United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA 820-B-01-002
September 2002
www.epa.gov/waterscience
Office of Science and Technology
What OST Works On What We Do
• Effluent Guidelines
• Water Quality Standards
• Water Quality Criteria
• Analytical Test Methods
• Beach Water Quality
• Fish and Wildlife
Consumption Advisories
• National Fish Tissue Study
" Drinking Water and health
Advisories
• Contaminated Sediments
• Water Quality Models
• Cooling Water Intake
Structures
Other EPA Water Offices:
Office of Wastewater Management
Office of Wetlands, Oceans, & Watersheds
Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water
American Indian Environmental Office
The Office of Science and Technology (OST) sets national environmental
baselines for the quality of the Nation's waters. OST ensures these baselines reflect
the latest water pollution science and best available water pollution control
technologies to support the Office of Water's programs to keep water safe and
clean. Every year under the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act, OST
produces major water pollution control regulations, guidelines, methods,
standards, science-based criteria and studies that are critical components of
national programs that protect people and the aquatic environment.
OST works in three main program areas:
• Engineering and Analysis
• Standards and Health Protection
* Health and Ecological Criteria
Developing the Scientific Basis for a Regulatory Framework
OST conducts and sponsors extensive
research and empirical studies that help
other EPA programs, states and tribes
protect their drinking water supplies and
minimize the effects of pollutants on
fish, wildlife, and the aquatic environ-
ment. Federal, state, tribal and local gov-
ernments use this information to set lim-
its on the kinds of pollutants that may
be discharged by industries directly into
waters and through wastewater treat-
ment plants. OST works closely with
stakeholders, who include states, tribes,
local governments, industry, environmental groups and academics, to help them set
and meet their water quality goals. Our stakeholders also participate in identifying
manufacturing processes that reduce or prevent the production of polluting chemi-
cals and in setting our future regulatory goals. While OST's products form the scien-
tific basis for most water programs that protect human health and the aquatic envi-
ronment, EPA's ten regional offices communicate the information to our co-regula-
tors and the public. Together with EPA's Office of Research and Development,
other Office of Water offices, and the regions, OST provides the tools and the
training that states and tribes need to develop and maintain strong scientifically-
based water pollution control programs.
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OST Gives Scientific & Technical
Support to:
Point source discharge programs
Nonpoint source programs
Wetlands programs
Drinking water programs
Dredged material management
programs
Geographic specific programs
(e.g. Great Lakes, coastal areas,
estuaries)
Total Maximum Daily Loads
Water quality monitoring
programs
Key OST Partnerships
Other Government Agencies
Other EPA Offices
Other OW Programs
Regional Offices
State/Interstate/Tribal/Local
Partners
Regulated Community
General Public
Engineering and Analysis
The Engineering and Analysis Division (EAD) develops National technology-
based limitations that control pollutant discharges from industry into surface
waters and into wastewater treatment works. EAD regulations also control the
intake of cooling water. EAD identifies and analyzes industrial processes and
wastewater treatment technologies. EAD also develops laboratory analytical test
methods. These processes, technologies, and methods are the basis of national
regulations and the basis of thousands of discharge permits. Many of the
pollutants controlled by EAD's work are persistent toxic compounds like lead or
benzene, but the guidelines also address conventional pollutants.
Effluent Guidelines
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We develop technology-based effluent guideline regulations that limit pollution fror
over 50 industrial categories (including chemical and pulp and paper manufacturing
These rules involve extensive industry-specific engineering and economic studies,
wastewater analyses, and treatment option assessments. Effluent guidelines ensure
that industrial wastewaters will achieve levels of pollutants based on the best techno
ogy that is affordable. EPA issues effluent guidelines for categories of existing
sources and new sources under Tide III of the Clean Water Act.
Concentrated
Animal
Feeding
Operations
Iron
&
Steel
Effluent Guidelines Under Development
and Recently-Published
Aquatic Animal Production
Centralized Waste Treatment
Coal Mining
Coastal Oil and Gas
Commercial Hazardous Waste Combustors
Construction and Development
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations
Iron and Steel Manufacturing
Landfills
Meat and Poultry Products
Metal Products and Machinery-
Offshore Oil and Gas
Pesticide Formulating & Packaging
Pesticide Chemicals Manufacturing
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard
Synthetic-Based Drilling Fluids
Transportation Equipment Cleaning
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Analytical Methods and
Laboratory Services
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EAD is the arm of OST that devel-
ops and validates laboratory analytical
methods to analyze wastewater,
drinking water, sediment, and other
environmental media to be used by
industries, states, municipalities, and
tribes. In addition, EAD provides a
wide spectrum of laboratory analytical
services to support data collection
projects, such as National Fish Tissue
Study and Biosolids Survey.
Protecting Water
Quality Through
Science
Water Quality
Modeling
SHPD supports the development of
TMDLs (Total Maximum Daily
Load) for impaired waterbodies
through the development and use of
modeling tools such as BASINS and
AQUATOX.
