PORT TO CONGRESS
OFFICE OR RESEARCH
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EPA-600/9-76-003
FEBRUARY 1976
U,S, ENVIROIfENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
ENVIfWENTAL fcSFARCH OUTLOOK
FY 1976 THROUGH 1980
REPORT TO CONGRESS
PREPARED BY THE
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
U,S, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
WASHINGTON, D,C, 20460
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THIS REPORT HAS BEEN REVIEWED BY THE OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT,
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, AND APPROVED FOR PUBLICATION.
MENTION OF TRADE NAMES OR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS DOES NOT CONSTITUTE
ENDORSEMENT OR RECOMMENDATION FOR USE.
ii
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PREFACE
Prudent environmental management must rest on a sound technical
and scientific basis. The development of such a base depends on a
strong, viable and timely research effort. I strongly believe that
EPA's research must be both anticipatory as well as responsive to the
needs of an Agency whose mandate is to restore, enhance and protect
the quality of the environment.
This document represents the first attempt by the Office of
Research and Development to present a 5-Year overview of ORD's
research program, priorities and trends. We have attempted to raise
issues and identify where we see environmental problems and priorities
occurring. By projecting beyond the next budget year, I hope that the
document will initiate a dialogue with enough lead time to build a more
meaningful program.
Moreover, I recognize that this is a first attempt and that as such,
suffers from the usual weaknesses or deficiencies that are associated with
being a first. In addition to substantive criticisms of the projected
research program, I invite your comments and suggestions to improve sub-
sequent versions of this document.
WilsorTK. Talley \
Assistant Administrator
Office of Research and Development
ill
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Environmental Research Outlook
FY 1976-1980
Table of Contents
Page
Preface
Part I Environmental Research Outlook 1
Part II ORD Program Descriptions
Section I Health and Ecological Effects .... 24
Section 2 Industrial Processes 65
Section 3 Public Sector Activities 85
Section 4 Monitoring and Technical Support . 102
Section 5 Energy/Environment ,. 117
Appendix A Environmental Research and Development in
Other Federal Agencies 144
iv
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TABLES AND FIGURES
Tables Pages
Table I ORD Program Structure 5
Table 2 Relationship Between ORD Organizational
and Program Structure 7
Table 3 Authorizing Legislation for EPA Program 12
Table 4 ORD Authorized Positions
FY 1973 - FY 1976 15
Table 5 Projected ORD Resource Needs 16
Table 5a ORD Level Budget with "Spike" Increase 17
Table 5b ORD Level Budget without "Spike" Increase is
Figures
Figure I ORD Organizational Chart 4
Figure 2 Flow Chart of Environment R&D 21
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PART I
Environmental Research Outlook
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA.) ' was
created by Presidential order in December of 1970. This
order brought together 15 programs scattered among several
Federal Government agencies to mount a coordinated attack
on environmental problems. Th'ese problems include air and
water pollution, solid .waste management, pesticides, water
supply, radiation, noise and toxic substances.
EPA must maintain and enhance environmental quality in
a way that is consistent with other national goals.
Functions performed by EPA include: setting and enforcing
environmental standards; researching the causes, effects
and control c-f environmental problems; assisting states and
local governments through a variety of planning and waste
treatment facility construction grants; disseminating
information on environmental problems and solutions;
demonstrations;educating the public; demonstrating;
demonstrations of how to protect and enhance the
environment; and providing of technical assistance in the
solution of environmental problems.
In support of the Agency1s mission the Office of
Research and Development (ORD) conducts a comprehensive and
integrated research and development (R&D) program to
provide:
The scientific and technical base for reasonable
standards and regulations.
Standardized methods to measure and assure quality
control in programs to assess environmental quality,
implement regulations and enforce standards.
Cost-effective pollution control technology and
incentives for acceptance of environmentally sound
options.
Scientific, technical, socio-economic and
institutional methodologies needed to judge
environmental management options and balance these
options against competing national needs.
ORD's research is supplemented by general scientific
and technical research in other federal agencies, colleges
and universities and elsewhere. ORD also supports the
Agency1s involvement in many international organizations
with mutual environmental R&D concerns.
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More general functions of ORD include: (1)
maintainence of inhouse expertise capable of quickly
responding to emergencies and giving expert consultation
and testimony when necessary; (2) sharing the results of
environmental R&D with a wide range of individuals, groups,
and agencies in ways that are meaningful and practical; and
(3) giving expert scientific and technical assistance to
other EPA officies to help them formulate environmental
policy.
What follows is a report on the first five-year
Research Plan. It generally describes ORD's projected
research program for the FY 1976 - FY 1980 period including
its rationale, resource needs, and priorities. The report
will be updated yearly.
ORD ORGANIZATIONAL AND PROGRAM STRUCTURE
The research program, of necessity, is
multidisciplinary and multimedia in nature. It is
multidisciplinary because the R&D program covers virtually
every EPA responsibility and provides support to each of
EPA's program and regional offices. It is multimedia
because correction of one pollution problem can result in
other pollution problems if care is not taken (e.g.,
emissions prevented from polluting the air have the
potential to become a water pollution or land degradation
problem).
ORD's program is also multimedia because good
management practices require that unnecessary duplication
of effort, facilities or expertise be avoided. As such,
ORD is divided into four offices that operate along
functional lines (see Figure 1).
The R&D program itself is divided into five
programmatic areas as shown in Table 1. These are divided
further into subprogram areas. Part II of this report
provides a detailed description of each subprogram.
ORD's ongoing activities supporting immediate
operational requirements of EPA are in the Office of
Monitoring and Technical Support (OMTS). These activities
include: development and demonstration of monitoring
systems; quality control of pollutant measurement and
monitoring techniques (quality assurance); technical
information dissemination; and technical support services.
While this office'provides central planning for technical
support, such support is given to EPA by other ORD
offices/laboratories as appropriate.
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Figure 1. ORD Organizational Chart
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
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Table I. ORD Program Structure
Health and Ecological Effects Program
Health Effects
Ecological Processes and Effects
Transport and Fate of Pollutants
Industrial Processes Program
Mineral, Processing, and Manufacturing
Renewable Resources
Public Sector Activities Program
Waste Management
Water Supp ly
Environmental Management
Monitoring and Technical Support Program
Monitoring Techniques and Equipment Development
Qua Iity Assurance
Technical Support
Energy/Environment Program
Health and Ecological Effects
Extraction and Processing Technology
Conservation-Utilization Technology Assessments
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Research activities for longer-term requirements are
carried out by the three other offices.
The Office of Health and Ecological Effects (OHEE) is
responsible for determining the human health and ecological
effects of pollution.
The Office of Energy, Minerals, and Industry (OEMI) is
responsible for assessing, developing, and demonstrating
technology to abate pollution from industrial point
sources. This office also plans and administers a
comprehensive federal energy and environmental research,
development, and demonstration program.
The Office of Air, Land, and Water Use (OALWU) is
responsible for: research, development, and demonstration
of environmentally sound water supply systems and waste
management activities" (including municipal wastewater
treatment and hazardous and other solid waste management
systems); control of pollution from agriculture and
forestry (renewable resource industries) ; transport and
fate of pollutants in the environment; and area-wide
environmental management strategies.
The relationship of the four Offices and fourteen
subject-related research subprograms are shown in Table 2.
Note that the "planning responsibility" for any subprogram
is generally in one Office while the "implementation
responsibility" is often the responsibility of several
offices. The term, "planning responsibility," refers to
the establishment of specific major objectives, their
relative priorities and resource levels for each. The
term, "implementation responsibility," refers to
development of the particular approach in pursuit of each
objective and supervision of required work.
The ORD mission is achieved through the combined
efforts of about 1,800 technical and support personnel.
More than 60 different professional disciplines and
specialities located throughout the Nation in 15
laboratories and the Washington, D.C. headquarters are
included. ORD's budget in FY 1976 is approximately $250
million.
Projects are conducted: (1) through inhouse R&D by ORD
scientists and engineers, (2) through a large extramural
grant and contract program in cooperation with colleges and
universities, industrial organizations, research
institutes, and state and local governments and (3) through
interagency agreements with other federal agencies.
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Table 2. Relationship Between ORD Organizational and
Program Structure
Subprogram Area
Health Effects
Ecological Processes and
Effects
Transport and Fate of
Pollutants
Mineral, Processing, and
Manufacturing
Renewable Resources
Waste Management
Water Supply
Environmental Management
Monitoring Techniques and
Equipment Development
Quality Assurance
Technical Support
Health and Ecological
Effects/Energy
Extraction and Processing
Technology/Energy
Conservation, Utilization and
Technology Assessments/Energy
Planning (P) and
Implementing (I)
ORD Offices
OHEE
P I
P I
I
I
I
I
OEMI
P I
P
P I
P I
OALWU
I
I
P I
I
P I
P I
P I
P I
P I
I
I
OMTS
I
I
I
I
P I
P I
P I
I
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In FY 1976, about 25 percent of ORD's funds are used
for inhouse ' activities; about 55 percent for grants and
contracts; and about 20 percent for interagency agreements.
RESEARCH APPROACHES
EPA's overall research program must support the mission
of a regulatory agency. Specific research objectives and
priorities derive from objectives and priorities that EPA
establishes in fulfilling its total legislative mandate.
Accordingly, the research program is "mission oriented"
with emphasis on production of timely and quality outputs,
i.e.,., research results that are directly useful to
environmental decision-makers, regulatory officials and
polluters.
The following guidelines were used to develop a
comprehensive research program to support EPA's mission:
Emphasis is given to research designed to protect
human health and welfare, including the integrity of
natural ecosystems. In this category is research
assessing both short- and long-term low-dose effects
of pollutants on human health, exposure to potential
health hazards in a variety of ways, interactive
effects of pollutants on both health and ecological
systems, transport and fate of pollutants and
technologies for control of toxic or hazardous
pollutants.
A reasonable balance must be maintained between
responsiveness to immediate technical support and
continuing information needs of EPA, and longer-term
research to meet future and emerging environmental
problems in developing and evaluating environmental
policy.
Both dollar and manpower resources , should be
reserved for short-term technical support.
f
' Deliberate attention should be given to timely and
effective dissemination of technical information and
to technology transfer.
An adequate program of quality assurance for EPA's
pollution monitoring and measurement activities must
be maintained.
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Environmental management methods and technology
development and demonstration efforts in pollution
abatement and environmental restoration should
attempt to:
(a) Stimulate, assess and support development of
technically and economically feasible
technological solutions, including control
technology (e.g., stack gas scrubbers, advanced
waste treatment, sludge utilization and
disposal, etc.); .substitution of alternate,
more environmentally acceptable processes and
practices (e.g., closed loop systems,
biological pest controls, etc.); and materials
and energy conservation measures (e.g.,
recycling, soil erosion control, water reuse,
more efficient combution processes, etc.);
(b) Identify and foster improved management
techniques that improve environmental quality
through nonstructural and nontreatment methods,
thereby reducing required capital costs (e.g.,
change farming methods, institute profitable
industrial process changes and modify land use
patterns);
(c) Identify and evaluate institutional approaches
to implement technological options (e.g.,
improve regulatory approaches, provide economic
incentives or sanctions, etc.).
Solutions to environmental problems that minimize
costs, energy usage and undesirable transfer of
pollutants to other media should be emphasized.
Comprehensive environmental/socio-economic
assessments will continue to be supported, and
integrated wherever possible into research programs.
Scientific and technical information should be
presented in a way that allows risks, benefits and
costs to be compared, particularly to guide
decisions on what pollution levels are tolerable in
the environment.
Methodological tools should be developed for
assessing environmental problems, measuring
effectiveness of environmental controls and
predicting consequences of alternative pollution
control strategies.
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Flexibility to address unforeseen problems must be
maintained.
While EPA is responsible for developing and refining a
comprehensive federal research program for environmental
protection, actual research is carried out by many others.
These include, but are not limited to: EPA laboratories;
other government agencies either through funded interagency
agreements or through coordination with individual
programs; and the user community, including State and local
governments, industry and colleges and universities.
An example of its coordination role is ORD's Energy and
Environmental Program. EPA was directed by the Congress to
coordinate an energy and environmental research,
development, and demonstration program to ensure that
environmental factors were considered along with activities
to increase the Nation's production of energy. To meet
this goal, ORD undertook the responsibility for managing
and integrating the efforts of 18 federal agencies in a
coordinated federal program. ORD's Office of Energy,
Minerals, and Industry administers "pass-through" monies to
other federal programs to minimize duplication of effort
and ensure efficient use of resources.
AUTHORITIES AND CONSTRAINTS
Legislative
In developing the research program, certain
authorizations and constraints must be recognized. Key
among these are the legislative authorizations and
mandates. The-major pieces of legislation under which EPA
operates contain broad, essentially all-encompassing
authorizations for research and development on the
"control, prevention, abatement, effects" of pollution.
Overlapping these broad authorizations are many specific
authorizations or even mandates that relate to work on
specific problems (e.g., acid mine drainage, lake
restoration, etc.), or that authorize certain special types
of funding for eligible grantee or contractor
organizations. In addition to these complexities, there
are other mandates for R&D that derive from implementation
dates for major environmental protection standards and
regulations. These, of course, require concentrated R&D
efforts.
10
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The broad legislative authority for EPA's programs
comes primarily from nine separate Acts: The Clean Air Act
(CAA) , The Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA) , The
Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), The Solid Waste Disposal
Act (SWDA), The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), The Public Health Service Act
(PHSA), The Noise Control Act (NCA), The Marine Protection
Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA), and The National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) . The most relevant
sections that give authorizations to ORD's program are
described and identified in Table 3.
In addition to the direction of authorizing Acts, other
Congressional mandates are often found in Appropriations
Reports. In FY 1976, for example, the Congressional
Appropriations and Conference Reports contained specific
guidance for R&D on: assessment of the potential
environmental, social, and economic impacts of the proposed
concentration of power plants in the lower Ohio River
Basin; and an assessment of environmental factors having an
adverse impact on the Chesapeake Bay, including
establishment of data collection and monitoring systems,
determination of governmental units that have management
responsibility and how such responsibility can be
structured so that communication and coordination can be
improved among all concerned parties. These requests place
specific research demands upon ORD.
ORD Commitments
In formulating its research program, ORD must also
remain aware of special commitments made for interagency
cooperation and intraagency support. These commitments and
how ORD interfaces with other federal agencies are
discussed in Appendix A.
Resource Constraints
The economic climate in recent years has necessitated
restrained governmental spending. It is likely that this
need for fiscal restraint will continue throughout the
period covered by this program plan. Accordingly, this
plan reflects a decision to keep total resource (dollars
and positions) levels within realistic bounds. This
approach will provide for the essential research and
development program required to meet the Nation's current
and anticipated environmental and development needs. This
plan does not, however, reflect a level of resources
sufficient to fully perform all anticipatory research and
development which would allow ORD to get a headstart on
11
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Table 3. Authorizing Legislation for
Legislation
General R&D Authorization
Sections
Clean Air
Act (CAA)
Federal
Water
Pollution
Control Act
(FWPCA)
Safe Drinking
Water Act,
(SDWA)
Solid Waste
Disposal Act,
(SWDA)
The Clean Air Act, as amended, directs the Administrator tฎ
establish a national research and development pre-graw for thซ pre~
vention and control of air pollution and shall conduct, and promote
the coordination and acceleration of research investifations and
experiments relating to the causes, effects, extent, prevention,
and control of air pollution.
The 1972 amendments establish research programs for tlae prevention,
reduction, and elimination of pollution in navigable waters of the
United States. Specifically, the agency must render technical
advice, and conduct research, investigations, exf>ฎriปฎEits, training
demonstrations, surveys, and studies; establish advisory cousnittees
to evaluate research progress and proposals; establish a water
quality surveillance system to monitor the quality of navigable
waters and initiate studies measuring the social and ecotnomie costs
and benefits of water pollution control activities. Thซ Admini-
strator must establish field laboratories and research facilities,
investigate the harmful effects of pollutants en th* health
welfare of persons, and make a comprehensive study ฉf th
of the Great Lakes. Oil spills and thermal discharge iaust b@
investigated. A major research development and demonstration
effort is required to develop control technology and management
methods necessary to eliminate the discharge of pollytaats into
waterways.
The Administrator may conduct research, studies, and demonstrations
relating to the causes,diagnosis, treatment, control, and prevent^
ion of physical and mental diseases and othซr impairment? of man
resulting directly or indirectly from contaminants in water, or to
the provision of a dependably safe supply of drinking water.
This Act directs the Administrator to conduct and cooperate
research efforts relating to any adverse health and welfare effects
of the release into the environment of material present in solid
waste, and methods to eliminate such effects; the operation and
financing of solid waste disposal programs; the reduction of the
amount of such waste and unsalvageable materials; the development
and application of new and improved methods of collecting and
disposing of solid waste and processing and recovering materials
and energy from solid wastes.
103, 104, 108,
109, 111, 112,
119, 202, 211,
303, 312, 313
Sec. 1442, 1444
204, 205, 208
12
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Table 3 (Cont.)
Legislation
General R&D Authorization
Sections
Federal
Insecticide,
Fungicide,
and
Rodenticide
Act (FIFRA)
Public
Health Service
Act (PHSA)
Noise Control
Act (NCA)
Marine
Protection,
Research and
Sanctuaries
Act (MPRSA)
National
Environmental
Policy Act
(NEPA)
The Administrator shall undertake research to carry out the
purposes of the Act, giving priority to the development of
biologically integrated alternatives for pest control. The Admini-
strator shall formulate a national plan for monitoring pesticides
and undertake activities in suppor of it.
The Administrator, under the Public Health Service Act, has
authority to determine levels of radiation in the environment,
their pathways to man, and the health risks from these doses. EPA
is cooperating in a study of health effects of radiation along with
monitoring the environment (particularly around nuclear power
plants) to calculate the population's total exposure to various
forms of radiation. EPA is also conducting a complete review of
present radiation standards, along with an assessment of the entire
nuclear fuel cycle.
This law enables the Administrator to establish a comprehensive
research program in the area of noise. Sucha a program enables
EPA to undertake the necessary investigations into the health
effects of noise under varying conditions of magnitude, duration,
background, etc. Such information is currently lacking in most
areas. This program examines those technological aspects of noise
control and abatement not currently being treated.
The Administrator in coordination with the Secretary of Commerce
and the Coast Guard shall initiate a comprehensive and continuing
program of monitoring and research regarding the effects of the
dumping of material into the ocean water or waters which ebb or
flow into the Great Lakes and report the effects not less frequently
then annually. The Administrator is responsible for offering
consultation to the Secretary of Commerce on the possible long-
range effects of pollution, overfishing and man-induced changes of
ocean ecosystems.
The National Environmental Policy Act October of 1969 (NEPA)
requires Federal Agencies to prepare environmental impact statements
(EIS) for legislative proposals and for other "major federal actions
that significantly affect the quality of a human environment." In
preparing these EIS's, a Federal agency must consult with other
agencies having jurisdiction by law or special expertise over such
environmental considerations. Since EPA's purview is the total
environment, it must be consulted for most EIS's.
13
20, 27
301
Sec. 14, 19
201, 202
102(2)(C)
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newly emerging problems or on improving the quality of
existing abatement and monitoring methods and environmental
quality and effects data.
Of course, ORD will draw to the maximum extent possible
on research being funded and conducted by other government
agencies, industry and foreign countries. ORD is
continually exploring other ways to obtain and transfer
data and technology.
Personnel limitations have had a similar constraining
effect. Recently, major dollar resources were provided to
EPA. for a multiagency environmental research program to
parallel and lead ERDA1s program of energy development.
While funds were provided, personnel to staff this
multiagency energy program had to be drawn from ORD"s
existing staff.
Over the past few years, the staff available for the
research program has continually diminished (see Table 4).
During the same period, new problem areas have emerged that
require personnel with different skills or increased
effort. As a result, ORD has shifted staff and/or
contracted out greater portions of the work.
In FY 1975, there was a major reexamination of ORD's
mode of conducting its operations that has continued in FY
1976. While this has resulted in a shift of personnel from
administrative duties to direct research functions, there
remains a skill mix problem. The 'substantial funding
increase for the environmental and energy program in FY
1975, coupled with a decline in staff, has required a
further shift in the balance between inhouse and extramural
work toward the latter.
Accordingly, to address personnel resource needs,
EPA/ORD is conducting an in-depth review of its research
needs in relation to the skill mix and staffing levels
given current and anticipated research requirements. The
study will include a plan to alter the technical skill mix
over a period of years with a minimal influx of new
positions targeted at specific skills needed. ORD will
make adjustments by filling vacancies as they occur with
specific skills that are needed.
14
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Table 4. ORD Authorized Positions FY 1973 - FY 1976
FY 1973 FY 1974 FY 1975 FY 1976
Full Time Permanent 1897 1842 1753 1752
Reimbursable 134 113 112 82
TOTAL 203-1 1955 1865 1834
PROGRAM PRIORITIES AND TRENDS
The proposed resource needs for ORD's program are
presented in Table 5. The budget is broken out by research
program and appropriation. These programs are individually
described in full detail in subsequent sections. FY 1975
funding is also shown to serve as a base. Further, two
budget options are presented in Tables 5a and 5b to show a
level budget for FY 1977 and beyond.
Table 5 shows that over the five-year period FY 1976-FY
1980, priority has been given to strengthening the Health
and Ecological Effects Program to develop the data base
needed to support EPA's regulatory activities. Recent
judicial decisions require EPA to develop more detailed
information on effects of pollutants.
Another priority area is the Industrial Processes
Program. The proposed "spike" increase in .resources for
industrial pollution control technology RSD is needed if
the approaching 1985 water quality goals are to be more
closely met. This "spike" increase in resources will
ensure that full-scale demonstrations of control technology
required by FWPCA can be completed for those industries
having toxic effluents most harmful to the environment.
ORD will continue to rely heavily on industrial expertise
and resources for major contributions to develop the needed
new technology.
Priority is also being given to the Monitoring and
Technical Support Program. Like effects work, research in
monitoring and quality assurance is motivated by the need
for better data to support Agency regulatory actions.
Credibility of EPA1s action depends greatly on the quality
of pollutant measurement and monitoring data. ORD must
15
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Table 5. Projected ORD Resource Needs ($M)*
Program Area FY 1975 FY 1976 FY 1977 FY 1978 FY 1979 FY 1980
Health and Ecological
Effects
Industrial Processes
Public Sector Activities
Monitoring and Technical
Support
Other (ORD Program Support &
Management ADP, etc.)
