated April 1, 1968, and published by the Government Printing Office, Washington, B.C. Unavailability of the NTAC report before June 30, 1967--the date set by the Water Quality Act of 1965 for formal adoption of State standards--resulted in significant variations between the State-adopted and the NTAC minimum criteria. Some standards were adopted and approved before the NTAC report became available. Also, the Water Quality Criteria report is subject to updating in light of new scientific and technical information. Mercury, silver, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, nickel, and zinc are heavy metal compounds present in our waters and toxic to man in varying degrees. They are serious pollutants because these stable compounds have persis- tent and toxic effects for many years following deposit. The heavy metal compounds-- chromium, cadmium, mercury, and lead-- have no known biological function in animal life and can act synergistically with other substances to increase toxicity. Marine organisms, especially shellfish, readily take up and concentrate these heavy metals, which are thereafter ingested by man. Once in the human system their toxic effects are cumulative and are harmful to the degree that the dosages and resultant concen- trations approach a lethal threshold. The fishery industry has sustained economic losses in recent years when unacceptable levels of mercury or other heavy metals were discovered in fish from contaminated waters, provoking government condemnation of the affected catches. Fishing waters have been closed to fishermen, cutting them off from their livelihood. J EPA generally recommends criteria in the NTAC report, Water Quality Criteria, which cites the U.S. Public Health Service Drinking Water Standards']These standards list "desirable criteria" as the minimum detectable concentrations of the heavy metal compounds. In effect, this sets the limit to near zero. Since water quality standards experience revisions and upgrading from time to time, following procedures set forth in the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, individual entries in this digest may be superseded. As these revisions are accomplished, this digest will be updated and reissued. Because this publication is not intended for use other than as a general information resource, for the latest information, and for special purposes and applications, refer to the existing, approved water quality standards which can be obtained from the State water pollu- tion control agencies or EPA Washington, D.C. or regional offices. Individual State-adopted criteria follow. ------- ------- Federal-State Water Quality Standards and USPHS Drinking Water Standards for Mercury and Heavy Metals I/ All States have been required to adopt statements as a part of general standards applicable to all waters which require that those waters be free of substances attributable to discharges or wastes which are toxic or which produce undesirable physio- logical responses in human, fish, and other animal life and plants. State Metal Criteria Values in mg/1 Use Classification to Which Applied Alabama Alaska All Toxic Not to exceed 0.1 of materials, the 48 hr. median including tolerance limit for metals fish, aquatic life or shellfish, including shrimp and crabs Narrative Statement USPHS 0.1 Standards CCE (carbon chloro- form extracts) USPHS Standards All Toxic Narrative Statement materials, including metals Shellfish Harvesting Fish and Wildlife All Toxic materials, including metals Pesticides (heavy metal constituents) Narrative Statement 0.001 of the LC50 for the most sensi- tive organism on 96 hr. exposure All Classes Class A Water Supply Class B Water Supply Recreation Growth and Propagation of Fish and other aquatic life Agriculture Industry Shellfish Arizona No Specific Criteria T7 Heavy metals considered: Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Iron, Lead f Manganese, Silver, Zinc. ------- 2. State Metal Criteria Values in mg/1 Use Classification to Which Applied Arkansas California- Sacramento- San Joaquin Delta Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida All Toxic materials, including metals Cadmium Chromium (hexavalent) Copper Iron Lead Manganese Silver Zinc Cadmium Chromium (hexavalent ) Lead Silver Zinc USPHS Standards 0.1 48 -hr TLm-/ 0.01 0.05 0.01 0.3 0.05 0.05 0.01 0.1 0.01 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 Fish and Wildlife Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply No Specific Criteria Copper Zinc Chromium (hexavalent) Chromium (total) Lead Iron 0.5 1.0 0.50 1.0 in effluent 0.05 after mixing 0.05 0.30 All Waters All Waters All Waters All Waters All Waters All Waters All Waters Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois No Specific Criteria No Specific Criteria (Water Quality Criteria, published by the State of California referenced as a guide) Amonia Nitrogen 1.5 ( as N) Arsenic (total) 1.0 General Standards 2/ The TUn is the concentration of a toxic iraterial which produced death to one- half of the test organisms in a bioassay test within a specified length of tune (e.g. 48 hours or 96 hour). ------- State St Metal Criteria Values in mg/1 Use Classification to "Which Applied Illinois Cont'd) Barium (total) 5.0 Boron (total) 1.0 Cadmium (total) 0.05 Chloride 500. Chromium 0.05 (total hexavalent) Chromium (total trivalent) 1.0 Copper (total) 0.02 Cyanide 0.025 Fluoride 1.4 Iron (total) 1.0 Lead (total) 0.1 Manganese 1.0 (total) Mercury 0.0005 Nickel (total) 1.0 Phenols 0.1 Selenium 1.0 (total) Silver (total) 0.0005 Sulfate 500. Total Dissolved Solids 1000. Zinc 1.0 Amonia Nitrogen 0.02 Chloride 12.0 Sulfate 24.0 Phosphorus (as P) 0.007 