Standards and Health Protection
The Standards and Health Protection Division (SHPD) directs the national program for
adoption of State and Tribal water quality standards. It develops policies and guidance, and
provides assistance to EPA regional offices and states on adopting appropriate uses, water
quality criteria, and antidegradation protection for specific water bodies, and on development
of total maximum daily loads to meet water quality standards. SHPD also develops and
manages cross-media, agency wide policies to limit the public's exposure to toxicants and
pathogens. Lastly, SHPD conducts environmental assessments to help evaluate the effects of
regulations on water quality.
Water Quality Standards
\v\v\v.cpa.go\ /'waters cieticc/' stand a i:d s
SHPD is improving the process for developing, adopting, and approving water quality
standards that support our regions and their partners in defining, and then maintaining,
their locally-designated state and tribal water uses. We are committed to building productive
working relationships as states and tribes improve their water quality standards programs
and, where needed, revise their water quality standards regulations to support those
improvements.
Fishablc
Swimmable
Drinkable
Contaminated
Sediments
OST assesses the extent, severity, and
sources of contaminated sediment in the
United States. We develop tools designed
to prevent the volume of contaminated
sediment from increasing and to reduce
the existing volume. As required by the
Clean Water Act, SHPD develops and
submits to the Congress the biennial
National Sediment Quality Inventory. We
also play a leadership role in assuring EPA
implements the Agency's Contaminated
Sediment Management Strategy.
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Under the BEACH Program, EPA
develops new laboratory test meth-
ods for detecting contaminants in
beach water and SHPD provides
grants to state, tribal, interstate, and
local agencies to establish effective
monitoring and public notification
programs for beaches. BEACH
Watch is the first federal Internet-
based information system to inform
the public about local beach closings
and conditions.
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Fish and Wildlife
Consumption Advisories
www. c p a. g o v / wn t c r s c i c n c c / fi s h
This SHPD program assists states
and tribes in communicating to their
residents the risks of eating contami-
nated fish and providing the tools
they need to help lessen these risks.
SHPD maintains the National Listing
of Fish and Wildlife Advisories, a
user-friendly database that is available
to the public via the Internet, and
develops technical documents and
guidance materials that help states and
tribes monitor, assess, and notify the
public when and where non-com-
mercial fish are not suitable to eat.
National Fish Tissue Study
www.cpa. gov/watcrscicncc/fishstudy
SHPD has the lead for conducting
EPA's National Fish Tissue Study, a
screening-level study to estimate the
national distribution of Persistent,
Bioaccumulative, and Toxic (PBT)
chemicals in fish from lakes and
reservoirs of the continental U.S. The
4-year (2000-2003) study will define
national background levels for 265
chemicals in fish and establish a
baseline to track progress of pollu-
tion control activities.
Health and Ecological Criteria
www.cpa.gov/warcrscicncc/cntcria
The Health and Ecological Criteria Division (HECD) conducts risk assessments
and develops goals for surface waters and drinking water to ensure they are safe
for aquatic life, human use, and consumption. The Division scientists also provide
technical assistance to states, tribes and drinking water authorities on criteria
implementation, site specific adjustment, data analysis, and health advisories.
Goals Under Development and Recently Published
Aquatic Life
Nutrient Criteria to Protect Surface Waters
\\ A\ AV. c pa. gov/\\'a rci'sciencc/standards/mi tncnl.html
• Rivers & Streams • Estuarine & Coastal
• Lakes & Resevoirs • 26 Criteria Documents
• Nutrient Database • Wetland Modules
Chemical Criteria to Protect Aquatic life
www.cpa.gov/watcrscic.ncc/cntcria
• Ammonia
• Atrazine
• Cadmium
• Copper
• Diazinon
• Salt Water Dissolved Oxygen
• Tributyltin
PCP Pentachlorophenol * Silver
• Lead
• Nonylphenol
Selenium
National Recommended
Water Quality Criteria Table
Biological Criteria for Surface Water Integrity
www.cpa.gov/wfUcrscicncc/biocriteria
• Estuarine & Coastal • Rivers & Streams
• Lakes & Resevoirs • Stressor Guidance
• Large Rivers • Wetlands
Human Health
www. cpa.gov/ warcrscicncc /criteria
Drinking Water
• Acanthamoeba
• Aeromonas
• Arsenic
• Disinfection Byproducts
• Drinking Water Intake Report
• Enteroviruses & Hepatitis A
• Giardia
• Cryptosporidium
Surface Water
• Legionella
• Manganese
• Mycobacteria
• Radionuclides •
• Radon
• Viruses
• Waterborne Infectious
Disease Strategy
Methylmercury Fish
Concentrations
Methodologies
26 Updated Criteria
Cooling Water Intake Structures
www.cpa.gov/watcrsciencc/316b
The Engineering and Analysis Division develops reguktions to address the impact
of cooling water withdrawal on aquatic ecosystems. Power plants and large
factories may use hundreds of millions or billions of gallons of water daily for
cooling. Intake regulations keep fish and shellfish from being killed or injured as a
result of being pulled into cooling systems or trapped against intake screens.
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