Subtotal Base ORD
Energy/En vi ronment
64
23
28
19
9
143
134
72
20
30
27
7
156
100
67
20
28
27
7
149
96
88
54
37
35
7
221
118
90
60
37
37
8
232
121
92
32
38
37
8
207
120
Total ORD Program 277 256 245 339 353 327
* Does not include Agency program management costs charged against R&D appropriation.
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Table 5a. Option A:- ORD Level Budget with "Spike" Increase ($M)*
Program Area FY 1975 FY 1976 FY 1977 FY 1978 FY 1979 FY 1980
Health and Ecological
Effects
Industrial Processes'
Public Sector Activities
Monitoring and Technical
Support
Other (ORD Program Support &
Management, ADP, etc.)
Subtotal Base R&D
Energy/En vi ronment
64
23
28
19
9
143
134
72
20
30
27
7
156
100
67
20
28
27
7
149
96
56
54
20
24
7
161
84
55
60
19
24
7
165
80
64
32
27
30
7
160
85
Total ORD Program 277 256 245 245 245 245
* Does not include Agency program management costs charged against R&D appropriation.
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00
Table 5b. Option B: ORD Level Budget without "Spike" Increase ($M)*
Program Area FY 1975 FY 1976 FY 1977 FY 1978 FY 1979 FY 1980
Health and Ecological
Effects ' '
Industrial Processes
Public Sector Activities
Monitoring and Technical
Support
Other (ORD Program Support &
Management, ADP, etc.)
Subtotal Base R&D
Energy/En vi ronment
64
23
28
19
9
143
134
72
20
30
27
7
156
100
67
20
28
27
7
149
96
69
16
32
31
7
155
90
69
16
31
32
7
155
90
69
16
31
32
7
155
90
Total ORD Program 277 256 245 245 245 245
* Does not include Agency program management costs charged against R&D appropriation.
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extend its activities in this area, especially if EPA is 'to
satisfy requirements of drinking water legislation and of
FWPCA. This program will experience gradual growth over
the next five years.
In addition to ORD's projected resource needs shown in
Table 5, two options are presented on the boundary
condition that the total resources for FY 1977 and beyond
will remain at the FY 1977 level. The option presented in
Table 5a provides the resources needed for control
technology R&D if the goals in FWPCA are to be more closely
met by industrial dischargers. In order to accommodate the
"spike" increase for the industrial program within the
constraint of a level budget for FY 1977 through FY 1980,
significant reductions in other ORD programs would have to
be made. Specifically, research on health and ecological
effects, transport and fate of pollutants, waste management
and water supply would have to be cut back. Moderate
reductions would be required in monitoring techniques and
equipment development. Additional reductions must also be
made in the energy/environment program, probably in the
control technology area which would stretch out the
development of this technology.
Again, within the level resource constraint, Option B
which is showin in Table 5b, trades off the "spike"
increase for industrial pollution control technology R&D
for increases in water supply, monitoring and technical
support, and health and ecological effects research.
Without the "spike" increase, there will not be significant
advances in control technology to impact the achievement of
the 1985 water quality goals. Therefore the industrial
program is stretched out even further being reduced from $4
to $10 million to provide resources in other areas. Again,
such program increases can only be accomplished by some
reduction in the energy/environment program.
Internal priorities of several programs will shift over
the next five years. These shifts are described in greater
detail in Part II. But before the detailed program
descriptions are given, all the interconnections of ORD's
efforts must be understood.
19
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ORD PROGRAM OVERVIEW
ORD's research, development and demonstration
activities must be viewed as an interrelated set. ORD's
"mission-oriented" or "problem-oriented" approach to
specific problems often requires coordination of ORD
offices.
For example, the total ORD effort can be described as
an interconnected system of research pursuits with six
major elements as indicated in Figure 2. These elements
are: (1) environmental loading and contamination
associated with human activities and natural sources; (2)
environmental processes that result in pollutant
transformation, transport, and removal processes; (3)
pollutant identification, characterization and measurement;
(4) development of measurement and monitoring methods; (5)
determination of health, ecological and other welfare
effects; and (6) development of alternate control
technologies and management methods to affect environmental
enhancement and restoration.
The environmental loading element relates to natural
and man-made "sources." These latter sources can be
characterized as stationary or mobile, point (i.e.,
industrial) or nonpoint (i.e., agricultural) and other
kinds of human, or more specifically, municipal activities.
Emissions and wastes from each source must be characterized
by physical and chemical properties in the process stream
and at the source output.
Environmental loadings are subject to complex physical
and chemical transformation, transport and removal
processes. These interactions must be assessed and
understood for environmental pollutants to be efficiently
controlled.
Capabilities to characterize environmental contaminants
(i.e., determine their chemical composition) and measure
ambient concentrations must be developed. Effects research
depends critically on the availability of effective
characterization and monitoring techniques for all forms of
wastes including gases, liquids, solids and energy-
Overall assessment of health, ecological, and other
welfare effects must be figured on concentrations, as well
as physical^ properties and chemical composition, of the
environmental pollutant observed. The element of
environmental loading must provide the necessary
20
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Figure 2. FLOWCHART OF ENVIRONMENTAL R&D
CONTROL
STRATEGIES
MUNICIPAL
WASTE
&
CONTROL
INDUSTRIAL
WASTE
&
CONTROL
NATURAL
SOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL
INPUT-
PHYSICAL AND
CHEMICAL
CHARACTERIZATION
TRANS-
FORMATION
TRANSPORT
INDETERMINATE
POLLUTION
EFFECTS
NATURAL
REMOVAL
PROCESSES
MEASUREMENT
AND
MONITORING
METHODS
DEVELOPMENT
ENVIRON
MENTAL
LOADING-
PHYSICAL &
CHEMICAL
CHARACTER-
IZATION
HEALTH
&
WELFARE
EFFECTS
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quantitative and qualitative input in the proper format to
assess exposure of all receptors including humans, other
animals, plants, materials, etc. The effects element is
concerned with acute, subacute and chronic effects and
effects characterized a~s reversible and irreversible.
Since establishment of environmental standards and
regulations are reasons for much of this research, close
coordination and feedback of effects research and abatement
methods R&D are essential.
The last element concerns itself with identification
and development of cost-effective approaches to pollution
control. Obviously, relevant costs, risks and benefits of
feasible control options must be evaluated. Such control
measures can range from "hard" technology modifications
(e.g., add-on devices, process change, resource recovery,
etc.) to socio-economic implementation instruments (i.e.,
incentives, land use regulations, etc.). Finally, a
quality assurance effort of monitoring methods is required
for implementation and effective enforcement of any
standard or regulation.
ORD's 14 research subprograms are integrated into this
k-ind of framework. No one R&D effort can stand alone,
i.e., most of ORD's outputs contain interrelated inputs of
more than one subprogram. The mission of EPA requires such
and the nature of solutions to environmental problems
demand no less.
Part II gives a detailed look at each of the
subprograms grouped within the program structure in Table
2. For each subprogram, there will be: a description of
the research effort and an identification of both near-term
and five-year outputs. A broad overview of each program is
also given.
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PART II
Program Descriptions
23
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HEALTH AND ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS PROGRAM
Overview
The Health and Ecological Effects Program is
fundamental to EPA's responsibility to set criteria,
standards, and guidelines to protect and enhance
environmental quality. Scientific information on human
health effects of pollutants and ecosystem structure,
function and parts is essential in development of
environmental quality standards and effective pollution
control strategies. The link between existence of a
damaging pollutant and the way it got into the environment
must also be understood by policy-makers. That is why
research on pollutant transport and fate is essential.
The Health and Ecological Effects Program provides
information for establishment and reevaluation of water
quality criteria, air quality criteria, ocean disposal
criteria, pesticide registration guidelines, effluent
standards for toxic and hazardous materials and radiation
standards.
Studies will continue in the Health Effects Subprogram
on pollutants with set ambient air quality standards to
enable a continuing reevaluation of such standards. Such
research will gradually be reduced over the next five years
while research (i.e.,/developing dose-response information)
on noncriteria pollutants, especially ' sulfates, nitrates,
/and respirable suspended particulates will be accelerated.
Research on environmentally-induced carcinogenesis has just
begun and will focus on quantitative assessment of
environmental levels of carcinogens and associated risk
factors. Efforts to identify chronic effects of exposure
to specific environmental chemical agents will be expanded.
A comprehensive inhalation toxicology and biomedical data
base will also be developed to ascertain health risks of
emission products from catalytic converter-treated auto
exhaust and potential catalyst attrition products such as
sulfuric acid; sulfates, carbon disulfide, hydrogen
sulfide, palladium, platinum and aluminum oxide.
Health effects research on pesticides will increasingly
receive emphasis and will provide necessary support to
regulatory and control functions of EPA in regard to risks
of pesticides to population groups in general.
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Research on chemical substitutes provides scientific
information on compounds in current use that EPA considers
as potential substitutes for pesticides that have been
suspended or cancelled. ORD's activities in this area help
the Office of Pesticides Programs (OPP) in implementation
of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
(FIFRA) at both federal and State levels.
Research on health implications of land disposal of
wastewaters and sludges (e.g., effects of aerosols
containing bacteria or viruses) has recently increased and
will continue to receive high priority.
A related subprogram, Water Supply, supplements
research in the Health Effects Subprogram with additional
funds. This research focuses on health effects of
contaminants found in drinking water. Details of water
supply health effects research are discussed in the Water
Supply Subprogram.
The Ecological Processes and Effects Subprogram will
gradually broaden its current effort to develop water
quality requirements for representative organisms. It will
include a greater emphasis on evaluation of whole
ecosystems and on developing ecological models with minimal
information requirements. However, the need to determine
criteria for specific pollutants will continue.
As currently required criteria are developed, resources
will shift toward identification of new pollutant problems.
Especially emphasized will be development of a theoretical
understanding and ability to predict and assess emerging
problems, development of ecological criteria for other
pollutants and revision, where necessary, of already-
established criteria.
Because transformation and fate of a pollutant in an
ecosystem is an ecological process, the Ecological
Processes and Effects Subprogram not only researches
effects of pollutants on ecosystems and their components,
but also researches effects of ecosystems on pollutants.
Such considerations are important determinants of how
quickly pollutants will be transformed into harmless
materials, persist and accumulate to dangerous levels or be
changed into more harmful materials than the parent
substance. That is why research data on the fate,
transport, and ecosystem impact of specific pollutants is
necessary to support " environmental quality criteria
development and pesticide registration.
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Information on the fate and transport of pollutants in
time and space is needed by EPA's regional offices and
States to implement standards, basin planning, and waste
load allocations. Specific emphasis will be on: transport
and fate of metals in soils and plants; coupling nonpoint
source loading models to basin water quality models for use
in assessing water quality impacts of both nonpoint and
point sources; development of pollution loading functions
by source with appropriate user manuals; assessment of the
air transport and alteration of sulfates on both a regional
and global scale; research on the formation and transport
of oxidants locally and regionally; and continuation of the
St. Louis Regional Air Pollution Study (RAPS).
Emerging problems, such as those of freon and other
potentially hazardous substances, will likely receive
increased attention. Research will focus on what the long-
term pollutant loading capacity of the environment is
globally, regionally, and locally; what the likely effects
are of different pollutant load levels; and on predictive
capability for forecasting local, regional, and global
environmental quality under varying pollutant loadings and
environmental conditions.
Funds from ORD's Energy/Environment Program supplement
much of the research in the Health and Ecological Effects
Program. In some cases such funding allows for more
intensive research in activities already planned by the
base program. In other cases, research activities with a
much broader scope are made possible. The comprehensive
EPA-coordinated Energy/Environment Program is discussed
later.
Another emphasis in the Health and Ecological Effects
Program will be on socio-economic assessments. This work
will focus on: assessment of health and welfare benefits of
pollution abatement; development of methods for predicting
and evaluating pollution problems related to exposure; and
economic impact assessment. Emphasis in benefit studies is
expected to be on pesticides, toxic substances, and
drinking water. Ad hoc studies will also be conducted on
specific EPA issues as they arise.
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Health Effects
Subprogram Description
Environmental health has emerged as a major new
research area. EPA is responsible for translating results
of this research into effective control policy. EPA's
health effects research is' carried out by the largest
single group of environmental health professionals ever
assembled. This program is divided into the following
seven major categories:
Air Exposure
Air pollution has been historically recognized as an
environment factor in public health. In its first five
years of existence, EPA has continued and expanded air
pollution research of its predecessor agencies.
Although much remain's to be learned, meaningful
progress has been made toward understanding the
relationships between air quality and public health.
The data basis for the existing six ambient Air Quality
Standards is being substantially improved and increased
emphasis is being given to categories of air pollutants
not controlled now. Also, since 10% of our time is
spent indoors, emphasis should be given to assessing
the health hazards associated with indoor pollutant
levels.
Transportation
Although quite properly a subca%egory of Air
Exposures,, public health implications of pollutants
specifically associated with transportation merit
separate attention. Complex interactions of mobile
source emissions complicate study of their health
effects. Relatively rapid introduction of new control
technology and fuel additives further complicates
definition of hazards associated with altered
emissions. Attention specifically is directed to
evaluation of health implications of catalytic devices,
the shift toward increased use of diesel -powered
vehicles and introduction of synthetic fuels.
Water Exposures
As with air pollution, public health consequences of
water pollution have a long history. Two salient
differences exist, however. Man consumes water as he
27
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does air, but not continuously. For that reason,
polluted water can be treated before consumption,
whereas polluted air, for most practical purposes,
cannot. Air pollution health research is recent
compared to water health research. There are very
adequate data for control of microbial water pollution
compared to any part of the data base for air pollution
control. Finally, a major aspect of water exposure
involves use of water for recreational purposes,
producing a major interface between health effects and
ecological effects research.
Radiant Energy
Great discrepancy exists between health standards
for nonionizing electromagnetic energy exposure in this
country and abroad. Large differences in human
exposure to electromagnetic energy densities exist.
Increased use of the electromagnetic spectrum for
communication and potentially for power transmission
reguire improved understanding of nonthermal effects of
human exposure to nonionizing radiation.
Increased use of nuclear power generation will
reguire increased fuel reprocessing with tritium and
Krypton-85 release into the environment. EPA is
continuing health research in this area with research
planned to be phased into that of ERDA over the next
two years.
Pesticides
Increased use of pesticides (herbicides,
insecticides, rodenticides and fungicides), improved
understanding of soil chemistry and development of new
plant strains in addition to increased use of
fertilizers have revolutionized agriculture. Some
pesticides pose serious health hazards for man and
accumulation of some pesticides in the environment
creates special problems. Another problem arises from
the introduction of toxic contaminants during the
manufacture of pesticide compounds, e.g., dioxins
formed during the manufacture of 2,4,5
Trichlorophenol.
Toxic Substances
Modern technology introduces thousands of
potentially toxic substances into the environment
daily- Their potential effects, such as carcinogenesis
28
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or mutagenesis, may require years to become .evident.
They also can have direct toxic effects. Many of the
same techniques used to evaluate toxicity of pesticides
are used to test these other toxic substances. In ORD,
these two activities are conducted in the same
laboratories.
New Programs
Environmental health research must be adaptable to
changing circumstances in a rapidly changing
industrialized society. Unifying concepts in
environmental medicine and research management are
being developed and used to assure responsive, quality
health effects research. The three major causes of
disease and death are now: chronic respiratory
disease, cardiovascular disease and cancer. These
three disease categories have multifactorial causes,
many suspected to be closely related to environmental
factors. For that reason, health research in EPA has a
major responsibility to determine what environmental
factors have a major role in these three scourges of
modern mankind so that these environmental factors can
be eliminated or controlled.
Each of the seven aspects of EPA's environmental health
research are conducted by problem-oriented scientists who
work with other-experts to provide data on which to base a
comprehensive pollution control policy. More detailed
program descriptions along with projected dates for major
accomplishments make up the remainder of this section.'
Air Exposures
Research information is required to clarify exposure-
effect relationships between pollutants and human health
for development of a data base to determine whether
restricting exposure to particular pollutants is needed to
protect health and if so, to what degree exposure ^should be
restricted. For example, in the case of 'sulfates,
nitrates, and other respirable suspended particulates,
available information indicates that restricting their
ambient concentrations may be necessary. The essential
questions about these pollutants relate to the degree of
control required. Health effects data for all these
pollutants are obtained from direct toxicological,
clinical, and epidemiological studies. All three
approaches provide a complimentary understanding of the
problem: What are the health benefits of reducing pollutant
levels?
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Among criteria pollutants there are insufficient data
on: exposure averaging times; adequacy of existing safety
margins; health benefits of meeting the standards and
health risks of exceeding the standards. Implementation
and adjustment of ambient air quality standards will be
influenced substantially by these data.
Among noncriteria pollutants health effects research is
primarily directed at developing a data base for sulfates,
nitrates, and respirable particulates. There is some
evidence that shows possible harmful effects to human
health. The goal of this research is to determine
exposure-response relationships of these pollutants by
themselves "and in combination with criteria pollutants.
The epidemiology research is evolving into targeted
population studies designed to test hypotheses developed
from earlier CHESS (Community Health Effects Surveillance
Studies) results. Specific studies on sulfate and nitrate
aerosols are in progress. These studies are conducted in:
the South Coast Air Basin of California presenting a
special problem as use of higher sulfur-containing fuel is
increased in an area of high oxidant levels; the
Northwestern intermountain region where high sulfate levels
occur in conjunction with smelter operations; and in highly
industralized areas each of the Mississippi and south of
the Great Lakes where the potential exists for large
regional sulfate problems arising from long-term
transformation and long-range transportation of sulfur
oxides, mostly from stationary sources. Population studies
have also been initiated in Southern California to refine
exposure-response estimates for oxidant effects. These
studies allow comparison of sulfate effects in the presence
of high oxidant levels with those effects where oxidant
levels are relatively low.
Particulate effects will reevaluated in Birmingham in
FY 1977 to assess the benefits of improved air ' quality-
The long-term effect of previous high nitrogen oxide levels
in Chattanooga will also be reassessed. The complex air
pollution problem and large population-at-risk in the
Chicago-Gary region will be evaluated. Finally, two new
areas of high air sulfate levels will be identified and
studies initiated. The Ohio River Valley is the likely
candidate for these sites. To improve the basis for a
short-term nitrogen oxides standard, a new point source
nitrogen oxide area will be identified and studied.
30
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FY 1976 Plan
Refine estimates of health effects related to short-
term nitrogen oxides exposure around point sources.
Refine the acid sulfate aerosol health impact and
impact of trace metals in primary smelter
communities.
Delineate chemical composition and particle size and
conduct toxicity screening for selected pollutants.
Characterize sulfur oxide and oxidant interaction in
the Southern California area.
Evaluate health consequences of conversion from fuel
oil to coal in selected electric power generating
plants.
Develop short-term exposure data for sulfur oxides,
nitrogen oxides, oxidants, and selected
particulates.
Five-Year Plan
Reassess exposure-response data for criteria and
other pollutants collected from CHESS.
Develop better exposure-response functions for
estimating health risks of criteria pollutants,
sulfate, and nitrate aerosols.
Determine the significance of potentially dangerous
trace substances, hazardous materials and
unsuspected toxic substances to man.
Identify the interactions in health effects of
criteria and noncriteria pollutants.
Describe interactive effects of multiple environment
stress factors.
Evaluate adverse health risks associated with indoor
pollutants.
31
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Transportation
A special identified area of research related to air
pollution exposures is transportation. A biomedical data
base needs to be developed to ascertain health risks
associated with emission products from catalytic converter-
treated auto exhaust such as sulfuric acid, sulfates,
carbon disulfide, and hydrogen sulfide. Possible adverse
effects from attrition products such as platinum,
palladium, and aluminum oxide must also be evaluated.
Specific focus shall be directed to the effects of sulfuric
acid, sulfates, and related sulfur compounds generated as
aerosols by oxidation catalysts. The potential health
effects of emissions from fuel additives, alternative power
sources and fuels and emissions associated with
transportation of all types will be ascertained.
Adoption of catalytic converters to control regulated
pollutants from mobile sources has become a matter of
controversy. Toxicological and health effects data
concerning sulfuric acid mist, sulfates and a number of
other sulfur compounds are urgently needed by EPA to
establish mobile source standard for sulfates. Information
on possible biological effects of diesel emissions is also
inadeguate.
Air pollutants related to transportation receive special attention in
ORD's health effects research.
CREDIT: EPA/DOCUMERICA - Gene Daniels
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FY 1976 Plan
Determine toxicological effects of sulfuric acid,
sulfates and o'ther sulfur compounds resulting from
emissions of catalyst-equipped automobiles.
Describe the comparative toxicology of emissions
from engines equipped with catalysts vs. engines
equipped with other control systems.
Ascertain toxicity of respirable sulfur compounds
and airborne respirable particulate mists.
Provide emission characterization, measurement
methods and emission factors for regulated and
nonregulated pollutants from current, future and
alternative engine-powered motor vehicles as related
to fuel composition and fuel additives.
Five-Year Plan
Ascertain public health consequences of all major
components of the suspended particulate/sulfate mix.
Refine the estimates of exposures to toxic materials
from catalyst-equipped cars, and identify the most
significant health hazards.
Study the attrition products produced during the
catalyst degradation stage.
Initiate additional fuel additive studies after
completion of ongoing catalyst exposure
investigations.
Water Exposures
The water quality health effects research currently
focuses on health implications of land application of
wastewater and sewage sludges. Other areas of study
include health effects of sewage treatment plants and fresh
and marine recreational waters.
Health information for development and defense of
criteria to insure protection of human health from disposal
of wastewater and sludges is insufficient. Land treatment
and disposal of these waters along with their disposal into
waters has increased. Also, there has been a major
national effort to increase the number and size of sewage
33
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treatment plants. Such installations may contribute to
some human health hazards while alleviating others.
To determine the possible adverse health effects
associated with land treatment and disposal of wastewater
and sludges, research is planned to: determine the
dispersion of pathogens, especially viruses in aerosols
formed by spray irrigation of sludges and wastewaters;
determine persistence and transport of pathogens in the
soil of land applicator sites; determine in cooperation
with FDA and USDA the persistence and movement of toxic
substances in the soil, in ground warter and in the food
chain (metals, organics, inorganics, pesticides); and
assess the health of populations living near wastewater
treatment plants and in locales where land disposal of
wastewater and sludges is practiced. This research
obviously ties in closely with the ecological processes and
effects research described later.
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bปrt*ria & vlruws, U>ซ*h with
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Health studies investigate the adverse effects of water pollutants.