Arsenic (total) 0.01 Barium (total) 1.0 Cadmium (total) 0.01 Chlorides 250. Carbon 0.2 Chloroform Extract (CCE) Cyanide 0.01 Iron (total) 0.3 Lead (total) 0.05 Manganese (total) 0.05 Methylene Blue 0.5 Active Sub- stance (MBAS) General Standards ii M II II M M II It Lake Michigan M Public § Food Processing WS M ii tt M tt M ti ti tt ------- State Metal Criteria Values in mg/1 Use Classification to Which Applied Nitrates plus 10.0 Nitrites as N Oil (Hexane- 0.1 solubles or equivalent) Phenols , 0.001 Selenium (total)0.01 Sulfates 250. Public £ Food Processing Indiana Iowa Cadmium Chromium (hexavalent) Lead Silver All Toxic materials, including metals Cadmium Chromium (hexavalent) Lead 0.05 Lead 0.10 Chromium 1.00 (trivalent) Copper 0.02 Zinc 1.0 0.01 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.1 96-hr TLm 0.01 0.05 Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply Aquatic Life Water Supply & Fish and Wildlife Water Supply & Fish and Wildlife Water Supply & Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Kansas USPHS Standards Water Supply ------- State Metal Criteria Values in mg/1 Use Classification to Which Applied Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Mas sachuse 1 1 s Michigan Minnesota Mississippi CadAium Chromium (hexavalent) Lead Silver All Toxic materials, including metals All Toxic materials, including metals 0.01 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.1 48-hr. TLm 0.1 48-hr. TLm Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply Fish and Wildlife All Classifications No Specific Criteria No Specific Criteria No Specific Criteria Chromium (hexavalent ) Copper Iron Manganese Zinc Cadmium Chromium (hexavalent) Lead Silver Chromium Copper Chromium Copper Cadmium Chromium (hexavalent ) Lead Silver 0.05 1.0 0.3 0.05 5 0.01 0.05 0.05 0.05 trace trace 1.0 0.2 0.01 0.05 0.05 0.05 Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply Class A Fisheries & Recreation Class A Fisheries & Recreation Class 8 Fisheries &. Recreation Class B Fisheries &. Recreation Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply ------- State Metal Criteria Use Classification to Values in mq/1 Which Applied Mississippi (Cont'd) Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire All Toxic materials, including metals 0.1 48-hr. TLm Fish &. Wildlife No Specific Criteria All Toxic materials, including metals 0.00 Above Background Levels Water Supply Class A Closed USPHS Standards All Toxic Induced vari- Water Supply Class A materials ation limited Open to a 10% increase of concentration USPHS Standards Water Supply Class B All Toxic materials, including metals Not to Exceed 0.1 96-hr. TLm for residual materials nor 0.01 of the 96-hr. TLm for pesticides & organic materials with a residual life exceeding 30 days Fish and Wildlife Classes D-l, D-2, D-3 Narrative Statement Narrative All Toxic materials, including metals All Toxic materials, including metals USPHS Standards No Specific Criteria No Specific Criteria Agricultural Water Supply Class E Industrial Water Supply (other than food). All Uses ------- State Metal Criteria Values in mg/1 Use Classification to Which Applied New Jersey New Mexico No Specific Criteria All Toxic materials, including metals Not to exceed All Classes 10% of the 48-hr. TLm New York North Carolina No Specific Criteria 0.0 Water Supply All Toxic materials, including metals The maximum limits for toxic and other deleterious substances in re- ceiving waters shall not exceed the values recommended in the most recent edition of the"Report of the National Technical Advisory Committee on Water Quality" where stated and in cases where such values are not in- cluded in the report bioassays will be conducted according to the stand- ards techniques recommended therein to determine safe levels for such substances on the basis of the discharge and characteristics of the waters under consideration. North Dakota Ohio Cadmium 0.01 Chromium 1.0 (total) Chromium 0.05 (trivalent or hexavalent) Copper 0.1 Lead 0.05 USPHS Standards Cadmium 0.01 Chromium 0.05 (hexavalent) Lead 0.05 Silver 0.05 Iron (certain 1.5 Rivers on Ohio/ Pa. border only) All uses of the Red River of the North, the Boise De Sioux, & parts of the Sheyenne &. Pembino Rivers. Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply Water Supply All Toxic materials, including metals 0.1 48-hr. TLm Aquatic Life & Recreation ------- State Metal Criteria Use Classification to Values in mg/1 Which Applied Oklahoma All Toxic 0.1 48-hr. TLm Water Supply materials, including metals Oregon These criteria apply only to the Multnomah channel and the Main Stem Willamette River, the Main Stem of the Columbia River from the eastern Oregon-Washington border westward to the Pacific Ocean, the Main Stem of the Grande Ronde River, the Main Stem of the Walla Walla River, and the Main Stem of the Snake River. The remaining interstate streams and estuaries are protected by a narrative statement. Cadmium 0.01 All Uses Chromium 0.05 All Uses Copper 0.005 All Uses Iron 0.1 All Uses Lead 0.05 All Uses Manganese 0.05 All Uses Zinc 0.1 All Uses Heavy Metals 0.5 All Uses (Totals including copper, lead, zinc, and others of non- specific designation) Pennsylvania These criteria are applicable only to specific reaches of interstate waters as designated in Section 6 of the Pennsylvania Water Quality Standards. Manganese 1.0 All Uses Iron (total) 1.5 All Uses Iron dissolved 0.3 All Uses Rhode Island No Specific Criteria South Carolina All Toxic 0.0 Water Supply materials, including metals South Dakota USPHS Standards Water Supply Iron 0.2 Fish and Wildlife Tennessee No Specific Criteria Texas No Specific Criteria ------- |