CREDIT: EPA/DOCUMERICA - Erik Calonlus
34
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In .addition to research associated with land
application, study of water disposal of these wastes is
needed. These include; determination of tolerable
pathogen concentrations that may occur without jeopardizing
health of humans in primary contact with marine water;
development of valid microbiological criteria for shellfish
growing waters (in cooperation with FDA); and quantitative
correlation of human health effects to select indices of
pollution in recreational fresh waters. Where possible,
research is coordinated with the U*S. Army and U.S.
Department of Agriculture who also have ongoing programs in
this area.
This research will be expanded in FY 1977 to deal with
viral problems related to land application of wastewater
and sludges and to viruses in shellfish from marine waters.
Plans for the FY 1-977 program>include increased health
effects research related to aerosols produced by sewage
treatment plants.
From these research results will come water quality
criteria for recreational water and shellfish growing
waters.
Another related research area, Water Supply Health
Effects, supplements this research program. Funds are
received from the Office of Air, Land, and Water Use
(OALWU) to conduct health effects research on problems
specifically
associated with drinking water. Details of the water
supply research program related to health effects are
included in the description of the Water Supply Subprogram.
FY 1976 Plan
Determine the potential of virus survival and
movement at land reclamation sites utilizing sewage
sludge.
Correlate human health effects with selected indices
of pollution in primary contact fresh' recreational
water.
Report on health implications of aerosols from a
municipal wastewater treatment plant.
Determine the concentration of pathogens that can be
permitted in marine recreational waters without
jeopardizing human health.
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Five-Year Plan
Define health effects associated with exposure to
land sites using treated wastewater effluents.
Report on health implications of aerosols produced
by use of treated sewage effluents for spray
irrigation.
Determine the potential of contaminants particularly
trace metals present in sludge applied to land
entering the food chain.
Report on results of laboratory and field
investigations to provide acceptable methods of
sampling and analyzing sludge.
Establish health effects criteria related to levels
of sanitary, nutrient and thermal pollution for
marine beaches.
Radiant Energy
The Public Health Service Act, as amended in 1970,
gives the Administrator authority to conduct radiation
research. Such research will provide scientific data for
formulation of radiation standards.
Because of great concern about biological hazards from
electromagnetic radiation, the Office of Telecommunications
Policy (OTP), Executive Office of the President, initiated
and is coordinating a multi-agency "Program for Control of
Electromagnetic Pollution of the Environment: The
Assessment of Biological Hazards of Nonionizing
Electromagnetic Radiation." ORD's health effects research
represents the greater part of EPA1s total contribution to
the OTP coordinated program. Health effects research is
aimed at identifying biological effects that are caused by
environmentally occurring electromagnetic radiation
frequencies and power densities.
This research includes controlled animal experiments
and basic mechanism studies with emphasis on long-term,
low-level exposures. EPA's nonionizing radiation health
effects research emphasizes the extent that the general
population is exposed frcm sources such as UHF-TV
broadcasts, microwave ovens, industrial heaters and radar.
In addition to studies on nonionizing radiation, research
is carried out on adverse health effects of exposure to
tritium and Krypton-85.
36
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The level of effort for nonionizing radiation research
will remain about the same for the next five years. The
research on ionizing radiation will be phased into the >ERDA
program in FY 1977 and thereafter.
FY 1976 Plan
Report of microwave effects on immune response.
Report on cytogenetic effects of microwave
exposures.
Report on teratogenic and mutagenic effects of
microwave on mice and rats.
Report on neurophysiologic and behavioral response
of rats to microwaves.
Five-Year Plan
Report on biological effects of chronic exposure to
microwaves in rats.
Determination of size of population-at-risk in
nonoccupational exposure to high power electric
transmission lines.
Pesticides
The pesticides health effects research evaluates acute
and chronic exposure to pesticides, their residues and
their metabolites. Indices of effects include mortality,
growth rate, clinical signs of poisoning, hematologic
factors and reproduction. Laboratory studies with
experimental animals and community epidemiologic studies of
human exposure to pesticides are conducted.
This research evaluates potential hazards of pesticides
now registered by EPA and in common use. In addition, the
human safety of "new generation" pest control agents such
as insect viruses, pathogenic bacteria, chemosterilants,
attractants and hormones is evaluated. The development and
validation of new toxicological methods that can be used to
register pesticides and development and application of
analytical methods to detect these agents in environmental
samples and human tissue, is a major part of the pesticides
health effects research.
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Research data and interpretation are given to the
Office of Pesticides Programs (OPP) in a form useful for:
assisting the reregistration process, formulating policies
on the registration of new classes of pest control agents,
improving the protocols required in registering pesticides,
operating the human monitoring program and providing health
and chemical information for enforcement of EPA actions
relating to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). Reports will be issued at least
yearly for base-program studies. Special projects
involving technical assistance will be reported on
completion. These activities assist OPP in its
implementation of FIFRA at both federal and State levels.
Work by the National Center for Toxicological Research
(NCTR) in cooperation with the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) is developing and validating new toxicological
methods to evaluate exposure-effect relationships of new
pesticides that are candidates for registration.
FY 1976 Plan
Determine the toxicity range of cacodylic acid.
Measure pesticide exposures and health hazards of
persons working as pesticide applicators and for
other field workers.
Assess and quantify reproductive and prenatal
effects of Hexachlorobenzene (HCB).
Report on acute, subacute and chronic studies by
various exposure routes of selected pesticides.
Screen selected carbamates and organophosphate ester
pesticides for neurotoxicity.
Five-Year Plan
Report on special human health hazard problems
associated with pesticides, including degradation
and decontamination of surfaces where spills have
occurred during transportation and storage and
hazards related to disposal of small quantities of
pesticides on farms.
Assess and quantify the toxicity and teratogenic
effects of substituted chlorophenol (SCP) compounds.
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Determine human exposure to bi.odegradeable
pesticides and their metabolites. Some classes of
pesticidal compounds included in these
investigations are: (a) substituted carbamates,
ureas and nitrogen-containing pesticides and
herbicides, including nitro compounds and
substituted triazines, (b) substituted phenols and
amines, (c) organophosphorus-containing compounds
and (d) halogenated compounds and derivates.
Develop and standardize identification and
monitoring techniques for Baccilovirus pesticides.
Develop standardized procedures for identification,
isolation and purification of insect pathogens and
their products.
Toxic Substances
The purpose of the toxic substances work is to assess
toxicity of inorganic and organic contaminants that reach
people in a number of ways. The current research evaluates
through use of animal testing, health effects of fibrous
amphiboles, lead and the pesticide Baygon, cadmium, organic
pollutants as influenced by trace metals and dioxin and
dibenzofuran. This work supports the air and water health
effects research as well and anticipates legislation on
toxic substances control.
FY 1976 Plan
Report on toxicity of fibrous amphiboles considered
as carcinogens and co-factors.
Report on the combined effects of certain trace
metals and certain pesticides on the rate of
metabolism of aminopyrene and antipyrene in rats.
Five-Year Plan
Report on carcinogenicity and toxicity of fibrous
amphiboles.
Development of biochemical methods to screen organic
and inorganic pollutants for specific biological
activity potentially hazardous to human health.
39
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Future Programs
A major reorientation of EPA's health research is its
focus on chronic, debilitating diseases known to be related
to environmental factors. This represents reorientation
because past research design was intended to describe what
diseases may be related to specific pollutants. Enough
progress has been made to.definitely relate chronic lung
disease, cardiovascular disease and cancer to environmental
pollution. EPA must now determine how these diseases are
influenced by specific agents so that an effective control
policy can be formulated.
Of course, many other environmentally-related diseases
occur. The metabolic and neurobehavioral consequences of
exposure to heavy metals, pesticides and other toxic
substances do not fit into these broad disease categories.
Research will continue in these areas. However, EPA's
environmental health research will have a major influence
on public health in the industrialized world if
environmental factors shown to be materially involved in
cardiopulmonary disease and cancer are identified and
brought under control.
Health effects research keeps pace with the increased use of pesticides and substitute
chemicals.
CREDIT: EPA/DOCUMERICA - Charles O'Rear
40
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Ecological Processes and Effects
Subprogram Description
EPA has , the responsibility to set adequate criteria,
standards and guidelines to protect and enhance
environmental quality. Ecological processes and effects
research provides EPA with a body of knowledge and
theoretical structure on which to base environmental
criteria, standards and regulations.
Ecology is the scientific discipline and body of
knowledge that should underlie management and use of the
environment. Ecological research provides the data base
essential to developing guidelines, water quality
standards, secondary air quality, standards, pesticide
registration, ocean discharge criteria and effluent
standards for toxic and hazardous materials, as well as
directly contributing to many other agency activities.
Several fundamental features of ecological research
should be emphasized in connection with EPA's regulatory
responsibilities. Problem identification such as the
disclosure that pollutant X causes human cancer implies
regulatory consideration and also generates a plethora of
environmental , questions concerning pollutant X.
Consequently, human health effects cannot be divorced from
the ecological framework, as illustrated by the following
questions.
How does pollutant X behave in the environment and
particularly how does it get to the human subject?
Is pollutant X accumulated or concentrated by human
food organisms? What is the effect of pollutant X
on these and other nontarget organisms?
Does pollutant X have significant effects on
ecological systems that support human uses and what
is a significant effect?
t
What features of the fate, effects or transport of
pollutant X allow for its control or will be useful
for regulatory deliberations?
What are secondary effects of abatement or
regulatory strategies?
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How available is pollutant X in the natural
environment?
The above questions illustrate the scope and purpose of
ecological research: that of assessing, predicting and
limiting the extent of environmental pollution problems and
enhancing environmental quality where possible.
Ecolcgical research activities respond to EPA's
administration of environmental law and to changes in these
laws. For example, P.L. 92-500 represents a major new
direction rn water quality regulationa switch in emphasis
from receiving-water standards to effluent standards. This
change involves a greater overall emphasis on consideration
of the ecological effects of process and control
technologies and management methods.
To set an effluent standard that is strict enough to
offer reasonable protection to aquatic environments and no
stricter than necessary, requires prediction with
reasonable accuracy of dispersion, transformation,
accumulation and effects and economic damages of pollutants
from the time they enter the environment to the time they
are diluted to harmless levels (if that happens). Given
the complexity of wastes as well as ecosystems, ecological
research activities must be carefully examined and properly
ordered to make best use of limited resources. These
activities support the evaluation of effluent standards and
discharge activities.
The Ecological Processes and Effects Subprogram is
structured to recognize both broad ecosystem types and
major research needs. Three ecosystem types--freshwater,
marine and terrestrial--are sufficiently unique to justify
separate treatment. Within each of these types, research
is subdivided into "Ecological Criteria Development" and
"Systems Characterization and Impact Assessment".
"Ecological Criteria Development" includes laboratory
studies such as bioassays to establish tolerable pollutant
levels. it also includes determination of single species
effects or higher level effects such as those obtained from
well-defined microcosm simulation. As a generalization,
work performed under "Ecological Criteria Development" is
performed in direct response to legislative mandates to
define numerical standards for pollutant release. This
work directly determines both the need for and extent of
control or abatement measures. Since establishment of a
pollutant level implies treatment or control measures and
practices, this programmatic activity has serious and far
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reaching economic implications. This economic concern
encourages work that is exact and precise.
"Systems Characterization and Impact Assessment"
broadly covers projects that include: field studies;
theoretical or mathematical simulations; development of
methodologies to assess socio-economic impacts of
pollutants, including assessment of resource utilization;
and characterization of laboratory model ecosystems or
microcosms for potential use in criteria development. In
contrast to the first category, this category does not
include routine use of well characterized model ecosystems
for criteria development.
In addition to numerical criteria for air and water
pollutants, technical criteria are developed to provide
policy makers with guidelines on the environmental impact
of municipal, industrial, agricultural and energy resource
growth and development. These decision criteria allow
environmental impact to be considered in early stages of a
development planning cycle.
As such the ecological criteria portion of ORD's
program provides a relatively quick response to EPA
requests for technical and numerical criteria on the
effects of specific pollutants on sensitive components of
air, water and terrestrial systems. Systems
Characterization and Impact assessment provides longer
range research necessary to make numerical criteria more
meaningful for whole systems. Research outputs from both
categories are necessary to meet objectives of the
Ecological Processes and Effects Subprogram.
In the future, however, more effort will be placed on
systems studies designed to yield information on pollutant
effects on entire systems. In the past, ORD criteria for
effects were based on studies cf selected species. Current
scientific opinion and recent judicial proceedings indicate
a need to evaluate the impact of pollutants on entire
systems as well as on individual species. Unfortunately,
satisfactory methods for such systems evaluation are still
inadequate.
The following sections describe major aspects of the FY
1976 ecological effects program together with a five-year
plan describing anticipated major outputs and research
approaches.
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Freshwater Ecological Criteria Development
The freshwater ecological criteria development research
focuses on determining effects of pollutants or other
stresses on aquatic organisms, including determination of
environmental requirements and limits. This work will also
determine general principals governing the transformation,
accumulation and ultimate fate of pollutants in freshwater
ecosystems and by means of laboratory-scale model
ecosystems and field studies, the ecosystem level effects
of pollutants and other stresses.
The completed information from these research
activities will be used by federal and State regulatory
agencies to establish standards for pollutants such as
chlorine and chlorine substitute pesticides, other organic
compounds, asbestos and asbestos like fibers and heavy
metals. In addition, research results will give users up-
to-date methods to determine the impact of pollutants on
freshwater organisms.
sar
by research Qn ecolฐ9ical processes and
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Continued research is needed to develop and' improve
criteria as new pollutant problems and our awareness of
them changes and as'new and improved analytical techniques,
pollution control technology and understanding of
ecosystems develops. An increased emphasis over the next
five years will be on supplementing pollutant criteria
based on specific representative organisms with data
obtained from currently-being-developed standardized
laboratory model ecosystems and microcosms.
FY 1976 Plan
Determine the toxicity of disinfected wastewater
effluents and the bioaccumulation of organic
compounds by fish exposued to these and other
wastes.
Determine the distribution, effects on aquatic life
(singly and in combination with other pollutants)
and intermedia transport of asbestiform fibers.
Evaluate acute, chronic, synergistic, antagonistic
and additive effects of selected organic and
inorganic pollutants and pollutant combinations.
Determine behavioral responses of aquatic organisms
to selected pollutants and other stresses.
Characterize the degradation of organic pollutants
in cold climate ecosystems.
Determine effects of dissolved gas supersaturation
on selected species of salmonid and nonsalmonid
fishes.
Five-Year Plan
Develop criteria for the control of pollutant
effects in Arctic and Subarctic freshwater
ecosystems.
Increase emphasis on determining response of aquatic
life to combinations of toxicants and other
stresses.
Determine movement, deposition, transformation, and
effects of pollutants in large, semicontrolled
experimental stream channels open to environmental
variations.
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Determine fate and effects of pollutants in
laboratory-scale model ecosystems.
Use laboratory scale model ecosystems for rapid
screening of pollutants to isolate potentially
problem materials.
Determine extent and significance of the sorption of
pesticides, metals and other toxicants onto
particulate matter.
Improve knowledge of dissolved oxygen requirements
of important invertebrates and warmwater fishes.
Determine the role of aquatic organisms in
transforming heavy metals as the metals enter the
environment.
Freshwater Systems Characterization and Impact Assessment
The freshwater systems characterization and impact
assessment research focuses on: determining the source,
transport, transformation effects and ultimate fate of
pollutants in specific freshwater ecosystems, with on
special emphasis the Great Lakes; understanding the
eutrophication process in freshwater ecosystems, developing
methods for evaluating the trophic status of natural waters
and developing methods to reverse or redirect undesireable
effects of cultural eutrophication; determining the effects
of man-induced stresses on Arctic ecosystems; and
characterizing laboratory model ecosystems to be used for
ecological criteria development.
Field studies carried out in this area are essential in
validating data obtained from laboratory studies, in
assessing impacts of environment stresses and of stress
decreases following control programs and in identifying new
problems before they become serious. EPA1s research
commitment to the U.S.Canada Great Lakes Water Quality
Agreement of 1972 is fulfilled through this research
activity.
An important new area of emphasis is development,
characterization and standardization of laboratory model
ecosystems or microcosms. Such models can be used to study
freshwater and multimedia ecological processes and effects
under controlled conditions and to quickly screen
pollutants most ecologically hazardous. Among the
important outputs of this area over the next five years
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will be: t an integrated set of predictive mathematical
models of key chemical, physical and biological processes
in the Great Lakes; a thorough analysis of National
Eutrophication Survey data on a nationwide basis to
determine relationships between land use, nutrient source,
and lake trophic status; and assessment of full-scale lake
restoration activities carried out under the Clean La*kes
Program.
FY 1976 Plan
Continue the National Eutrophication Survey: a
systematic inventory of trophic conditions of
selected lakes in the continental U.S.
Develop and apply eutrophication and algal
production models of Lakes Ontario, Erie, and Huron
to predict consequences 6f nutrient control
programs.
Continue assessment and identification of pollution
problems in the Great Lakes such as accumulation of
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other organics
in Great Lakes fish.
Evaluate advanced waste treatment, nutrient
diversion, nutrient inactivation and biological
manipulation as lake restoration techniques.
* Develop and refine predictive / models of the
eutrophication process.
Characterize laboratory model ecosystems as
potential research and screening tools for
evaluating and predicting ecosystem effects of
pollutants.
Five-Year Plan
Develop improved understanding of functioning and
variability, of natural ecosystems by support of
relevant baseline and theoretical research.
t
Evaluate the rate and extent of recovery of
ecosystems following removal of a stress to better
predict the effectiveness of particular pollution
control options.
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Continue research on Great Lakes ecosystems oriented
towards identifying and assessing pollution
problems.
Determine the effectiveness of nutrient control
programs in the Great Lakes and other freshwater
ecosystems.
Continue to characterize additional laboratory-scale
model ecosystems for use as toxic substances
screening and effects research tools.
Evaluate the ecological effects and effectiveness of
lake restoration projects carried out under the
Clean Lakes Program and other activities, including
Shagawa Lake.
Complete the National Eutrophication Survey (NES)
and perform detailed analyses of the NES data base
to determine relationships among land-use, point and
nonpoint source inputs and lake trophic status.
Develop and characterize new and improved methods of
lake restoration, including ecosystem level
approaches such as biological alteration.
Marine and Estuarine Ecological Criteria Development
A number of successful efforts, including an assessment
of progress on estuaries and research influencing EPA's
direction in administering P.L. 92-500 have led to changes
in ORD research planning in the area of Marine and
Estuarine. ORD needs to continue development of single
species and single pollutant bioassay methods research and
concurrent research in chemical analyses to support the
pollutant bioassays as inputs into regional permit program
needs. These efforts will continue, tapering off to
conclusion after 1980.
Although much of the research being carried out in FY
1976 will be continued in the following years, ORD foresees
changes in the type of research output. There will be less
emphasis on the single parameter water quality criteria
(summary reports on toxicities of specific metals,
pesticides, disinfectants and other criteria to be
published periodically through 1980) and more emphasis on
developing test systems for evaluating the near field
impact of a chemically complex effluent. ORD believes that
such information will be of better use in the development
of legally defensible water quality criteria, effluent
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limitations and guidelines for disposal of numerous
industrial and domestic effluents. It will be based on
analysis of complex interactive systems that form the
environment, so as to guard against ecological imbalance.
In particular, completion of this research will produce
information on impact of disposal of dredge spoils on
coastal and marine environments, something to which EPA has
been asked to respond.
FY 1976 Plan
Determine fate and effects of organic and inorganic
pollutants, singly, in combination and in mixed
wastes, as discharged into estuarine and coastal
areas.
Determine the ecological impact of various levels of
environmental parameters such as, but not limited
to, temperature, dissolved oxygen and salinity.
Determine criteria for waste outfalls in the marine
environment.
Assess the ecological significance of indices of
community structure and population dynamics and the
use of such indices as criteria for measuring the
"health" of marine ecosystems.
Determine the effects of antifouling biocides and
disinfectants on marine species and ecosystems.
Five-year Plan
Develop criteria for dredge material disposal.
Develop criteria for long-term, low-level thermal
pollution in both polluted and unpolluted
environments.
Report on fate of metals in an estuarine
environment.
Development of multiple species and multiple
pollutant bioassay procedures.
Development of criteria for third generation
pesticides.
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Criteria for ocean dumping practices are being developed,
CREDIT: EPA/DOCUMERICA - Gary E. Miller
50
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Development of a rapid screening technique fpr
testing substances for mutagenicity and toxicity.
Revision of' bioafssay procedures for the ocean
dumping permit program.
Marine and Estuarine Systems Characterization and Impact
Assessment
The FWPCA (P.L. 92-500)' contains a clear mandate from
Congress for EPA to employ ecology as a predictive science.
This requires research on means to describe quantitatively
what a "balanced indigenous population" is and to define
quantitatively what amount of stress will drive ecological
communities in question out of "balance".
The research effort presently includes laboratory
modeling, simulation of specific estuarine ecosystems,
concurrent field measurements and verification of model
results and impact assessment. Much of the research
carried out in FY 1976 will be continued into the following
years. The first five years of effort should produce a
predictive physical model of ecosystem dynamics for one or
two estuaries, verified by computer modeling of what ORD
believes to be ecologically active factors and field
validation in the estuaries modeled.
ORD expects to apply knowledge gained in this five-year
effort to promulgate and update guidelines for ocean
outfall siting, ocean dumping, impact assessment of thermal
and chemical discharges and a variety of specific regional
permit problems. Following successful technology transfer
to the private sector, the research program may be reduced
to a level suitable to maintain Agency expertise and act on
occasional unique pollution episodes and helping
communities affected. It will then become a technical
assistance effort.
FY 1976 Plan
Determine the dynamics of relatively unpolluted
natural estuarine ecosystems.
Develop conceptual, computer and mathematical models
of storage and flow of natural products and
pollutants in polluted and relatively unpolluted
estuaries and coastal environments.
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Develop simulated ecosystems using natural and
artifical estuarine communities to predict the fate
and effects of pollutants. x
Produce procedures and guidelines for assessing,
predicting and demonstrating environmental impact
from ocean disposal practices.
Determine the fate -and ecological effects of
petroleum and petroleum derived hydrocarbons and
produce guidelines for damage assessment and methods
for predicting impacts from new sources.
Assess the effects of existing stresses from various
industrial and municipal wastes on Subarctic marine
environments.
Five-Year Plan
Determine the fate and effects of viruses introduced
into the marine and estuarine ecosystem.
Determine the fate and effects of the ocean disposal
of stack scrubber waste material.
Report on the impact and guidelines for predicting
the impact of dredge spoils and sewage sludge.
Report on the distribution of carcinogenic compounds
derived from petroleum hydrocarbons.
Assessment of biological effects of ocean disposal
of sewage waste in southern California, New York
Bight and Arctic coastal waters.
Assessment of ecological impact from dredging and
dredge spoil disposal.
Determine the fate and effects of inert ingredients
found in pesticides.
Terrestrial Ecological Criteria Development
The Terrestrial Ecological Criteria Development Area
focuses on supporting air pollution control strategies that
will protect public welfare by determining the ecological
and physiological effects of air pollutants and other
pollutants on terrestrial flora and fauna when they are
coupled with various environmental stresses. The work in
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progress will determine general principles governing
transformation, accumulation and eventual fate of air,
pesticide, 'arid other pollutants in terrestrial ecosystems.
Such determinations will be made by means of field,
greenhouse and laboratory studies and by use of scale model
microcosm ecosystems.
In particular, completion of these studies will
strengthen and document criteria for sulfur oxides,
nitrogen oxides, photochemical oxidants and noncriteria
pollutants. These data have been requested by EPA's Office
of Air Quality Planning and Standards. Furthermore, the
completed research will allow EPA to achieve the scheduled
updates on criteria pollutants prescribed in the Clean Air
Act.
Information on selected noncriteria (e.g., heavy
metals) pollutants will be similarly updated. And the
completed data will provide the . basis for future air
pollution control strategies. Finally, completion of the
research will provide the basis for evaluation of the
significance of naturally occurring air pollutants such as
hydrocarbons and ethylene.
FY 1976 Plan
Develop and refine scientific basis for secondary
air quality standards and for control strategies as
cited in the Clean Air Act.
Develop a scientific basis for control and
regulation of selected pesticides'and other toxic or
hazardous materials.
Determine the ecological and physiological effects
of pesticides and other toxic substances on
terrestrial ecosystems by use of simulated models
and ecosystems.
Measure acute and chronic terrestrial ecosystem
responses to various pollutants, singly and in
combinations.
Determine; usefulness of ecological indices as
pollutant stress indicators and enforcement tools.
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Five-Year Plan
Develop terrestrial ecological models describing
pollutant pathways, transformation, and fate.
Continue development of scientific basis for
secondary air quality standards.
Determine movement, disposition, transformation and
effects of pollutants in microcosm terrestrial
ecosystems.
Develop pollutant fate and nutritional element
recycling effects of acid rain on plant communities
and soil systems.
Determine and develop criteria guidelines for
registering third generation pesticides.
Determine pollutant transport pathways,
transformation and ecological effects of pesticides
in urban use.
Terrestrial Ecosystems Characterization and Impact
Assessment
The Terrestrial Ecosystems Characterization and
Pollution Impact Assessment work focuses on scientific
characterization of disrupted and/or natural terrestrial
ecosystems or their parts that have been, are, or are about
to be impacted by air- or rain-borne pollutants. Such
pollutants occur singly or in combination in varying
concentrations and for varying exposure periods. The data
can be mathematically modeled or subject to interpretation
without being modeled. Findings will be used to predict
either ecological or economic damage to terrestrial
ecosystems based on projected pollutant concentrations,
exposure duration and ambient environmental conditions as
they act on typical biota of a given region, location or
site.
Future studies will allow development of prototype
control strategies related to entire ecosystems. Also,
effects of pollutants on stability of vital biological
processes in viable forest, grassland, and agricultural
ecosystems, will be meaningfully fitted into ecosystem
characterizations. The biological processes will include
photosynthesis, nitrogen fixation and nutrient recycling.
Completed studies will also reveal actual rates of
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ecosystem degradation of a coniferious forest ecosystem
under oxidant stress.
FY 1976 Plan
Determine and characterize impact of air pollutants
on flora and fauna of a grassland plains savannah
ecosystem.
Determine and characterize impact of air pollutants
on a coniferous western forest ecosystem.
Determine and characterize pollutant impacts on
ecosystem components of disturbed, e.g.,
agricultural, ecosystems.
Develop predictive terrestrial ecosystems models
that may include socio-economic and demographic
analysis and resource utilization evaluations.
Five-Year Plan
Determine and characterize air pollutant effects on
deciduous, grassland, and coniferous ecosystems.
Develop and verify ecosystem predictive and
transport models of pollutant impact studies for
major ecosystems.
Develop population dynamic models for microbiotic
communities under pollutant stress.
Transport and Fate of Pollutants
Subprogram Description
Development of effective pollution control strategies
requires linking pollutant impacts to sources. The
Transport and Fate Subprogram is primarily responsible for
development of empirical and analytical techniques that
relate air and water pollution source emissions and
discharges to ambient exposures. This requires research
and model development in: (a) atmospheric soil and aquatic
ecosystem processes and effects for determination of
pollutant sources, interactions, transport, transformation
and sinks; (b) effects of air pollutants on visibility,
rainfall, and climate; and (c) impacts of water pollutants
of water quality.
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Following is a description of the transport and fate
research as divided into air and water and an
identification of major outputs over the next five years.
Air
The Clean Air Act of 1970 introduced an era of
stringent standards and deadlines for achieving air quality
goals. However, some ramifications of achieving clean air
have only recently, come sharply into focus. The direct
costs of achieving clean air by control of stationary and
mobile sources are better known and the indirect impacts on
land use, energy supplies and other goals have become more
apparent. Sophisticated "hardware" controls alone are no
longer considered enough or the sole solution to air
quality improvement.
In this period, knowledge of many atmospheric processes
governing transport and transformation of pollutants in the
atmosphere has progressed. However, available new
information has revealed significant information gaps that
may hinder progress in effectively managing atmospheric
quality. The gaps most likely to receive attention in the
near-term include the transport and alteration of sulfates
under both regional and global conditions and on the well-
established problem of oxidants in local and regional
areas. Emerging problems, such as freon and other
hazardous substances, are also likely to receive more
attention.
Processes that alter ซ1r pollutants In the atmosphere are dynamic and must be understood in order to
develop effective abatement strategies.
CREDIT: EPA/DOCUMER1CA - Gene Daniels
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During the past three years, the ORD has conducted a,
major Regional Air Pollution Study (RAPS) in St. Louis to
develop and validate regional-scale models for criteria air
pollutants. Planned accomplishments include: (a)
completion of emission invento-ry methodologies, (b)
development of models for nonreacting pollutants, (c)
development of models indicating transformation, and (d)
improved understanding of pollutant/precursor removal
processes.
Field investigations will soon be conducted to
determine the physical and chemical description of
atmospheric gaseous and particulate matter. The major
atmospheric effects, including acid rainfall, visibility
reduction, climatology and radiation balance, will be
studied. Identification and quantification of regulated
and important nonregulated pollutants will be determined in
both urban and nonurban atmospheres.
Ambient pollutant levels will be quantitatively
described in terms of contributing emission sources.
Subjects included are: (a) oxidant transport, (b) physical
and chemical characterization of atmospheric aerosols and
gases, (c) source identification of ambient pollutants
(e.g., natural vs. powerplant vs. area sources) and (d)
freon and halocarbon abundance in the troposphere.
Air quality simulation models will also be developed,
evaluated and validated to provide qualitative and
quantitative methods for ,predicting and describing air
quality from a variety of emissions sources^. Included here
are^ - (a) model development for important pollutant
categories and configurations (e.g., highway, point
sources, area sources, etc.); (b) model evaluation; (c)
model testing protocols and (d) guidelines for physical
model use.
FY 1976 Plan
Report on the evaluation of the second generation
photochemical' model.
Adapatation of two urban air quality models to St.
Louis (Regional Air Pollution Study) .
Report summarizing current knowledge on hydrocarbon-
photochemical reactivity.
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Report on plume rise climatology for the .U.-S. for
evaluation of powerplant sites.
Report on photo-oxidation products from NO and
aromatic hydrocarbon pollutants.
Summary report on acid rainfall distribution over
the U.S.
Report on the effects of air pollutants in the
urban-rural radiation balance.
Interim report on the relative contributions of area
sources and large point sources of ambient sulfate
levels.
Report on abundance of fluorocarbons and other
important halocarbons in the troposphere.
Report results of 1975 summer experient,
photochemical oxidant transport in lower New
England.
ป Report on sampling and analysis techniques .for
particulate matter emissions of diesel-powered
highway vehicles.
Urban-Rural Air Pollution Characterization and
Source Identification.
Five-Year Plan
Development of sampling and analysis techniques for
identification and measurement of: condensible emissions
from mobile sources; condensible emissions from stationary
sources; organics from chemical and petrochemical plants;
regulated pollutant emissions from mobile sources.
Urban-rural air pollution characterization and
source identification:
Report on nonregulated pollutants in the New
York-New Jersey area;
Report on natural sources of oxidant
precursors;
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Reports on nonregulated pollutants in
Birmingham;
Agricultural area in Region VII; and Los
Angeles.
Identification and .characterization of emissions
from stationary sources including toxic metals and
organic emissions from petrochemical sources.
Regional Air Pollution Study:
Development urban sulfate models to be used
against RAPS data base;
Evaluation of sulfate and nonsulfate models.
Air quality simulation modeling.
Removal mechanisms for atmospheric nitrates.
Progress report on the rcle of precipitation washout
and rainout on sulfates and nitrates relative to
long-range transport.
Report on recommendations for control of fine
particulates,
/
Atmospheric effects:
Impact of air pollution on selected bodies of
water.
Trends in visibility.
Assessment of air pollution modification of
regional weather and climate.
Final report on the relative contributions of area
sources and large point sources to ambient sulfate
levels.
Final report on oxidant transport studies.
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Water
The establishment of water quality criteria and
standards, the development of load allocations and
subsequent issuance of permits, the development of basin
management strategies and pursuit of enforcement actions
depend on a knowledge of how contaminants are transported
and transformed in the aquatic environment. This
scientific information is necessary in order to: (a)
establish -environmentally judicious water quality
standards; (b) assume scientifically defensible positions
in litigations; (c) predict stream assimilation capacities
and pollution impact in order to establish optimum waste
load allocations and basin management on a compound-by-
compound basis; (d) optimize design and construction costs;
and (e) attain optimum environmental protection with
maximum energy conservation.
The near-term primary objective of this research is to
develop information and tools necessary to support Agency
requirements arising from P.L. 92-500 and other
legislation. Since passage of P.L. 92-500, EPA has
initiated many activities including: development of water
quality criteria that will be issued in the near future as
a basis for revising State water quality standards;
development of first-generation load allocations and
permits; designation of area-wide basin management
authorities; and initiation of several enforcement actions.
ORD expects that revision of water quality criteria
will be required in the 1978-79 time period to meet 1983
water quality goals; that more sophisticated load
allocations, incorporating heavy metals, pesticides and
other constituents, will be necessary for second generation
permits; and that comprehensive basin plans will require
more advanced technical tools and scientific information to
provide equitable controls among point and nonpoint sources
and to identify mechanisms for their implementation.
Research objectives involve identifying and assessing
present and future water quality problems and providing
OWHM with research data on fate, transport, and aquatic
ecosystem impact of specific pollutants. This information
is needed to support water quality criteria development and
pesticide registration. Form and impact of pollutants in
time and space must be provided in the regions and States
for basin planning and waste load allocations in water
quality limited systems.
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Comprehensive basin water quality models with point and
nonpoint source inputs, socio-economic implications and
energy conservation inputs will be provided in research
applications reports, scientific papers and problem
reports, including model user manuals and card decks and
hands-on demonstration, technical assistance, and feedback.
Research application and problem-oriented reports include
an analysis of the environmental applicability and
limitation of available information.
FY 1976 Plan
Development of an evaluative model for predicting
the distribution and half-life of pesticides among
the various substrates of fresh surface water
ecosystems and calibrating it for malathion.
Development of an evaluative model for predicting
the distribution and half-life of mercury among the
various substrates of fresh surface water
ecosystems.
Development of procedures for estimating water
quality (relative to sediment and nutrients) that
would exist in a given watershed under various
hypothetical land use practices (including return to
a "natural" state).
Development of additional source loading functions
to predict pollutant loads to streams from nonpoint
sources.
Coupling of nonpoint source loading models to basin
water quality models for use in assessing water
quality impacts (relative to BOD, sediment, and
nutrients) of both nonpoint and point sources.
Five-Year Plan
Provide EPA's Office of Toxic Substances (OTS) and
ORD/OHEE with suitable multimedia microcosm
techniques (and user instructions) for use as tools
in predicting environmental distribution of various
classes of pollutants that would result if released
into the environment.
complete laboratory evaluation of heavy metals (in
water) submodel; verify (in laboratory and
experimental field systems) and calibrate for
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mercury. Provide user manual to OTS, and EPA1s
Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) and Office of
Water Planning and Standards (OWPS).
Expand pesticide (in water) submodel to handle
persistent pesticides and highly volatile
pesticides; verify (in laboratory and experimental
field systems) and calibrate with Atrazine
(representative of persistent pesticides) and
Trifluralan (representative of highly volatile
pesticides). Provide user manuals to OPP, OTS, and
OWPS.
Provide manual to OWPS, regions and "208" planning
agencies on methodology for estimating "nautral" (or
background) water quality (with respect to sediment
and nutrients) that would exist in a given watershed
or basin under various hypothetical land use
practices (including non-use) given soil,
geomorphic, climate and groundwater characterisitcs.
Develop source loading functions to predict
pollutant loads to streams for those nonpoint
sources identified in the project, "National
Assessment of Nonpoint Sources", as significant and
where functions are either not available or
unreliable. Provide user manual on use of these
loading functions to OWPS, regions and "208"
planning agencies.
Assess currently available nonpoint source (NPS)
loading models (for estimating NPS pollution
contributions of BOD, sediments and nutrients from
various sources) developed in other programs and
improve and develop additional models as required to
couple with basin water quality models for use by
the regions and "208" planning agencies in assessing
water quality impacts (relative to BOD, sediments,
and nutrients) of both nonpoint and point sources.
Provide improved or additional NPS loading models
coupled to basin water quality models.
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Socio-Economic Studies
The socio-economic research uses interdisciplinary
techniques and skills to define environmental problems and
approaches to solutions of problems that are not in the
immediate short-term purview of EPA's program offices.
This research gives EPA an ability to cope with current and
future environmental problems and issues that may be
critical in the long-term,'but are not problems now.
The groups doing this work will be assembled in FY 1976
and be at full or nearly full strength by the beginning of
Py 1977. Since this activity is now being structured the
five-year plan cannot be described with any certainty now.
However, following areas are likely candidates from which
the five-year program will be assembled:
Economic Epidemiology. This area considers socio-
economic and demographic factors associated with
environmental health. These data will serve to
complement the medical epidemiology and provide data
for benefits studies.
Benefit Studies. This area develops environmental
benefit methodologies and uses them to determine the
gains of environmental programs. Emphasis will
probably be on pesticides, toxic substances and
drinking water.
Future Pollutant Problems and Pollutant Assessment.
This area is an interdisciplinary one that attempts
to "get ahead of the problem" and identify future
pollution problems early enough to devise control
strategies that protect at much lower cost than
required when the problem is serious.
Ad Hoc Studies. These are studies of short duration
(three to six months) on specific EPA issues as they
arise. The studies are particularly useful for two
reasons: First, they allow EPA to use resources not
available elsewhere for short-term issues; and
second, it gives researchers direct exposure to
EPA's problems. These activities would help assure
the relevancy of the socio-economic research to real
Agency problems.
Conservation Issues. This area will define the
problem of evaluating natural environments and
outline various approaches for coping with conflicts
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of interests between conservation of nature's unique
feasures and economic development.
Waste Reduction. This area will explore: (1)
resource depletion problems . and environmental and
economic benefits of reducing the amount of wastes;
(2) methods of encouraging materials conservation
and consequences of alternative management methods.
Methods and Model Development. Where appropriate
methods and models appropriate for use in
environmental analysis will be developed, verfied
and prepared for socio-economic assessments.
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INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES PROGRAM
Overview
This program includes two research subprograms:
Minerals, Processing and' Manufacturing Industries; and
Renewable Resources Industry- The split is made on the
character of sources being investigatedpoint and nonpoint
sources, respectively.
The Minerals, Processing and Manufacturing Industries
Subprogram considers point sources of water, air and
residue pollution produced by industry. Research,
development and demonstration in this subprogram focuses on
mining, manufacturing, service and trade industries with
activities that range in scope from extraction to
production of raw materials and processing of materials
into intermediate and consumer products.
Research on water industrial processes supports the
"Best Available Technology" (BAT) requirements of the
Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA) through
development and demonstration of new or improved cost-
effective technology with industry-wide applicability,
short-term achievability and long-term viability. This
research provides primary data for establishing
economically'and technically feasible effluent guidelines
and treatment parameters for industrial liquid-waste
discharge permits. The research also considers technology
for preventing and controlling accidental spills of
hazardous materials.
Industrial processes water research will focus on
development and demonstration of technologies for closed-
cycle systems except when: open-cycle technology research
is required for standards verification; or closed-cycle is
not feasible. Roughly 32 of the total 593 regulatory
categories will be affected by the more viable technologies
demonstrated. The area-wide combined water research will
continue to show the economic and technical viability of
combined point source wastewater management with special
emphasis on developing technical criteria for pending
pretreatment standards.
Hazardous incident research will continue on control
and minimization of spill damage and to provide data for
the new EPA spill regulations for hazardous materials.
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Over the longer-term industrial processes water
research will continue to respond to technology
requirements of the FWPCA. Increased attention will be
directed to hazardous waste disposal and demonstrations of
technology for specific critical industrial sources. The
integrated regional hazardous waste disposal facility will
be continued.
Research .on air industrial processes supports the
technology requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA) through
development and demonstration of new or improved cost-
effective technology with industry-wide applicability,
short-term achievability and long-term viability. These
requirements support implementation of ambient air quality
standards and the development of New Source Performance
Standards (NSPS).
Since a significant amount of air pollution comes from
energy production and use, it is reasonable to expect
considerable overlap between this and the
Energy/Environment Program described later in this report.
The Minerals, Processing and Manufacturing Subprogram and
the energy-related research have been carefully structured
to complement each other for that reason.
Near-term air pollution control technology research
focuses on assessing the magnitude of problems and the
state-of-the-art for control of noncriteria and hazardous
pollutants (i.e., hydrocarbons and metallic particulates)
while completing several development and demonstration
projects on criteria pollutant control systems. Work has
also begun on transferring technology for particulate
control to industry (see description of Technology Transfer
Activities). The results of the assessment studies will
provide identification, characterization and prioritization
of industrial sources of hazardous pollutants. This
information will permit development of national strategies
to control industrial air pollution.
Over the longer-term, activities will continue to
characterize and assess air pollution problems from
industrial sources and identify available technology for
pollution control and its economic implications. This
information will continue to be used to formulate specific
technology requirements and strategies to control air
pollution from industrial sources. Demonstrations of
control technology for high priority sources will also
continue.
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The Renewable Resource Industry Subprogram includes:
(a) development of total management systems, including
predictive methodology, to control air, water and land
pollution resulting from production and harvesting of food.
and fiber and their related residual wastes; and (b) the
assessment of probable trends in production of renewable
resources and their resulting environmental impact,
including effects of crop production on irrigated and
nonirrigated lands, silviculture practices and animal
production.
This research supports development of guidelines to
identify and evaluate the nature and extent of agricultural
and silvicultural sources of pollution and processes,
procedures and methods to manage pollution from these
sources (as required by FWPCA). Also vital is giving
necessary support in assessment and management of
pollutants resulting from production of renewable resources
as required by State and local agencies in carrying out
area-wide waste management responsibilities under Section
208, P.L. 92-500.
Studies related to animal production and land
application of wastes from confined animals, management of
animal wastes from operations not covered by the National
Pollution Discharge Elemination Systems (NPDES)
requirements and waste disposal where land application is
not feasible, are being performed. Irrigated crop
production studies, including irrigation system management
and predictive methods, to manage and reduce mass loading
of pollutants in irrigation return flow systems are also
being conducted. Research on nonirrigated crop production
relates to chemical and sediment management systems,
predictive modeling and long-term trends.
In the longer-term, problems to be addressed in animal
production research are: potential runoff and resulting
pollution from land application of animal wastes;
development and assessment of cost-effective techniques for
management of land runoff and development of cost-effective
systems to manage pollution from non-NPDES operations,
including waste holding structures.
Siviculture activities are directed to development of
forestry management systems and techniques that predict
environmental consequences of these systems. An assessment
will also be made of short- and long-term trends in
forestry as they impact environmental quality.
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Also, over the longer-term, activity will be increased
to expand upon the initiation of assessment of short- and
long-term trends in agricultural production as they impact
on environmental quality. This work will focus on specific
analysis of environmental impacts from highest priority
agricultural systems such as large-scale farming,
conversion of marginal lands to cropland, chemical and
energy intensive practices and the likely increase in
irrigation.
Minerals, Processing, and Manufacturing Industries
Subprogram Description
Industrial pollution is the source of about half the
biological oxygen demand (BOD) of the Nation's lakes,
rivers and streams. Industry also produces most of the
water pollution load of refractory, hazardous and toxic
materials, including heavy metals, organics and dissolved
solids. Similarly, even with control levels required under
New Source Performance Standards (NSPS), half the emissions
of particulates and a significant fraction of the emissions
of sulfur oxides (SOx) into the atmosphere come from
industrial sources. And most hazardous atmospheric
pollutants come from industrial sources.
While solid wastes from industrial sources are a
relatively small fraction (about one-fifth) of the total
wastes generated from all sources, industrial sources have
a significant impact because of their hazardous and toxic
nature due in part to production of large amounts of
sludges with heavy metals.
To address these industrial environmental pollution
problems, a research, development and demonstration (R,DSD)
program to identify, prevent, control and manage pollution
from industrial activities has been established. The
Minerals, Processing, and Manufacturing Industries
Subprogram includes sources of water, air and residue
pollution from industrial activitiesmining,
manufacturing, service and trade industries. The
activities involved range from extraction to production of
raw materials and processing of materials into intermediate
and consumer products. This research covers all or part of
thirty major groupings identified in the Standard
Industrial Classification.
Industrial pollution problems cannot be effectively
controlled by attacking only a single medium (i.e., air,
water or land). A more effective approach is to deal with
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oollution as problems whose solutions may impact on all
media. A systems approach that takes air, water and land
into account to treat pollution problems avoids
transferring pollution impacts from one medium to another,
e.g., treatment of liquid effluents in a way that produces
no secondary air pollution or land disposal problems.
Pollution runoff from mining operations continue to be a problem in many
areas.
CREDIT: EPA/DOCUMERICA - Bill Gillette
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To emphasize a coordinated, multimedia approach to>
industrial pollution problems, the research activities are
organized along industrial lines. Responsibility,for total
environmental protection is assigned to each industrial
component. Four research categoriesMaterials Production,
Materials Processing, Combined Sources and Hazardous
Materials Incidentscomprise the Minerals, Processing, and
Manufacturing Subprogram. Since industry generally
considers its environmental problems to be multimedia
problems, it is essential that each research category
include all environmental problems associated with that
category.
Materials Production includes problems of industries
concerned with exploration for and exploitation and
production of raw materials such as steel, aluminum and
limestone. Not included in this category is extraction of
nonrenewable resources used primarily as a source of
energy, such as coal, or renewable resources, such as
agricultural products.
Materials Processing covers many industrial activities
that mechanically or chemically change a material from one
form to another. For example, metal working and
electroplating, as well as production of inorganic and
organic chemicals, are included in this category-
Combined Sources covers the development of technology
to treat industrial wastes from several plants within a
region with a single fa-cility or in combination with
municipal waste management. Hazardous Materials Incidents
develops methods to treat spills of hazardous materials as
reguired in the FWPCA.
A croal of this research is to serve as a catalyst to
promote cooperation and coordination between federal
agencies, States and technology users to achieve levels of
pollutant control mandated by EPA1s legislative
authorities. Research objectives are planned to meet the
timing for reduction or elimination of pollutant discharge
reguired by the FWPCA. and the CAA. Pollution abatement
goals will be helped by this program through R,D&D
technology on a ? wide spectrum of industrial activities,
culminating in demonstration or promotion of cost-effective
pollution control technologies.
Industrial organizations will continue to be
responsible for most development and demonstration efforts
reguired to meet pollution abatement goals. Solutions to
industrial pollution problems may include commercially-
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available treatment technology or adaptations of control
technology in use on other processes. Pollution problems
may also be prevented or controlled by modifications in
process design or operation--solutions that may be specific
to a single plant and wholly under purview of the plant
operator. In certain critical cases, however, federally
financed, independent R,D&D may need to be conducted to
ensure that national pollution abatement goals will be met.
Progress is being made toward reduction or elimination
of industrial pollutant discharges. Results are
incomplete, however, because of a lack of feasible cost-
effective technology to meet standards. Some industries
are characterized by small organizations with modest or no
R,D&D components. These industries may not be able to
adapt or develop pollution control methods without external
sources of resources and expertise. Other industries have
challenged the technical and economic bases of regulations-
-both those currently applicable and those scheduled to
come into effect in the future.
Finally, the obvious need for new standards to control
or prevent discharge of toxic and hazardous pollutants from
industrial sources will produce new requirements.
Protection measures required under such standards may be
significantly different from those commonly used in
industrial pollution abatement, and may require intensive
cooperative efforts to meet standards.
The development and application of both existing and
future abatement technology is a cornerstone of FWPCA.
This legislation makes it necessary to develop advanced
treatment technology to eliminate the discharge of
industrial pollutants in a manner that neither creates
other pollution problems nor is unacceptably disruptive to
the economy. Associated with that constraint is the
necessity to prove economic viability and reasonableness of
interim pollutant control levels by 1985.
Under the FWPCA, there are approximately 593 regulatory
industrial categories, each with four levels of control to
be achieved within a 10-year span. Effluent Guidelines
have been established by EPA in 33 industries and more
guidelines will be promulgated in 1975 and 1976. Progress
toward achieving levels of control mandated by the Act
depend both on resolving legal differences between EPA and
industries that must comply with the Act and provision of
the substantive basis for technical and economic
feasibility.
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Under the CAA, several regulatory paths are available
for devising strategies to ensure that mandates of the Act
are met. Industrial technology research supports each of
these regulatory approaches. Ambient Air Quality Standards
(AAQS) have been established for six pollutants, known as
criteria pollutants. The States have submitted
implementation plans that provide for attainment of the
AAQS. Many areas will not attain the AAQS because they
lack available control technology, control is too costly,
or fuel supplies are limited.
The standard can be attained in some cases. But the
likelihood is that existing technology will not permit the
standard to be maintained in the future because of
anticipated growth of industrial capacity and consequently,
of emissions. In either instance, the goal of the
Minerals, Processing, and Manufacturing Subprogram is to
provide technically and economically feasible processes
that allow attainment and maintenance of AAQS.
New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for the six
criteria pollutants have been promulgated for 12 industries
and proposed for 8 others under the CAA. The expectation
is that another 25 criteria pollutants will be promulgated
between 1976 and 1978 for other industrial categories. The
need for a technology R,D&D program to support these and
future standards is critical.
EPA has already established or is in the process of
setting emission standards for certain other hazardous
(noncriteria) pollutants such as mercury, fluorides,
asbestos, vinyl chloride, bischloromethyl ether and
hexachlorobenzene. Because of inadequate understanding of
effects of industrial chemicals and materials in the
environment, it is likely that the pollutant-of-the-month
syndrome will continue. At this time, at least 17 sources
have already been identified that emit toxic materials in
quantities that are probably of concern.
Experience in dealing with hazardous materials (e.g.,
asbestos and vinyl chloride) indicates that there is
usually insufficient health effects data to establish a
"safe" exposure level. EPA must therefore rely on a
technology-based standard to ensure that exposures do not
present substantial risks to people. Anticipatory R,D&D on
control of emissions of potentially hazardous materials can
serve the Nation well by providing assessments for the
feasibility of control of such materials.
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Finally, the FWPCA requires that a list of hazardous
materials be issued and that the list serve as a basis for
recovery for damages resulting from spill of such
materials. The expectation is that over 500, primarily
industrial materials, will be identified. The capability
to contain and clean-up spills of so many materials is just
beginning to emerge from the hazardous spills R,DSD
activity.
Status of Technology
To date, this technology R,D&D has provided the
technical basis for an estimated 100 industrial categories
at the Best Practical Technology (1977) and Best Available
Treatment (1983) levels of control. Additional technology
gaps and associated R,D&D needs, if any, for specified Best
Practical Technology levels may be identified in legal
tests of regulations. There are, however, R,D&D
requirements for Best Available Technology, New Source
Performance Standards, Pretreatment Standards and Toxic
Standards.
The data base on which decisions can be made for
industrial air pollution control is generally weak.
Consequently, a large assessment program has been initiated
to determine what sources.may require control technology
R,D&D in the future. A complicating factor is the large
number of industrial sources that can be addressed. To
provide priorities for air pollution control efforts,
available emissions data (calculated, measured, or
otherwise estimated) were used to calculate a relative
ranking of 600 industries. The ranking took into account
the specific pollutants emitted, the relative toxicity of
the pollutant, the physical configuration of the emitting
source and the population in close proximity to the source.
As a result, more detailed assessments have been started
for the 40 highest priority industries. New industries
will be added to the study list as ongoing assessments are
completedsubject to availability of funds. Further,
multimedia assessments to fully consider intermedia
transfers are being initiated.
Five-Year Plan
To significantly enhance protection of the environment
from industrial pollution sources by the mid 1980's, the
Minerals, Processing, and Manufacturing Subprogram is
recognized as a high priority R,D&D area. Because of the
time restraints in the FWPCA to achieve the stringent
control levels established and anticipated timing of
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additional New Source Performance and Hazardous Materials
Standards and new Toxic Substances Standards, R&D must be
accelerated if industry is to meet these regulations and
standards in FY 1978 and FY 1979. Resources can be
substantially reduced in FY 1980 and beyond as efforts move
beyond demonstration to technology transfer to industries
that can benefit from the intensive ongoing R,D&D effort.
By anticipating such a "spike" increase in resources for FY
1978 and FY 1979, it will be possible to plan cooperative
programs with the affected industries to maximize use of
total resourcesboth federal and private.
Methods that effectively control all wastes-including air, water and solid waste pollutionfrom
large industrial sources are needed.
CREDIT: EPA/DOCUMERICA - Paul Sequeira
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A major% industrial air and water polluter is the iron
and steel industry. Devices suitable for retrofit to
existing coke ovens have been demonstrated for control of
air emissions during charging and pushing operations. A
system for controlling both air and water discharge from
pushing and quenching operations is scheduled for
completion in FY 1976 and will serve in part as the basis
for a New Source Performance Standard. It is expected that
in FY 1977, an integrated total environmental control
project will be initiated for a fully integrated iron and
steel facility. This project will treat both air and water
pollution and should be completed by FY 1980.
Fine particulates also present a serious problem to the
iron and steel industryi For that reason, plans for two
demonstrations of different advanced control techniques
will be initiated during FY 1976 and completed during the
following fiscal year. One of these demonstrations will
involve fine particulate control in the steel making
process and the other will be included in production of
ferroalloys. The expectation is that an electrostatic
precipitator system and flux force condensation or other
advanced system will be demonstrated for fine particulate
control beginning in FY 1977.
in metal finishing and electroplating, full-scale
demonstrations of acid retardation and ion exchange to
recover phosphoric acid from bright aluminum wastewaters
containing cyanide and reverse-osmosis treatment for nickel
plating wastewater, will be completed in FY 1976.
Accelerated efforts on ways to treat highly toxic and often
heavy-metal laden wastes from these industries will be
launched in FY 1978 and FY 1979.
Another high priority industry is the petrochemical
industry. Demonstration of closed cycle technology to
control pollution from this industry will be initiated.
Petrochemical facilities are major emitters of organo-
nitrogen compounds into waters and major sources of
hydrocarbon atmospheric emissions. Three investigations to
be completed in FY 1976 include: (a) use of automated
control of the novel "BTOX" system for treatment of
organically contaminated brines generated in glycol
production, (b) the development of total recycle systems
for waste brines containing refractory organics and (c) the
development of treatment and control technology for
refractory petrochemical wastes. These studies will serve
as the basis for full-scale industrial demonstrations to be
undertaken with industry beginning in FY 1978.
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Closely associated with the petrochemical waste
treatment program are R,D&D efforts on disposition ot
chlorinated waste residues produced in purififying
chlorinated solvents. Engineering design - studies,
including specifications and costs, are currently underway
for design, construction and operation of a full-scale
chlorolysis regional waste disposal facility. The
demonstration phase of this facility should begin in FY
1977. Utilization of this process will substantially
reduce discharge of hazardous residues to the environment
and effectively eliminate a major source of chlorinated
hydrocarbons to receiving streams and groundwater.
During FY 1976, R,D&D efforts in the rubber, plastic
and inorganic chemicals areas will lead to: (a) a
demonstration of removal of nitrocellulosic fines by
ultrafiltration
allowing water reuse and nitrocellulose recovery (this
technique has application "to both explpsives and plastics
industrial wastewaters); (b) demonstration of Best
Available Technology for wastewater treatment in the
synthetic rubber industry; (c) an assessment of the
technology available for the alumina refining industry
(Bayer Process Red Muds); and (d) a pilot demonstration of
industrial wastewater renovation by an evaporative process
that removes dissolved solids (this approach has
application to acid mine drainage water, powerplant cooling
water and blowdown streams). These efforts will serve as
the basis for full-scale industrial demonstrations
beginning in FY 1978.
Also in FY 1976, the results of a full-scale
demonstration of use of activated carbon in conjunction
with air flotation to treat wastewaters from a naval stores
(wood chemicals) production facility, are to be published.
This carbon absorption unit is the largest industrial
treatment facility of its kind in the world and will serve
as the prototype for other industrial units.
The toxic pollutant technology demonstration program
has developed to the point where studies of pilot to full-
scale processes are underway to treat wastewaters from the
manufacture of PCBs,' endrin, heptachlor,' chlordaiie and DDT.
Continued research; is necessary because these and other
chemicals may still be produced and exported even while
domestic use should be significantly reduced. This
research will be expanded to include toxaphene, aldrin,
dieldrin and other toxic streams in FY 1978 and FY 1979.
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Maximum closure of the process water loop ir> an
integrated neutral semi-chemical pulp and paperboard mill
will be achieved in FY 1976. In addition, a 300 ton-per-
day multi-stage oxygen bleaching system for producing
hardwood kraft pulp will be demonstrated. Not only will
the latter project be the first demonstration of oxygen
bleaching in North America, but it will also be the first
application of integration of oxygen technology into an
entire mill system. Kraft pulp mill odor control projects
for both retrofit and new recovery boilers are being
completed. These demonstrations represent state-of-the-art
control using process modifications for reduced sulfur
compounds from recovery furnaces. The use of activated
carbon treatment of kraft pulp bleaching effluents together
with achievement of economical production of activated
carbon as a by-product from kraft pulping liguors, is also
being completed. These technology developments and
demonstrations will be transferred to the pulp and paper
industry.
In the food processing area, demonstration of the reuse
of poultry and food and vegetable processing waters will be
completed, including evaluation of acceptability of using
those treated waters as a recycled stream. These projects
will be "pathfinders" for similar approaches in other food
processing industries.
In FY 1977, a demonstration of nitrogen-compound
removal from, meat packing plant effluents to meet Best
Available Technology limits will be completed. The main
emphasis in the food processing area will be on reduction
and elimination of water discharges by demonstration in
selected high water use segments of the industries. By-
product recovery for segments of the industry potato
processing and beverage productionwill be initiated in
the late 1970's and completed in 1980.
A manual for the design of rendering-plant odor-control
scrubbers will be distributed this year. This manual is
the result of a joint Industry/EPA study to pfovide
technical support for odor control programs. Air pollution
control of fugitive dusts from sources such as rendering
plants will be completed in FY 1978.
The Hazardous Spills work is in the process of
demonstrating three systems for the treatment, containment
and collection of hazardous spills. To be completed in FY
1976 are: (a) full-scale demonstration of a mobile 250
gallons-per-minute "dynactor" treatment system that has
broad range application to spills containing toxic metals,
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inorganics and organics and pesticides; (b) development and
demonstration of an in situ foam diking system for spills
containment; and (c) demonstration of a self-contained
collection bag system for containing hazardous spills. In
future years, technology will be developed and demonstrated
to contain and clean-up hazardous materials spills on land
and for those resulting in air pollution incidents.
Renewable Resources Industry
Subprogram Description
The renewable resources industry includes food, fiber,
and wood production and related activities ranging from
agricultural production through harvesting. This research
area encompasses: (a) methods for predicting .the water
quality impact of various agriculture and silviculture
practices to aid in establishment of water quality
standards; and to assess the impact of alternate management
methods: (b) Best Management Practice (BMP) alternatives
designed to reduce or prevent runoff of pollution
discharges or emissions that adversely affect air, land or
water, including cost-effective determinations and
evaluation of social and economic impacts; (c) assessment
of probable trends in production of renewable resources and
their resulting socio-economic and environmental impacts;
and (d) development of nonchemical pest management controls
to reduce problems of runoff from agricultural pesticides.
The expectation is that pressure will mount for the
U.S. to significantly increase agricultural production in
the last quarter of this century. This pressure will
likely mount as the production-to-consumption gap of highly
populated underdeveloped countries widens, as developed
countries attain increased affluence and as world
population increases. Environmental problems of a broad
scope are likely to accompany any drastic efforts to
increase agricultural production in the U.S. Moreover,
significant conflicts may arise between energy development,
production and uses, community development and renewable
resources activities. The long-term problem then, for the
U.S. will be to increase agricultural production with
minimal environmental degradation and conflict with other
national goals.
The long-term research in this area will be to: (a)
develop the capability to assess and predict environmental
effects of existing and advanced approaches to increased
production of each renewable resource and between resources
at the local, regional, and national levels; and (b)
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develop cost-effective alternative technological,
management and institutional approaches to assure increased
production at the least environmental cost.
The more immediate problem confronting EPA evolves from
P.L. 92-500 and the need to manage discharges from nonpoint
sources. The problem is: To provide State and local water
quality management agencies with tools they need to carry
out their area-wide waste management responsibilities under
Section 208, P.L. 92-500. The tools include: (a)
guidelines for identifying, assessing and evaluating the
nature and extent of agricultural and silvicultural sources
of pollution, and (b) processes, procedures and methods to
manage and control pollution from these sources, as
delineated under Section 304 (e) of FWPCA.
ORD has conducted research that will partially address
and provide a base for some aspects of long-term renewable
resource objectives. These efforts, have previously been
limited in scope and designed to" provide operational
support needed to solve specific near-term problems.
Consequently, an assessment of short- and long-term trends
in agricultural production as they affect environmental
quality is being initiated to more fully address the
longer-term research needs.
EPA has published guidelines on methods to identify
significant agriculture and nonpoint source activities. In
the near future, EPA will publish Best Management Practice
(BMP) position papers for use by regional and State
personnel. ORD has an ongoing activity to develop
predictive techniques to determine pollutant loadings as a
function of measurable source characteristics. It has also
developed methods to control or manage wastes and runoff
from specific agriculture sources for limited areas of the
Nation. Wide variation in climate, rainfall and hydrology,
geologic conditions and production practice preclude the
rapid development of comprehensive alternative management
practices in all areas.
Other federal agencies, such as USDA, have been
involved in related activities. But their efforts have not
been principally directed at environmental protection. For
example, the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) has developed
soil conservation measures to prevent soil loss. The role
of these individual measures in meeting water quality
standards, however, needs to be determined in terms of
their cost/benefit and socio-economic impacts.
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The near-term approach in the Renewable Resources
Industry Subprogram concentrates on five activities:
animal production, irrigated crop production, nonirrigated
crop production, silviculture and alternative pest
management.
Animal Production
Major emphasis is on land application of waste from
confined animal production. This includes the development
of methodologies to determine environmentally safe and
cost-effective waste application technologies for optimum
crop utilization or for disposal alone where crop
production is not the governing factor. To be included
are: impacts on surface and groundwater; long-term effects
on soils and productivity; potential health effects; rates
of application of technology as functions of climate,
slope, soil, crop, etc.; and timing of application.
A second problem area is the development of cost-
effective waste management systems for animal production
operations. Included are: controlling runoff from small
confinement areas, barnyards, and pastures; preparation of
guidelines for storage of runoff and pump-out of retention
facilities; and assessment of problems from animals with
access to surface waters.
A third problem area is that of waste disposal where
land application is not feasible. Emphasis is on
evaluation of environmental impacts and comparative
economics of alternatives to land disposal for handling of
animal wastes.
Irrigated Crop Production
Studies on this topic include: evaluation of the
effect of present irrigation practices on salt loads
entering river systems, particularly through groundwater
drainage systems; development of prediction techniques that
apply to water quality problems of irrigation return flow;
in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, a
demonstration that improved farm water management offers a
feasible means to minimize salt and nutrient degradation of
return flow without sacrificing crop yields; development
and demonstration of fundamental technology required for
pollution control in irrigated areas, including structural
changes, on-farm water management and new concepts relating
to solute movement and storage; and evaluation of the
legal, economic, and institutional constraints to improved
water management.
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Nonirrigated Crop Production
Studies are underway in this area to: evaluate
pollution aspects of existing agricultural practices and
technical efficiency and cost-effectiveness of available
control methods; recommend changes in practices to achieve
environmental improvement; develop verified pesticide and
plant nutrient mathematical models with watershed and gross
basin-wide predictive and simulative capability and
nationwide applicability for all major pesticides and plant
nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus); based on the models,
formulate cost-effective regional control systems to
prevent pesticide and plant nutrient pollution at their
sources; and assess reduction in pollutant loading for any
specified management or engineering practice and legal
constraint.
Silviculture
The emphasis here is on: evaluation of pollutants and
their sources resulting from current forest management
activities; developing cost-effective structural and
n-onstructural practices designed to reduce pollution;
Alternative management methods for controlling runoff due to timber harvesting
CREDIT: EPA/DOCUMEPICA - Thomas Bennett
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developing verified pollutant runoff models with watershed
and basin-wide capabilities to determine., potential
pollution loads and to evaluate and optimize use of
management systems; and based on modeling efforts, legal
constraints and socio-economic factors, developing control
systems to meet 1983 water quality goals.
Alternative Pest Management
The objective here is to develop alternative
nonchemical methodologies for pest control for a variety of
crops and conditions. To do this will require development
of various strategies and tactics of pest population
regulation and control in major fruit and vegetable
ecosystems. These ecosystems are to be studied either
simultaneously as interacting groups or individually where
control of insect and weed pests is needed using a variety
of nonpesticide means. Such means'may include insect and
plant pathogens, e.g., viruses, bacteria and insect
pheremones and harmones. Strategies for nonpesticide
control of urban pests, such as cockroaches and mosquitoes,
need development. This work is coordinated with the
National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture.
FY 1976. Plan
Of this overall Renewable Resources Subprogram, major
FY 1976 outputs will be as follows:
Publication of an agricultural chemicals user's
manual that assesses existing farm practices on
their environmental protecting merits.
Assessment of cost-effectiveness of recommended soil
conservation practices (sediment control) for water
quality control.
Completion of a limited assessment report on the
magnitude of potential problems and development of
initial guidelines for cost-effective enforcement of
pesticide ^regulations at the producer, distributor
and user ' levels (for use by State agencies in
designing their programs and allocating resources).
Evaluation of the water pollution potential of
animal wastes applied to land for optimum crop
production.
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Evaluation of environmental impacts from wastes
generated by unconfined animal production.
Summary of animal waste utilization (resource
recovery) practices, including their costs and
comparative economic evaluation relative to land
application of these wastes.
Completion of a state-of-the-art document assessing
the technology and data' base for development of
predictive techniques to determine water pollutant
loading from forested watersheds.
Five-Year Plan
In FY
developed i
potential
application
application
application
from non-NPDES
structures) .
1977, subjects to be addressed by manuals
n animal production research areas include:
runoff and resulting pollution from land
of wastes, cost-effective techniques of land
and measures for management of runoff from land
and cost-effective systems to manage pollution
operations (including waste holding
Trends in agricultural practices are being watched closely to anticipate possible
environmental impacts.
CREDIT: EPA/DOCUMERICA - Charles O'Rear
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Efforts to complete a total-package salinity control
project in the upper Colorado River Basin, including
evaluation of various salinity control measures studied,
will continue. To date, the demonstration of management
practices is nearing completion., Economic and
institutional constraints of irrigation water management
reform and salinity control will be evaluated. And a
multilevel optimization model for cost-effective salinity
control measures integrating desalination will be developed
in the area of irrigated crop production.
Completion of verification of and development of a
user1s manual for both pesticide and plant nutrient
watershed models for the Piedmont and Great Lake Regions
will be achieved for nonirrigated crop production. And
efforts related to silviculture will be continued.
Plans in future years call for: continuation and
intensification of ongoing projects; increased activity in
assessment of short- and long-term practices in
agricultural production as they impact on environmental
quality including (1) specific analysis of environmental
impacts from agricultural systems of highest priority, (2)
conversion of marginal land to cropland and (3)
investigation of social and economic aspects of pollution
control/management methods in the renewable resource
industry. Major emphasis will be on identifying emerging
agronomic trends that can be made environmentally sound
before coming into general use to ease the impact of
environmental controls on agricultural economy and socio-
institutional systems. Annual reports will be developed
assessing recent developments in agriculture (i.e.,
irrigated and nonirrigated crop production, animal
production and silviculture) and emphasizing socio-economic
aspects of trends on a nationwide basis.
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PUBLIC SECTOR ACTIVITIES PROGRAM
Overview
Several problem areas that EPA must address can be
linked together in a group because of their significance in
community environmental management. Three research
subprograms here are:
Waste Management
Water Supply
Environmental Management.
The Waste Management Subprogram focuses on prevention,
control, treatment and management of pollution produced by
community, residential or other nonindustrial activities.
This research concerns municipal and domestic wastewater
and collection/transport systems, urban land surface
runoff, municipal solid wastes and associated air
pollutants.
The major thrusts of the solid waste research include:
preparation of comprehensive effects documents designed to
support regulatory efforts for hazardous wastes disposal,
control technology development for treatment and disposal
of pesticides and other toxic chemicals, investigations to
determine the potential for migration through soils of
hazardous industrial wastes, studies to evaluate
environmental effects of sanitary landfills and development
of resources recovery systems for energy and material
retrieval.
A. major effort is underway to provide dependable and
safe supplies of drinking water. This includes work on
health effects that result directly or indirectly from
contaminants in drinking water. , The Water Supply
Subprogram provides for development of analytical methods
to assess drinking water quality and development of water
treatment processes to remove and reduce undesirable
contaminants in water supplies that current methods miss.
Water supply research includes three areas of
concentration: health effects, water treatment and systems
management and groundwater management. The major objective
of water supply health effects research is to develop valid
criteria for setting drinking water quality standards.
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Specifically, this research will provide scientific
knowledge necessary to establish standards for organic,
inorganic and microbiological contaminants in drinking
water. The primary purpose of water supply control
technology R&D is to evaluate, improve and develop cost-
effective control techology necessary to achieve drinking
water standards. This involves both the adaptation of
large-scale technology to small water supply streams and
development of new or special technologies.
The objective of the Environmental Management
Subprogram is to provide regional environmental planners
and managers with methods to determine feasible alternative
solutions to specific environmental problems and to provide
techniques for selecting least-cost solutions. The
research focuses on development of improved multimedia
planning techniques, improved methods for collection and
analysis of environmental quality and economic information,
evaluation of alternative institutional arrangements and
development of comprehensive systems analysis and
evaluation methodologies.
The program output will be user-oriented and include
information needed and decision methodology required to
select and implement effective environmental quality
control programs on a community and regional level.
Following is a description of the three subprograms and
main outputs that comprise the Public Sector Activities
Program.
Waste Management
Subprogram Description
The domestic, commercial, recreational and other
nonindustrial activities of the Nation's communities are
major sources of pollution and degradation of environmental
quality. These many and diverse communities vary from
isolated rural settlements and recreational areas to
sprawling suburban developments and large, concentrated
urban areas. Community activities, normally under
management of State and local governments produce
pollutants that are discharged into the Nation's surface
and groundwater from sewered wastewaters, runoff of rain
and melted snow with pollutants from the land's surface and
percolation of pollutants from subsurface disposal sites
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such as home septic systems and public or private
landfills. Also included are emissions to air from many
sources.
Through a diverse and Complex set of laws, EPA has a
number of ways to approach public sector problems. The
most conspicuous and direct federal mechanism is the
massive Construction Grants Program coupled with the
National Pollution Discharge Elimination System authorized
by P.L. 92-500. The ultimate solution to these problems,
however, may well be througn more decentralized programs,
exemplified by Section 208 of P.L. 92-500, that give
responsibility for planning and implementing environmental
controls or management systems to State and local
authorities with EPA providing guidelines and assistance.
The Waste Management Subprogram is designed to support
efforts by EPA and State and local governments to develop
and demonstrate, specific pollution control technologies or
management systems. It also provides technical tools to
assess local problems and select appropriate management
options. Based on current needs, this subprogram is
organized into five distinct research areas:
Wastewater Treatment Technology
Soil Treatment Systems
Runoff Pollution Control
Community Wastewater Systems Management
Solid and Hazardous Waste Management
Wastewater Treatment Technology
This effort is focused primarily on technology for
publicly-owned treatment works. It supports the needs, of
Construction Grants Programs through (1) improving
performance and reliability and reducing costs and energy
demands of available technology (2) providing solutions for
current technological inadequacies such as sludge handling
and disposal and (3) developing technologies for removal
requirements exceeding secondary treatment such as nutrient
removal, all necessary to achieve the 1983 goals of P.L.
92-500.
This research also deals with technologies to treat and
dispose of "small flow" domestic waste systems such as
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those from individual homes not connected to sewers or front
small recreational areas.
Soil Treatment Systems
In some places, an attractive alternative to mechnical
devices used in wastewater treatment is land application of
effluents with resulting removal of pollutants by soil.
Moreover, land disposal is a promising method for disposing
of and utilizing sludges from wastewater treatment systems.
This effort focuses on (1) development and evaluation of
the cost, performance and practicability of land
application systems, especially those involving beneficial
uses such as crop irrigation, (2) assessment of public
health, socio-economic and other environmental factors
related to design and operation of land application systems
and (3) examination of potential of other "natural"
systems, such as marshes or aquaculture units for removal
of pollutants from wastewater.
Sludge disposal is a serious problem for many communities. Here sludge is being disposed in a
reclaimed strip mine.
CREDIT: EPA/DOCUMERICA - Frank Alexsandruwicz
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Runoff Pollution Control
Although current water pollution abatement efforts are
directed primarily toward point sources of urban pollution,
increasing attention must be given to land runoff of
rainfall and melted snow. Such attention can be given
either directly or with combined or storm sewers and
modifications of the land's surface to influence this
runoff. Broad, current indices indicate that almost one-
third of the stream segments of the Nation are
significantly polluted by combined , sewage overflows and
urban runoff.
This effort is directed towards development and
evaluation of cost-effective approaches for control of
abatement of pollution resulting from runoff of rainfall
and meltec1 snow and activities that influence this runoff
by modifying the land's surface. Included are: (1) tools
for assessing runoff problems in specific areas and
selecting appropriate management options; (2) development
and evaluation of management systems ranging from source
control through flow attenuation with systems management by
means of storage or routing to treatment of sewered
discharges and (3) development of solutions to specific
problems such as sewer infiltration.
Community Wastewater Systems Management
This effort includes research activities to combine
wastewater treatment technology, soil treatment systems and
runoff pollution control into integrated, cost-effective,
community wastewater management systems. It also assures
that activities related to each of these efforts are
effectively coordinated.
Solid and Hazardous Waste Management
Communities across the Nation are faced with
increasingly costly and intransigent problems because of
the enormous volume and diversity of wastes that are either
directly emitted to the air, directly discharged into
sewers or washed away by land runoff. Most of these wastes
find their way into the community solid waste management or
disposal systems. Research efforts on this problem are
directed to three areas: (1) development and evaluation of
means to handle and dispose of municipal solid waste,
especially as this influences air and water quality, (2)
evaluation of the overall impacts of and the development of
criteria for land disposal of wastes and (3) development of
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community or area-wide waste management
primarv emphasis on resource recovery.
FY 1976 Plan
systems with
During FY 1976, major emphasis in the wastewater area
will focus on technological problems associated with the
Construction Grants Program. Foremost among these is
processing and disposal of sludges from wastewater
treatment systems. Specific projects will deal with
evaluation of sludge composting, combined refuse and sludge
composting and landfill and combined refuse and sludge
pyrolysis and wet oxidation. Special attention will be
given to possible beneficial uses of products from these
sludge processing systems.
Specific projects will also deal with upgrading the
performance of existing treatment works to reduce costs of
new construction. An example of this is the development of
technology enabling many existing treatment lagoons to meet
secondary treatment reguirements, alleviating the need for
installation of entirely new treatment systems. Specific
emphasis will also be given to evaluation of alternative
wastewater disinfection technologies to avoid adverse
environmental side effects of chlorine.
Impacts'asLrfJ^^.T"16^ Wi" help conserve "atural resources as well as reduce adverse environmental
impacts associated W1th waste disposal and resource extraction.
CREDJT: EPA/OOCUMERICA - Bill Shrout
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Secondary effort will be directed toward development
and cost reduction of nitrogen removal methods, cost
reduction and performance improvement through
instrumentation and automation of treatment systems and
evaluation of "small flows" treatment systems for
nonsewered areas.
Soil Treatment efforts in FY 1976 will continue to
focus on evalution of systems for irrigation, infiltration
and development of promising overland flow technology for
effluent treatment.
Runoff Pollution Control area efforts will concentrate
on consolidation of results from specific ongoing and
completed combined sewer overflow control projects into
integrated management systems, improvement of methods for
assessing the local and regional impact of urban and
suburban stormwater discharges and need for their control
and evaluation of sediment control from urban and suburban
developments.
This research will be limited to bench and pilot-scale
development and evaluation of existing full-scale systems.
Major thrusts of Solid and Hazardous Wastes efforts in
FY 1976 continue on evaluation of environmental impacts of
sanitary landfills. 'This will include possible migration
through soils of hazardous or other polluting wastes,
development of technologies for treatment and disposal of
specific hazardous wastes such as. pesticides, the
preparation of comprehensive effects documents designed to
support a possible regulatory program for hazardous wastes
disposal and evaluation of promising resource recovery
options.
Five-Year Plan
Wastewater Management
During the FY 1977 - FY 1980 period, continued emphasis
will be given to development and evaluation of cost-
effective metnods for sludge processing, utilization and
disposal; soil treatment systems; alternative disinfection
techniques; upgrading of existing treatment systems; and
consolidation of results from available combined sewer
overflow control technology-
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Problems that will receive increased
this period include:
attention during
Methods to improve performance and reliability and
reduce costs of existing treatment ^"^-t-^-^ ,.,-i-HK
instrumentation, automation and
and maintenance procedures
systems with
improved operation
Integrated dry- and wet-weather
for urban wastewaters.
management systems
Treatment technologies for removal requirements in
excess of secondary treatment as needed to achieve
the goals of P.L. 92-500.
Treatment technologies for specific discharge
conditions such as ocean outfalls that may differ in
requirements from current secondary treatment
levels.
Development of nonstructural approaches to urban and
suburban runoff control, including methods for flow
attenuation that can be integrated into area-wide
wastewater management and land use programs.
Effective and safe methods to dispose of hazardous wastes are being
developed. ,,
CREDIT: EPA/DOCUMERICA - Gene Daniels
92
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Solid and Hazardous Wastes
Efforts In evaluating and developing alternatives for
hazardous wastes disposal and in evaluating envirnmental
impacts of landfills will continue.
Increased effort will focus on developing comprehensive
area or community-wide waste management systems. .This Will
include recovery of materials and energy from wastes and
integration of individual private and public waste
collection, processing and disposal systems.
Water Supply
Subprogram Description
The discovery of many organic materials in much of the
Nation's drinking water, with their associated health
implications, lead to enactment of P.L. 92-523, The Safe
Drinking Water Act. The Water Supply Subprogram supports
implementation of this Act by EPA and the States.
Activities of this subprogram include R&D of dependable
and safe supplies of drinking water. Attention is also
given to health effects of contaminants in drinking water.
This includes development of analytical methods to assess
quality of drinking water and water treatment processes to
remove and reduce undesirable contaminants current methods
fail to remove.
Major goals of this research include development of
valid criteria for drinking water guality standards. Also
included is development of scientific knowledge to
establish standards for organic, inorganic and
microbiological contaminants of drinking water and
evaluation, improvement, and development of control
technology to economically attain standards for drinking
water. This involves both adaptation of large-scale
technology to small water systems and development of new or
special technologies.
The products of these activities will include:
Improved methods to identify and measure
contaminants in drinking water and identify sources
of contaminants.
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Improved methods to identify and measure health
effects of contaminats in drinking water.
New or imptoved methods of treating raw water to
prepare it for drinking involving improving the
efficiency of water treatment and contaminant
removal.
Improved ways to provide dependable supplies of safe
drinking water (includes water purification and
distribution improvements and methods to assess
health-related hazards of drinking water).
ซ Improved ways to protect groundwater sources of
public water supplies from contamination.
FY 1976 Plan
The following will receive emphasis in FY 1976:
Water Treatment and Systems Management
Efforts will include evaluating and demonstrating
pilot-scale technologies to inactivate germs and to remove
potentially toxic or aesthetically displeasing
contaminants, achieving compliance with present and future
drinking water guality standards. Improved methods of
operation will be developed for new and existing water
supply facilities. Technologies to remove organic
contaminants and alternatives to existing chlorination
methods will receive special attention.
Water Supply Health Effects
Evaluation of potential health hazards of organics and
the validity of possible general indicators for organics
such as carbon chloriform extraction and alternatives to
that method, will get primary emphasis. There will also be
efforts to evaluate the nature, concentration .and effects
of inorganic and microbiological contaminants of drinking
water. Coordinating ORD's expanded activities in this area
with other federal agencies such as the National Cancer
Institute will be important, too.
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Measurement and Identification Techniques
Sensitive measurement methods for low concentration
levels of many toxic and carcinogenic substances must be
developed. This requires special concentration and
separation techniques. Present methods for organics only
detect small amounts of total organic content. Efforts to
develop methods for organics will increase. Procedures for
identification of sources of water supply contaminants will
be developed.
Development of virus detection methods and rapid
instrumentation methods for detection of inorganic
substances will receive more attention. To carry through
and complement current program objectives in FY 1976,
studies will continue or be initiated to determine health
effects of organics, tin, manganese, cadmium, arsenic,
selenium, barium, molybdenum, antimony, nitrates and
asbestos.
The assurance of a safe and dependable supply of drinking water is the
driving force of ORD's water supply research.
CREDIT: EPA/DOCUMERICA - Boyd Norton
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Groundwater Management
Focus here will be on limited efforts to evaluate the
extent of impact on groundwater of: (a) abandoned
injection or extraction wells; (b) intensive application of
pesticides and fertilizers; and (c) surface disposal of
contaminants in water recharge areas. Research will also
be conducted to determine methods of protecting subsurface
drinking -water sources, to evaluate formation pressure
increases .caused by underground injection, to develop a
model that can predict and estimate the impact of such
increases and to determine the effects of pressure
increases on waste migration.
Because of high cost, groundwater research will
generally be limited to: (1) evaluation of current and
projected groundwater problems; (2) maintenance of
technical expertise to advise the EPA on policy and
regulatory matters; and (3) research on the selected
priority problems described above.
Five-Year Plan
Increased efforts in measurement and identification
programs will focus on development of practical techniques
to identify measure and determine sources of contaminants
(particularly organic substances and viral agents) in
drinking water. Techniques will be disigned for use by
State and local public health officials responsible for
safeguarding public drinking water supplies.
Defensible health effects data for organic, inorganic,
and microbiological contaminants of drinking water will be
developed through short- and long-term toxicological
studies and comparative epidemiological studies. Future
efforts will be evaluated and redirected as necessary when
the evaluation by the National Academy of Sciences of
health effects of contaminated drinking water, as required
by P.L. 92-523, is completed.
Studies will be continued or initiated on removal and
inactivation of camium, lead, asbestos, nitrate, radium,
organic compounds, bacteria and viruses. In continuing the
FY 1976 program, EPA intends to determine how to prevent
water quality deterioration while distributing drinking
water. Technology applicable to small water supply systems
will be emphasized.
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There will be a substantial R&D effort to control
organic contaminants in drinking water. Halogenated
organics formation mechanisms in normal disinfection
practices will be determined and control methods developed.
Chlorine disinfection alternatives will be thoroughly
studied in the near-term. Candidate alternative
disinfectants are ozone and ultraviolet light.
Increased effort are planned on removal and disposal of
organics. Also in FY 1977-FY 1980, studies will continue
to provide waste disposal site-selection criteria and
groundwater basin management.
Environmental Management
Subprogram Description
EPA's legislative mandates generally delegate authority
to State or designated regional and local agencies to
implement requirements of federal environmental quality
programs. Included in these requirements are development
of State-wide continuous planning processes (FWPCA, Section
208), water quality facilities plans (FWPCA, Section 201),
solid waste disposal plans (SWDA, Section 207), State air
quality implementation plans (CAA, Section 110) and plans
for air quality maintenance. To implement these programs,
environmental agencies at regional and local levels are
required to analyze regional development objectives,
population, economic growth projections, land use and
transportation patterns for direct and indirect effects on
environmental quality.
Strategies to achieve specified environmental
objectives are varied and complex. State, local and
regional institutions often lack capability to analyze and
evaluate alternative strategies and develop coordinated
procedures from a chosen strategy. For that reason, EPA
will develop sets of alternative solutions that are
applicable to various community environmental problems and
efficient within the constraints of a community's economic
resources and political realities. Methods to select and
analyze environmental management options under local
conditions will also be developed.
The goal of the Environmental Management Subprogram is
to give regional environmental planners and managers
methods to determine feasible alternative solutions to
specific environmental problems and provide techniques to
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select least-cost solutions. The research focuses on
development of improved multimedia planning techniques,
improved methods for collection and analysis of
environmental quality and economic information, evaluation
of alternative institutional arrangements and development
of comprehensive systems analysis and evaluation methods.
Important efforts involve:
Investigation of linkages among various residuals
(solids, liquids and gases) generated by and
discharged by community activities.
Design of integrated environmental management
systems, including analytical planning techniques
and analysis of alternative implementation
techniques. Administrative and institutional
considerations will also receive attention.
Evaluation of impacts (both positive and negative)
on all media (air, water and land) of single-media
pollution control strategies.
Development of technical guidance for applying
available information, including methods to assess
problems and selection of available management
options, to give local planners and policy-makers
access to available information.
The subprogram output will be user-oriented and will
include information needed and decision methodology
required to select and implement effective environmental
quality control programs on a community and regional level.
FY 1976 Plan
Comprehensive Planning Guidelines
Outputs sought in this area include: (a) scientific,
technical and economic information on environmental and
socio-economic links between EPA and other federal planning
requirements for use by EPA offices to assist them in
developing coordinated planning guidelines and (b)
comprehensive, regional environmental management handbook
for use by nonfederal planning agencies containing advice
on available types of economic and environmental
forecasting procedures, types of data necessary to
Jffectively use such procedures, the order in which
different environmental and economic problems should be
analyzed, ways to present various alternatives to the
public, decision-making procedures and methods to make all
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environmental
requirements.
plans consistent with other federal planning
Implementation Methods
Outputs desired here include tools to implement
environmental management strategies developed in the above-
mentioned planning processes. State or local governments
can choose from the following basic concepts of
implementation: (a) traditional regulatory procedures,
i.e., laws, ordinances,' permits, zoning; (b) economic
incentive concepts, i.e., fines, emission and effluent
charges, differential property tax rates, subsidies; (c)
information anl volunteerism concepts, i.e., labeling
programs, increased information dissemination through mass
media; and (d) government-induced technological changes,
i.e., container controls, subsidized recycling programs,
subsidized mass transportation systems.
The development of cost-effective tools for implementing comprehensive, multimedia environmental
standards and regulations is the objective of environmental management research.
CREDIT: EPA/DOCUMERICA - Bob Smith
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Each of these implementation procedures has a different
level of feasibility, public acceptability and cost-
effectiveness based on the type of environmental problem
involved and the locale of the community where
implementation is attempted. Because of the large number
of" problems at national, State and local levels, this
research is critical. High priority topics in this area
include implementation of land use controls for nonpoint
source water pollution control and mobile source air
pollution control. It also includes overcoming socio-
economic obstacles to development of soil treatment systems
for community liquid and solid wastes.
Evaluation Methods
Goals for this research are improved efficiency in
gathering environmental and economic information and better
methods to use this information to define current problems
and measure progress in achieving goals. This research
will produce standard procedures for federal, State and
local enviornmental managers to use to get the most useful
information on relevant environmental problems.
Five-Year Plan
The research in FY 1977 and beyond will continue
efforts to develop user-oriented management tools that
explicitly define intermedia linkages, economic and energy
effects and increased planning and implementation
efficiency for integrated structural and nonstructural
solutions to identified 'environmental problems. Key FY
1977 products will include the Regional Environmental
Management (REM) Handbook, documentation of demonstrations
of 208-AQMA coordinated planning and the population
forecasting guide.
Other work will be done on development and extension of
current single-media systems evaluation and performance
modeling techniques to other media problems. Integrated
methods to describe and evaluate total community costs and
benefits of environmental programs will also be developed.
Tne research will follow development and implementation of
operational plans' closely in 1976-78 to determine the
effectiveness of ' newly-developed procedures. Additional
research will be conducted on identified problem areas.
And an updated version of the REM Handbook will be produced
in FY 1980 in time for its use in a second round of
environmental planning.
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Research in the longer-term will concentrate on
reducing costs of effective implementation and enforcement
activities with emphasis on financial constraints. Also,
as controls become more stringent in the early 1980's (BAT,
transportation controls, etc.) several economics-based
challenges are anticipated, e.g., via Section 302, P.L. 92-
500. Methods to assure resolution of these challenges will
be developed during the late 1970's.
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MONITORING AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT PROGRAM
The Monitoring and Technical Support Program includes
research, development and demonstration activities and
direct assistance and support to all of EPA. The
components of this Program include:
Measurement Techniques and Equipment Development
Quality Assurance.
Technical Support.
Techniques and equipment development involves
development, evaluation, and demonstration of field and
laboratory measurement and monitoring methods and
instrumentation. Efforts are directed toward achieving
capability to identify and measure all pollutants of
concern in the most cost-effective manner.
Techniques and equipment development over the long-term
will continue to address methods and techniques for air,
water and multimedia monitoring systems including advanced
remote environmental monitoring systems.
Quality assurance serves all environmental monitoring
activities of EPA. This activity focuses on standardizing
measurement methods, providing standard reference materials
and samples, developing quality control guidelines and
manuals, onsite evaluation of analytical laboratories,
inter-laboratory performance tests, monthly crosscheck
samples studies, studies on methods for laboratory
accreditation, studies on automation of laboratory
instruments and data handling, and participation in
regional quality control activities.
The quality assurance effort will expand in the future
to assure that new requirements for water supply
laboratories are met, to provide equivalency testing
methods for State permit programs and to increase current
efforts to upgrade quality control in EPA's monitoring
programs.
Technical Support is the scientific and technical
assistance the research program gives to other components
of EPA by using the expertise of ORD personnel and
available ORD facilities. This Subprogram includes
responsibility to deliver results of ORD's efforts to its
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users by technical information dissemination. The
technical support area had not been separately identified'
from the research program in previous years. The decision
to make that identification reflects determination that R&D
programs will be more responsive to immediate operational
needs of other components of EPA.
Technical Supoort also includes minority institutions
research support (MIRS). An effort to direct research
grants to minority institutions in the area of
environmental research is conducted by EPA. Minority
institutions that have or can develop capability to conduct
effective environmental research are actively sought,
assisted in preparation of grant applications and
encouraged to submit them.
Finally, technical support also includes the Science
Advisory Board (SAB). The SAB was established to provide a
strong, direct link between EPA's Administrator and the
scientific community. The SAB's function is to provide
independent technical reviews, to give advice on EPA's
major scientific programs and to perform special task and
program review assignments for EPA. This Board also gives
advice on broad scientific and policy matters, new emerging
environmental problems and assessments for specific
research efforts to solve these problems.
Following are detailed descriptions of the various
components of this Program and an identification of major
outputs.
Measurement Techniques and Equipment Development
Subprogram Description
In administering the federal environmental protection
laws, EPA is totally dependent on reliable, quantitative
information on extent, concentration and trends of
environmental pollution. This information, obtained
through environmental monitoring, is necessary to:
Determine if the presence of pollutants in the
environment is likely to cause intolerable effects
at existing levels.
Quantify risks of pollutant exposure-effect
relationships for important receptors.
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Understand linkages between significant sources of
discharge and ambient levels of pollutants.
Determine the need for and develop and implement.
measures to control point or nonpoint pollutant
discharges to reduce receptor exposure to tolerable
levels.
Determine if pollutant discharge is in compliance
with control requirements.
Assess the effectiveness of pollution control
programs.
The objective of the Measurement Techniques and
Equipment Development Subprogram is to produce equipment
and methods that are accurate, simple, standardized, cost-
effective and in fulfillment of requirements for
environmental monitoring by federal. State and local
governments and by the private sector.
These methods must not only be applicable at lowest
environmentally-significant ambient concentrations, but
must also be applicable at higher concentrations that occur
at pollutant sources.
Monitoring methods for the Health and Ecological
Effects Program require high performance reliability at
very low concentration levels necessary to relate adverse
effects with low doses of pollutant in air, water and plant
and animal tissues. Methods to_measure impacts of heat,
radiation and noise on economically or ecologically
important receptors are also required. Highest priorities
for such methods development are given to pollutants that
are toxic, carcinogenic or otherwise hazardous.
Operational monitoring methodology development gives
highest priority to performance reliability for pollutants
that are regulated. These methodologies are intended for
routine use in ambient environmental monitoring and for
self-monitoring by point source dischargers and by those
responsible for compliance monitoring.
The monitoring R&D includes design and optimization of
monitoring systems and networks, development of airborne
and remote sensing techniques, development of automated
laboratories and data handling systems and development of
environmental monitoring instrumentation. Further, state-
of-the-art reviews, prototype instrumentation development
and pioneering research studies related to development of
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new or significantly improved analytical methods or
instrumentation,, are supported. The approach usually taken
in development of both air and water monitoring methods is
to adapt or modify known measurement technology: to meet
field requirements.
FY 1976 Plan
Some representative examples of research priorities and
outputs for FY 1976 follow:
EP&'s Regional Offices and the Office of Water and
Hazardous Materials (OWHM) and the States currently have
requirements for- improved methods in areas critical to
NPDES enforcement related to water pollution. In response
to these needs, development of methods to measure the
concentrations of volatile organics and petroleum
hydrocarbons, oil, grease and sediments, is scheduled for
completion in FY 1976. Further, -there is a continuous
effort to correct deficiencies in candidate and reference
methods for monitoring industrial wastewater discharges,
sludges, ocean-disoosed wastes, marine waters, ground
waters and nonpoint sources.
A microbiological and biological methods manual will be
completed in FY 1976. So will a new manual for analysis of
pesticides in water and wastewater. These manuals are
needed to assure that data from different monitoring and
enforcement laboratories can be compared.
The FY 1976 Plan also includes development of methods
to cpncentrate, separate and identify drinking-water
contaminants, i.e., organics, viruses and elemental
inorganics; measuring concentrations of asbestos fibers in
water (to provide the Agency with an official interim
method); quantifying algae levels related to sewage
outfalls; simultaneous analysis of several toxic elements
in water; broader identification and screening of organic
compounds in water; incorprating carbamate and organo-
phosphate pesticides into a more inclusive multi-residue
procedure; analyzing multi-component chemicals such as
polychlorinated biphe/iyls (PCB) and toxaphene; .measuring
concentrations of indicator organisms, phenols, and
cyanides; and mass 'spectrometic identification of organic
compounds whose spectra are not in the files.
The FY 1976 Plan also includes developmental work on
remote sensing technology. Spectral signatures of water
quality parameters and atmospheric effects on these
signatures will be determined with a 30-channel
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spectrometer. An interim interpretation and analysis
manual and keys to pollution sources will be published.
Also in FY 1976, a manual of groundwater
guidelines is scheduled for~completion.
monitoring
Air pollutants scheduled, for attention in FY 1976
include particulates, toxic trace metals, organics from
chemical and petrochemical plants, PCB's, carcinogens,
mutagens, sulfates and -phenols. Specifications for
performance of measurement systems for NOx, CO, total
reducible sulfur particulate (IRS) and fluorides in Group
III stationary emission sources will be published in FY
1Cป'76. These specifications are needed by States and
industry to determine compliance with new stationary source
performance standards.
The FY 1976 Plan also includes development of methods
to: monitor airborne asbestos; relate plume opacity to
mass concentration and identify and measure concentration
of non-regulated nitrogen compounds from light duty
vehicles. Further, the plan includes development of an
instrument to measure sulfuric acid in ambient air and
criteria for selecting "eguivalent" methods for ambient air
and stationary source measurements.
poliutionrsamaiese "^ effect1ve'y 1n Atmospheric studies for tracing pollutant paths and taking
CREDIT: EPA/DOCUHERICA - Gene Daniels
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Five-Year Plan
The monitoring R&D is characterized as level-of-effort.
Accordingly, much of the program looks the same for
individual years in the five-year plan. Correcting
deficiencies in candidate and reference monitoring methods
and developing new methods as needs arise will continue to
get attention with focus "always on current high-priority
pollutants.
However', there are some relatively long-range projects
and additional level-of-effort activities planned for
implementation in FY 1977 or beyond. Further, certain
existing programs will get more emphasis in FY 1977 and
beyond. Some examples of these areas are described below.
Water Monitoring Methods Equivalency Program:
Present regulations allow only dischargers to apply
for approval of alternate methods for measuring
pollutants in industrial and municipal effluents.
Manufacturers of monitoring instruments have no
direct recourse for demonstrating the equivalency of
their products to the promulgated test procedures.
The most reasonable solution to this problem is to
set up a program similar to the ambient air
equivalency program. This requires promulgation of
new regulations or amendments to existing ones.
Agency-wide Laboratory" Automation Systems:
Laboratory automation consists of applying small
computers (mini-computers) to sophisticated
laboratory instruments to control their operation,
process their data and generate reports for
laboratory scientists. With this technology, it is
possible to increase the quality and quantity of
laboratory data and provide substantially increased
capabilities with no increase in personnel. This
advanced technology is of particular importance to
monitoring laboratories that must accurately analyze
large numbers of samples to support enforcement
actions.
Advanced Monitoring Systems: The! task of measuring
environmental pollutants is currently labor-
intensive. Development and use of less labor-
intensive techniques such as advanced remote
monitoring instrumentation, mounted on airborne and
ground-based mobile platforms with automated data
acquisition systems, is an obvious alternative.
These techniques have potential for cost-effective
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monitoring of trends that are needed for development
and evaluation of adequate control strategies.
ORD plans to continue to capitalize on monitoring
capabilities developed by other organizations. The
transfer into and application by EPA of advanced technology
developed outside the Agency has been accomplished by pilot
projects on real problems. The Regions and other EPA
Offices c'ontinue to need total monitoring systems because
these systems often represent a way of completing pressing
tasks in a faster, more cost-effective manner.
Certain monitoring needs can only be addressed with
aerial monitoring systems. Some specific objectives and
benefits to be derived from the development of advanced
monitoring systems are as follows:
Land Monitoring
Determine status of surface mines and extent of
recontouring and revegetation.
Assess secondary effects downwind from power
generating plants on such receptors as vegetation
and urban communities.
Assess environmental impacts of land disposal of
municipal and industrial wastes.
Assess surface and groundwater quality based on land
use mapping.
Water Monitoring
Measure thermal and spectral characteristics of
effluents from power and industrial plants and map
thermal gradients in receiving waters.
Assess environmental trends at ocean waste disposal
sites and map transport of pollutants.
Measure organic and inorganic water pollutants for
identification of environmental impact from sewage
and industrial plant effluents.
Obtain measurements of different oil types and
hazardous material spills to assess environmental
impact and provide surveillance during and after
clean-up operations.
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Obtain measurement of turbidity and sedimentation "by
agricultural runnoff.
Monitor trends in marine environments associated
with outer continental shelf oil and gas drilling
and processing.
Quality Assurance
Subprogram Description
Environmental data produced by federal, State and local
monitoring activities must be accurate, intercomparable and
legally defensible. This is the goal of ORD.1 s Quality
Assurance (QA) Subprogram. Although ORD does not have
responsbility for actual environmental monitoring, it is
responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive
agencywide quality assurance program.
Major activities include:
Statistical validation and standardization of total
measurement systems (development of site selection
and validation criteria, flow measurements, sample
collection and preservation, analyses and data
output).
Development and distribution of standard reference
materials.
Preparation and distribution of quality control
guidelines and procedures.
Evaluation of monitoring activities (evaluation of
facilities, equipment, operators, procedures and
performance).
Development of automated laboratory management
systems (application of minicomputers to laboratory
instruments, data screening, computerized
statistical quality control) .
Technical assistance (assistance in carrying out
calibrations, split samples, etc.).
Development and participation in regional quality
control workshops, conferences and seminars.
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Over one-hundred measurement methods have been
promulgated to monitor compliance and enforce environmental
standards and regulations. Measurement methods for
criteria pollutants associated with ambient air quality
standards have been standardized. Measurement methods for
New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for Regulatory
Category I have been tested under actual operating
conditions. Also, efforts are progressing to standardize
measurement methods for other regulated emission sources
and to establish performance specifications for in-stack
monitors.
Water quality measurement methods are mostly standard
analysis methods taken from scientific literature or
developed in EPA laboratories. Procedures for calibration
and quality assurance are available from the same sources.
These methods work well for specific substances in
distilled water. At this point, however, only about 20
methods have been validated for complex industrial and
municipal effluents.
The measurement methods validation work will continue
until all methods promulgated by EPA are validated. This
may require deleting from existing regulations those
measurement methods that cannot be validated and providing
validated alternate methods.
Reference materials are available for 71 methods
promulgated since 1973. And a voluntary quality control
activity is ongoing in that a participating laboratory
requests a sample with a known concentration of pollutant
to calibrate or test its procedures. At the present time,
however, ORD is not implementing a comprehensive activity
of regular audits of government environmental monitoring
labs.
FY 1976 Plan
Some representative examples of the types of effort and
output planned for FY 1976 are:
Single laboratory validation of measurement methods
for vinyl chloride, sulfate and arsenic in ambient
air.
Standardization of the calibration procedure for
water and wastes discharge flow-measurements.
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Standardization of bioassay procedures for the
National Pollutant Discharge Elminatibn System
(NPDES) .
Standardization of ^sample siting criteria for
environmental measurements.
Guidelines for water and wastes sampling and sample
preservation.
* Assessment and evaluation of the feasibility of
operating a laboratory evaluation program.
Quality assurance guidelines for stationary and
mobile source pollutant emission measurements.
Five-Year Plan
The character of the Quality Assurance Subprogram can
also be described as level-of effort. Accordingly, the
planned outputs for individual years of the five-year plan
are expected to be much the same.
Long-term goals of the Quality Assurance Subprogram
are: (a) to provide all reference methods, site-selection
and validation criteria, quality control procedures and
standard reference materials needed to enforce existing or
planned EPA standards and regulations and to gather data on
nonregulated pollutants of conern to EPA; (b) to develop
and implement a national plan for laboratory evaluation;
(c) to conduct regular audits of performance and quality
control practicies in EPA monitoring activities; and (d) to
provide assistance to all laboratories that need to upgrade
their monitoring capabilities.
In FY 1977 and beyond, the QA activities will be
expanded to satisfy mandates of the Safe Drinking Water
Act. The States will assume primary responsibility for
implementing programs to assure safety of public drinking
water, but EPA must certify the State's capability to carry
out the program and must provide technical guidance,
program overview and quality assurance support. The
success of water supply programs will depend on reliable
monitoring systems and a national QA service for States.
Of paramount and immediate concern is development of
standardized measurement systems that can be used for
routine determinations of traces of toxic materials in
potable waters. No less important is development and
maintenance of quality control efforts to assure that all
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data generated are statistically valid and legally
defensible.
Efforts also will continue to improve the quality of
air monitoring data by developing criteria for proper
validation of site-select!on for continuous air monitoring
stations. Once established, an effort will be made to
regularly audit data from these stations. Additional work
will involve evaluating data 'interpretive techniques and
environmental indices.
An important aspect of current quality assuranc'e
activity is continuous evaluation of performance of
federal, State and local monitoring support laboratories.
This activity will be expanded and will include provision
of assistance and guidance to those laboratories found
deficient.
Technical Support
Technical Support/Technical Assistance
In a sense, the entire ORD program may be considered as
technical support to EPA. ORD's function is to provide EPA
with the scientific basis for environmental regulations,
means of monitoring environmental pollution levels and
demonstrable pollution control technology. Much of this
effort is long-term and focused on response to EPA's
anticipated needs. It is ORD policy to assist EPA in its
immediate technical needs whenever possible by using the
scientific expertise of its research personnel. Costs
associated with this effort in the past have been included
in the base R&D program, i.e., within the research program
planned and implemented by ORD personnel and not shown as
discrete, identifiable tasks.
Additionally, ORD has developed capabilities from its
R&D activities that are now largely routine "services" for
the rest of EPA. ORD continues to provide these services
that are difficult or impossible to duplicate in Regional
or Program Offices because of their costs, manpower
requirements or their EPA-wide nature. An example of this
is ORD's aircraft capability for aerial surveillance.
A less well known example is the ORD Environmental
Photographic Interpretation Center (EPIC) with its
capability to assess pollution problems from sources such
as stack plumes, oil spills and other point and nonpoint
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sources from aerial photographs. ORD also has advanced,,
sophisticated,- scientific research equipment available such
as electron ' microscopes that are used to support agency
operating requirements.
Technical support is distinguishable from technical
assistance. Technical assistance is a brief effort in
response to unscheduled requests for assistance. -It
includes such things as expert testimony in legal actions
and short-term consultant services. As with technical
assistance, technical support is generally a response to an
unscheduled request and is normally characterized by
projects that are short-term compared to the base research
orogram. Technical support is often characterized by a
somewhat longer response time. As with technical
assistance, it generally requires no original research, but
brings existing knowledge to bear on a scientific expertise
for some immediate environmental problem. A major
distinction arises, however, in instances where existing
information is not adequate and short-term engineering
studies must be completed to supply missing information.
FY 1976 Plan
A significant fraction of the R,DSD program in the past
was devoted to what is now defined as technical support.
It is impossible to say precisely how much. The decision
this year to begin to identify technical support work
itself reflects ' a determination- that ORD will be more
responsive to immediate needs of EPA.
Unlike other parts of the ORD program, resource levels
and accomplishment objectives cannot be precisely projected
for technical support. The expectation is that after the
first year of managing the technical support activities,
resources required or actually used will be better known
and this information will facilitate planning. ORD's
overall goal for now and for the five-year planning period
is to be as responsive as possible within the constraint of
available resource levels to EPA needs for technical
support.
Requests for technical support in FY 1976 are expected
to include overhead monitoring support for research
projects and regional surveillance activities. Some
requests will probably be for aerial infrared photo-surveys
of industrial and powerplant discharges and land quality
evaluation surveys. In addition, a significant fraction of
the requests will probably be for laboratory support and
analyses of monitoring nonregulated and toxic pollutants.
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Five-year Plan
Technical support to EPA is clearly a service activity.
Planning for the type and quantity of service is based on
historical data. The level of support that EPA requires is
expected to increase. But the nature of the support effort
is not likely to change.
Technical Information
Technical Information was recently established as an
area to provide centralized planning and control over a
variety of activities that were previously distributed
across the base ORD program. This is being done to assure
that ORD outputs are provided in a form most appropriate to
EPA and external users and that those output will greatly
help the Nation's pollution abatement effort.
The planning approach views technical information as a
total system and optimizes information delivery from
researchers (who also need technical information to do
research) to the ultimate user. The major activities
assigned to this effort include: technology transfer,
technical and scientific publications, library control,
automatic data processing (ADP) coordination, Freedom of
Information Act compliance, environmental forecast modeling
and response to inquiries for technical information from
inside and outside.
FY 1976 Plan
Principal objectives of the FY 1976 technical
information activities are to increase the overall utility
and cost-effectiveness of ongoing technical information
efforts and to develop a comprehensive technical
information strategy that is responsive to needs of both
EPA and other users of ORD outputs. Major accomplishments
will include:
Improved documentations of and accessability to
technical information from ongoing research
projects.
A significantly increased number of technical and
scientific reports and publications specifically
tailored for user application.
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Completion of a five-year automatic data processing
(ADP) plan to increase research productivity and
cost-effectiveness in utilization of ADP resources.
Characterization of the near- and long-term
technical information requirements of both EPA and
other users and development of plans to meet such
requirements.
Establishment of a centralized capability to respond
to EPA and other requests for technical information.
Development of Strategic Environmental Assessment
System (SEAS) as an operational tool for
environmental forecasting and policy analysis. SEAS
will be further developed to support impact
assessment of energy, environmental and recovery
trade-offs and alternatives.
The technology transfer effort will conduct seminars
on land treatment, advanced waste treatment,
industrial pollution control, monitoring of
industrial wastewater, water treatment processes and
analytical weights and measures. Another key
seminar will be on the multimedia pollution control
for small businesses. In addition, a variety of
specialized reports, design manuals and newsletters
will be developed and widely distributed. Special
emphasis will be given to development of outputs
designed to assist State and local governmental
policy-makers in investigating available options to
solve municipal wastewater treatment problems.
Five-Year Plan
A fully integrated strategy and five year plan for the
technical information activity is scheduled for completion
in FY 1976. While still incomplete, it is evident that a
significant expansion in this area will be required to
effectively transfer R&D outputs that are developed over
the next five years in response to existing legislative
mandates. For example, the work will expand its technical
information transfer activities to municipal and industrial
pollution control technology monitoring and nonpoint source
management as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act
(FWPCA) Best Available Technology (BAT) deadline of 1983
approaches.
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Implementation of BAT requirements must begin 18 to 24
months before the deadline, so transfer of BAT technology
must be completed before 1980. Work on air pollution
control technology, solid waste and toxic substance
research and energy and water supply will be significantly
increased. The peak in technical information activities
should occur in FY 1979 and FY 1980.
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ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT PROGRAM
Overview
Several approaches have been proposed as part of a plan
to meet the Nation's critical energy needs. These
approaches include:
Increased use of coal by burning it directly and use
of coal-derived synthetic fuels'.
Use of alternate sources of energy such as waste,
solar, geothermal and nuclear.
More efficient energy extraction and use processes.
Each scenario can significantly affect environmental
quality.
Part of EPA's overall mission is to protect the public
health and welfare from adverse effects of pollutants
discharged by or associated with energy systems. Such
protection requires a multimedia approach so that control
of one form of pollution does not result in an unacceptable
impact on another media.
Because of potentially adverse health and ecological
effects of traditional and new technologies for fuel
extraction, processing and conversion, EPA has a major
responsibility to protect environmental quality and human
health. Also, since many technology development and
consequent environmental problems are long-term in nature
(e.g., many technologies will not be available and in
commercial use before early 1985), EPA must now develop the
health and technical data base necessary to support future
New Source Performance Standards and Ambient Air Quality
Standards. This need becomes quite apparent when lead
times for developing a health data base and applying
control technology are considered.
Several long-term problems are expected for regulatory
and enforcement components of EPA. First, the increased
reliance on substitute fuels from coal and oil shale (that
require cleaning, gasification and other techniques) can
generate new pollutants whose effects are not known and
must be defined. Another problem is the potentially
cumulative, chronic, health and ecological effects of new
and emerging energy sources (nuclear, geothermal, solar,
etc.). For example, the nuclear fuel cycle creates
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problems associated with plutonium dispersion- in the
biosphere and storage for an indefinite period of high-
level radioactive wastes.,
There are also energy "and environment-related problems
that are more near-term and must be successfully addressed
by EPA. The unavailability of enough domestic oil and
increased dependence upon foreign oil supply has encouraged
large-scale conversion of oil-fired boilers into coal-fired
boilers that burn high sulfur coal. This fuel substitution
will likely produce additional particulate sulfur compounds
and other combustion residues with environmental
consequences. Also, increased use of coal and oil shale
will accelerate mining for these fuels in semi-arid western
areas, raising serious questions about problems of mined-
lands restoration and affects on ground and surface water.
A coordinated federal program has been undertaken to
meet the above goal with the ORD carrying responsibility
for managing and integrating efforts of eighteen federal
agencies.
For example, in the areas of health and ecological
effepts and transport and monitoring, EPA coordinates
activities of a dozen federal agencies that, are doing
res-earch and development in related areas. EPA supplements
their programs with interagency funding to provide the
proper balance in the overall federal energy and
environment research and development. ORD uses its
laboratories for diversified programs that include
everything from pollutant monitoring and health and
ecological effects research to pollution control technology
development. These efforts are generally complimentary to
work in other federal agencies.
The definition of environmental problems and
requirements for control of longer-term problems are
particularly important because EPA does not have
responsibility for energy technology development even
though EPA must work with agencies that do (in most
instances ERDA). Factors to consider in solving long-term
problems include:
Environmental assessments of new energy extraction,
processing and use techniques (e.g., coal
gasification, coal liquefaction) to identify new
pollutants and determine their potential health,
ecological and other socio-economic effects.
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Develop an adequate scientific basis ' for ,new
environmental standards and regulations.
Provide guidance on control technology requirements
to federal and industry groups involved in
developing and applying new technologies.
Assist in development of control technologies,
especially where ORD has special expertise.
The Energy R&D Program is organized into three
subprograms: (1) Health and Ecological Effects; (2)
Extraction and Processing Technology; and (3) Conservation,
Utilization and Technology Assessment. These subprograms
and their major outputs are described below.
Health and Ecological Effects/Energy
Subprogram Description
The energy-related processes and effects R&D subprogram
is designed to identify all adverse environmental aspects
(essential for criteria development and control technology
requirements) associated with energy extraction, conversion
and use. Major goals include: (1) adequate protection of
human health and the human ecosystem and (2) assurance of
environmental protection with expanded use of domestic
energy supplies.
For the short-term, primary efforts reflect EPA
regulatory requirements. A sound technical base must be
provided to support establishment of standards and
regulations and to assure a strong Agency defense in event
of litigation.
In the intermediate term, research is directed to
problem identification and assessment. Early knowledge of
adverse energy system health and ecological effects are
required prior to system implementati.on to avoid the need
for costly retrofit controls. This work leads to setting
priorities for later work and where possible, to avoidance
of environmental insults.
The long-term research is largely based on a strategy
to prevent environmental damage rather than to only
regulate it. For that reason, research is undertaken to
better understand environmental processes and effects.
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Avoidance of all yet-unrecognized hazards is the major
ultimate objective.
The energy-related processes and effects research is
divided into four closely-related areas: pollutant
characterization., measurement and monitoring; environmental
transport processes; health effects and ecological effects.
Pollutant Characterization, Measurement and Monitoring
The monitoring effort is designed to provide data on
both ambient and energy-impacted air and water quality.
The primary objective is to establish baseline air and
water quality data in the Western regions for the purpose
of supporting EPA standards. Emphasis will be on SOx, NOx,
reactive hydrocarbons, toxic substances and visibility.
Areas to be monitored include: The Four Corners area;
Northern Great Plains; and oil shale areas in Colorado,
Wyomincr and Utah.
In the area of remote monitoring, projects are designed
to demonstrate the effectiveness of overhead remote sensing
and photographic techniques to monitoring energy-related
activities and effects. Emphasis is on coal mining and oil
shale development to obtain data on land-use surface
disruption, surface water, vegetation and visibility.
Groundwater monitoring projects are designed to develop
requirements for groundwater quality monitoring in areas of
coal strip-mining and oil shale extraction and processing.
The objective is to identify the pollutant's presence,
identify factors contributing to contamination and
demonstrate a monitoring strategy.
Solid wastes monitoring projects are designed to
analyze ash, sludge, slag and effluent water from energy-
related activities for toxic trace elements. Emphasis is
on low-level concentrations of toxic wastes and their paths
into the environment. Sources include oil and oil shale
processing and coal mining and conversion operations.
Tasks are also undertaken to develop sampling procedures,
monitoring instrumentation and continuous sensors for
energy-related water pollutants including toxic elements,
phenols, cyanides, nitrates and phosphates.
Near-term objectives include:
Development of a five-year air, water and land
quality baseline in the Western U.S. Within two
years, preliminary environmental data will be
available on specific sites in the West. This will
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allow federal and State officials to consider
environmental consequences into policy decisions
concerning energy developments (e.g., proposed
Kaparowitz Plateau power plants in Utah, oil shale
areas of Colorado and Wyoming and strip mining and
power plant development in Montana, North Dakota,
and Arizona).
ซ Development of ambient air and remote measurement
methods and instruments for aerosols associated with
various fossil fuel combustion processes (e.g.,
sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides and sulfuric acid
mist) .
Develop of water measurement methods for fossil
fuel-related organic wastes that are potentially
carcinogenic (e.g., oil shale waste) .
ซ Development of methods to monitor pollutants in
shallow and deep-lying aguifers in the vicinity of
coal mining, oil shale and geothermal developments.
Development of an airborne laser system for rapid
broad scale accurate determination of strip-mine
slope contours. This parameter is critical for
determining potential for land reclamation and has
significance for potential strip-mining regulation.
Longer-term Objectives include:
Development of an integrated air and water quality
data base keyed to ongoing and planned energy
developments at specific sites. This is to be
complimented by a synoptic, overhead survey of land
use at those sites.
Environmental Transport Processes
This research is designed to determine the transport,
transformations and environmental fate of energy-related
pollutants in freshwater, atmospheric terrestrial, marine
and estuarine ecosystems.
The atmospheric portion is designed to determine
transport and fate of pollutants generated from various
energy activities. Technologies to be considered include
oil shale, coal combustion, coal extraction and coal
gasification and liquefaction. The major emphasis is on
determination of chemical and physical processes associated
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with: (1) conversion of sulfur and nitrogen oxides to
sulfates and nitrates, (2) photochemical oxidant transport
and, (3) effects on visibility reduction, haze and
radiation balance of airborne aerosols generated by energy-
related activities.
The freshwater portion focuses on surface and ground-
waters. It is designed to trace the environmental pathways
and ultimate fate of organic and inorganic pollutants,
complex effluents, dissolved and suspended solids and
thermal discharges generated by coal and oil shale
development and coal gasification and liquefaction. The
marine portion of this research is similarly structured,
but concentrates on pollutants from such technologies as
offshore power generation, petroleum exploration and
extraction and construction of deepwater ports.
Near-term objectives include:
Initiate study of energy-related air pollutant
transport and transformation in the Mid-western U.S.
over a radius of several hundred miles. The results
of such studies will be correlated with ongoing
health effects studies.
Summarize current scientific knowledge and develop
empirical methods to predict stationary source plume
dispersion in simple and complex terrain with
emphasis on transformation, transport and removal of
sulfates and nitrates.
Develop a site-study capability to measure pollutant
removal from the atmosphere by dry deposition and
wash-out and rain-out in the vicinity of various
sources including tall power plant stacks and
smelters.
Determine fresh, surface and groundwater transport
mechanisms and pathways of organic and inorganic
pollutants, metals and dissolved solids along with
suspended solids from increased coal production.
Longer-term objectives include:
Determine the relationship of environmental
parameters such as conditions of exposure, duration
of pollutants, water vapor, temperature, wind and
sunlight to materials losses.
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Determine atmospheric effects, including visibility
reduction and haze and radiation balance,- caused by
airborne aerosols produced by energy-related
activities and develop methods of relating
atmospheric visibility reduction to chemical and
physical properties of fine particulates.
* Determine mass balance of pollutants in the air
envelope of fuel conversion systems such as coal
liquefaction and gasification.
Determine biological, physical and chemical pathways
and transfer machanisms of energy-derived pollutants
in soils, economic crops and animals.
Health Effects
The health effects research is designed to ascertain
and evaluate health implications of energy-producing
activities. This includes aspects of energy conservation
and processes involving final extraction, conversion, and
combustion. There is a need to expand present knowledge of
effects of pollutants produced by fossil and waste-fuel
combustion and mobile source emissions. Studies involving
selected fuels, fuel additives, advanced engine design and
emission control systems are necessary to this effort. ORD
will include epidemiological, clinical and toxicological
studies emphasizing long-term, low-level pollutant
exposures to determine potential teratogenic, mutagenic and
carcinogenic effects. This research output is essential to
the regulatory role of EPA. It provides a basis for
deciding on appropriate control levels.
Near-term objectives include:
Initiate studies to determine the health effects of
waterborne pollutants from present and emerging
energy processes and production. This includes
pollutants such as heavy metals and organic
chemicals and emphasizes toxicological, biological,
genetic and other biomedical aspects of subchronic
and chronic exposures.
Health effects information will be developed on
multi-route exposure from metallic pollutants
associated with fossil fuel extraction, combustion
and conservation, considering fuel development
alternatives.
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Heavy metals (nickel, mercury, cadmium, lead,_
manganese, vanadium, arsenic and others) will be
studied to ascertain the effect on health following
exposure. These metals will be studied both singly
and interactively.
Longer-term Objectives include:
Characterization of human exposure to pollutants
emitted in ambient air as a result of coal
conversion and utilization.
Emphasis on the impact that future energy policy
will have on ambient levels of existing criteria
pollutants, aerosols and fine particulates. Of
special interest are certain aerosol components such
as strong acids, sulfates and nitrates that may
cause adverse health effects. such an emphasis will
assure availability of health effects information
necessary for EPA to assess health and environmental
implications of future energy policy decisions in a
timely fashion.
Ecological Effects
Ecological effects research studies are oriented to
specific pollutants and broader energy technology. These
studies are designed to determine the total ecosystem
effects of energy development activities. The research
objectives are designed to determine effects of organic
pollutants, inorganic pollutants, thermal discharges,
complex effluents, dissolved solids and suspended solids on
freshwater, marine waters and terrestrial ecosystems.
Near-term energy technologies related to oil shale
production, coal extraction, gasification and liquefaction
will receive initial emphasis.
Acute and chronic toxicological effects on freshwater
organisms will be determined. The marine ecosystem studies
will seek to establish background levels of relevant
contaminants in marine organisms and habitats. Further
marine studies will include the effects of petroleum
extraction and conversion operations, construction of deep-
water ports and emissions from offshore nuclear facilities,
on the marine ecosystem.
The terrestrial effects studies will determine the
acute and chronic dose-response relationships from stress
of pollutants from coal, and oil shale extraction,
conversion and utilization processes. Other projects will
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determine metabolic and biochemical uptake mechanisms of
SOx, NOx, -^articulates and trace metals by test organisms,
both fresh water and marine. Effects of chronic and lethal
levels will also be ascertained.
Near-term objectives include:
Initiate studies to determine the acute and chronic
toxicity of heavy metals, complex effluents,
dissolved solids, suspended solids and inorganic and
organic stress, on freshwater organisms.
Baseline evaluation of aquatic ecosystems associated
with -Western coal development and oil shale
development.
ซ An integrated, total media study of over all
environmental impacts of strip-mining and power
plant development in Colstripv Montana.
Initiate studies to determine the acute and chronic
toxicity of petroleum products and biocides to
marine and estuarine organisms.
Longer-term studies include:
Evaluation of first phase research results on
activities in petroleum hydrocarbon, trace metals,
thermal effects and- power plant effluents, with
regard to physical, chemical and biological data for
model development.
Energy Extraction and Processing Technology
Subprogram Description
Overall objectives of this subprogram are to permit a
rapid increase in extraction and processing of domestic
energy resources and to enable these energy sources to be
used effectively in an environmentally compatible manner.
The research is divided into two areas: energy resource
extraction and fuel processing.
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Resource Extraction
Resource Extraction R&D will assess potential
environmental problems and control methods for underground
and surface coal mining, oil shale extraction and
exploration for and recovery of domestic inland and
offshore oil and gas. All these extraction processes have
the potential to severely damage water and land quality.
For that reason, the chief goal of this research is to
provide enough data and analysis to ensure that commercial
extraction operations can be conducted with adequate land
reclamation and minimal damage to water quality and supply.
Wide-scale strip mining of Western coal may result 1n significant
environmental impacts.
CREDIT: EPA/DOCUMERICA - Bill Gillette
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Offshore oil and gas efforts will focus on projecting
pollutant discharges and assessing control technologies to
ensure protection and restoration of ocean shorelines.
Problems of Western surface coal and oil shale mining will
receive particular attention because of their profound
impact on arid lands and the enormous potential of energy
reserves in the West. The research will examine problems
of revegetating arid mined land in the West. It will also
examine the impact on groundwater from disruption of
natural drainage contours and aquifers in coal seams. And
efforts will also focus on underground coal mining problems
such as acid mine drainage and methods to close abandoned
mines.
Fuel Processing
Physical and Chemical Coal Cleaning
Physical and chemical coal cleaning involves methods to
physically or chemically remove sulfur from coal having a
moderate sulfur content (1-2 percent). This allows the
coal to oe burned in conformity with clean air standards.
The objectives of this research are: (a) to develop
commercially available coal cleaning processes for organic
and inorganic sulfur and.ash in medium sulfur coal while,
(b) treating coal cleaning wastes to reclaim or dispose of
them in an environmentally acceptable manner.
Coal-cleaning research will assess several technologies
including several proprietary chemical coal-processes
cleaning pilot plants, a two-stage froth-flotation physical
cleaning process and advanced low-polluting, dewatering and
drying technologies. Coal-cleaning projects now under way
as part of EPA1 s Energy/Environment Program are designed
to: (a) assess the environmental impact of these
technologies, and (b) promote coal cleaning as appropriate,
because these processes are potentially more efficient for
pollutant removal than standard coal-washing processes.
The Department of the Interior and ERDA are performing
related research in this area.
Fluidized Bed Combustion
Optimal fluidized bed combustion (FBC) processes could
use coal, coal-derived products and residual oil more
efficiently than other technologies and with little
environmental harm. As part of the National Fluidized Bed
Combustion Program, coordinated by ERDA, EPA will conduct
R&D to determine potential environmental problems from
alternative designs and use of fluidized bed combustors.
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EPA's participation in this interagency program will
consist of environmental assessment of future FBC systems
by testing pilot-scale facilities and by continuing
research using EPA1s FBC "mini-pilot" plant.
Fluidized bed combustion research plans for the next
few years include:
Study of the feasibility of adopting the CPU-400 as
EPA's environmental test facility to evaluate
environmental and performance problems and control
methods.
Initiating work on use of low-sulfur Western coal
for industrial boilers.
Beginning sorbent regeneration studies to minimize
solid waste using the FBC facility at ERDA1s Argonne
National Laboratory and at the EPA's mini-pilot
plant.
Conducting laboratory and bench-scale studies of
operating conditions on an existing 50MW utility
boiler of a Chemically Active Fluidized Bed (CAFB)
process for converting extremely "dirty" residual
oils into clean gaseous fuel to minimize pollutant
formation.
Projects underway include: (a) assessing the
environmental impact of fluidized bed combustion processes
for burning coal; (b) developing environmental controls for
coal-burning fluidized bed combustion processes; and (c)
developing chemically active oil-burning fluidized bed
technology.
Synthetic Fuels
EPA's research on synthetic fuels (high and low BTU
gasified coal and liquefied coal) has two aspects:
To determine potential environmental impacts of
synthetic fuel processing operations.
To develop control technology to minimize potential
environmental damage.
Environmental control technology R&D must be conducted
concurrently with environmental assessments because some
synthetic fuel processes low BTU gasification in
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particular--are almost ready for commercial demonstration.
Development of an appropriate control technology must be
accelerated to permit early commercialization and to avoid
the diseconomies of forced retrofitting of pollution
controls.
For that reason, environmental assessments will focus
on characterization of feedstock materials at the same time
that studies are conducted on the impact of shale-oil
recovery, coal liquefaction and high and low BTU coal
gasification. Technology to control air, water and solid
waste pollution from conversion processes will proceed
concurrently with fuel processing technology R&D being
conducted by other agencies. To facilitate its testing
procedures, SPA plans to begin work on a small and flexible
coal gasifier to develop and evaluate control technology.
Finally, ongoing work will be continued on high temperature
clean-up of low BTU gasified effluents.
Nuclear Waste
The objective of nuclear waste control research is to
evaluate the magnitude of environmental hazards from
processing and disposal of nuclear wastes at various stages
in the nuclear fuel cycle. Impacts of mining and milling
wastes will be the main focal point with EPA devoting most
of its efforts in this area to expanding environmental and
technological assessment.
FY 1976 Plan
Publish report on the assessment of high temperature
and pressure particulate control methods. Such
techniques are necessary for pollution control from
second-generation energy systems such as FBC and
coal gasification processes.
An updated report on sulfur reduction potential of
U.S. coals will be published. Recent st>udies
indicate that physical coal cleaning and
combinations of physical coal cleaning and flue gas
desulfurization, may be the most cost-effective
strategies to meet emission regulations. , Data
contained in the updated report will allow selection
of the most economical methods to meet air pollution
regulations.
Initiate construction of the Meyers Process test
facility for coal cleaning (desulfurization). This
process, if successfully scaled-up, would release up
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to 4CK of Appalachian Basin coal for direct
combustion in new stationary sources without the
need for 'flue -gas desulfurization. The process
would be especially appropriate for small utility
and industrial and commercial boilers. Data from
test facility operation would provide the basis for
scale-up to demonstration site.
The ecological effects of thermal discharges from nuclear power plants
are being investigated in the Energy/Environment Program.
CREDIT: EPA/DOCUMERICA - Gene Daniels
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A design manual for physical coal cleaning
technology will be completed. The mariual will make
available to plant operators and regulatory agencies
the best of existing technology in physical coal
cleaning operations.
Completion of a simple field method to analyze
overburden pollution potential prior to mining.
Completion of the evaluation of long-term
effectiveness of reclamation practices.
Five-Year Plan
Outputs of the extraction R&D will define environmental
prdblems associated with surface and underground coal
mining in the Eastern and Western- United States. Problems
associated with active and abandoned mines such as mine
drainage, groundwater pollution and reclamation will be
considered. Also, methods, techniques and processes for
control will be developed. Information similar to that
developed for coal will also be developed for oil shale and
tar-sands.
The prevention and control of oil spills will receive
increased emphasis in later years. So will the
determination of environmental- impacts associated with
offshore gas and oil exploration and development, liquefied
natural gas (LNG) and liquid petroleum gas (LPG) .
To promote greater use of coal, many processes are
under development to obtain a clean fuel from coal.
Anticipating these developments, major emphases in the
early part of the EPA R&D program will be on obtaining
environmental data to define potential problems associated
with many synthetic fuel technologies being considered for
development (e.g. high and low BTU gasification, coal
liquefaction). Other technologies that are being developed
and may allow coal and oil to be used with minimum
environmental degradation, include fluidized bed combustion
(FBC) , advanced o'il processing; chemically active fluidized
bed combustion' (CFB) and physical and chemical coal
cleaning.
As the data defining environmental impacts and control
capability are obtained, emphasis of the problem should
change from environmental assessment to control technology
development. For that reason, increased funding is allowed
for control-technology development for synthetic fuels,
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fluidized bed combustion, and physical and chemical coal
cleaning.
Since EPA does not have sole responsibility for
developing the technologies that can allow greater use of
coal, the EPA control technology program will continue to
be coordinated with other agencies such as ERDA and DOI and
resources will be set aside for interagency agreements.
Additional milestones to be achieved in the FY 1977 -
FY 1980 period include:
Completion of environmental testing of operating
Eastern and Mid-western coal cleaning plants to
support setting of standards for new plants.
Identification (lab scale) of novel technologies to
remove sulfur, nitrogen and hazardous trace
materials from coal and coal cleaning wastes.
Testing and demonstrating deep physical coal
cleaning of utility coal and burning it afterwards
in a way that meet State and new source performance
standards.
Operation of the joint EPA/U.S. Bureau of Mines
physical coal cleaning test facility.
* Completion of environmental testing of the ERDA 30
MW atmospheric FBC facility and preparation of a
manual of practice in support of setting NSPS.
Operation of an Exxon miniplant in support of the
ERDA pressurized FBC program and EPA environmental
assessment program.
Completion of the development of pollutant sorbent
regeneration and alternate sorbents for FBC systems.
Completion of the development of high temperature
and high pressure granular-bed-filter fine
particulate control technology for support of NSPS
for pressurized FBC and gasification processes.
Demonstration of energy and environmental benefits
of the CAFB process for residual oil
gasification/cleanup at a utility boiler.
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Completion of bench-scale development of oil
desulfurization, denitrification and demetallization
technologies.
Completion of environmental testing and development
of manuals for control technology practice in
support of standards for coal gasification, coal
liquefaction, residual oil cleanup and oil shale
processing.
Completion of the EPA/ERDA pilot demonstration of a
high-temperature sulfur removal system for coal
gasification.
Development of manuals for control technology
practice to support effluent guidelines for acid
mine drainage, sediment runoff and other discharges
from Eastern coal mining and handling.
Completion of assessment of pollution potential of
coal and oil shale mining in the Western U.S. and
coal mining in Alaska.
Completion of assessment of environmental problems
in uranium mining and beneficiation, nuclear fuel
transportation and nuclear waste disposal and
reprocessing operations.
Completion of a demonstration of technology and
development of manuals for clean-up of oil spills on
land and water.
Preparation of manuals of practice for protection
and restoration of ocean, estuarine river and cool-
climate shorelines because of oil contamination.
Completion of manuals of control technology practice
to support effluent guidelines for offshore oil and
gas production facilities.
Energy Conservation, Utilization and Technology Assessments
Subprogram Description
This program includes the following:
Utility and Industrial Power Technology
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Energy Conservation
Integrated Assessment
Emphasis is focused on identification,
characterization, assessment and development of control
technology for pollutants associated with utility and
industrial combustion sources. Attention will be given to
generating information that can be used to help set
environmental standards and guidelines and develop cost-
effective control technology to achieve such standards.
The second aspect, energy conservation, calls for an
assessment of potential environmental effects of advanced
power systems and industrial process changes to achieve
energy conservation. The third aspect, integrated
assessment, will evaluate comprehensive environmental
protection standards for energy production activities while
attempting to balance environmental and economic costs.
Utility and Industrial Power
Flue Gas Desulfurization
Cleaning of flue gases from coal-fired utility and
industrial boilers has highest priority in federal
environmental pollution control technology R&D program for
several reasons. First, flue gas desulfurization (FGD)
processes in particular are important in terms of national
energy self-sufficiency. The only way to significantly
increase near-term coal use without severe environmental
disruption is to have air pollution control technology
available to meet Clean Air Act requirements. Because coal
conversion (gasification and liquefaction) processes seem
promising but will not be ready for commercial application
for quite some time, successful flue gas desulfurization
R&D will provide the only viable coal-combustion control
technique available in the 1970's. This will have greatest
significance in regions that now rely less on oil and gas
and more on coal, especially high sulfur coal for
generating electrical power.
Second, FGD systems, many in commercial operation or on
order, are in final stages of development. R&D efforts
will focus on remaining problems such as upgrading
operating performance and reliability, minimizing costs,
waste product disposal problems and treatment and by-
product recovery. This should allow FGD technology to be
more generally used in some regions. Funding for this work
was expanded in FY 1975 to include capital for two advanced
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stack-gas cleaning demonstrations. Funding levels will
decrease in FY 1976 and subsequent years since no further
full-scale utility demonstrations are scheduled.
In addition to R&D on advanced scrubber systems and
waste disposal techniques, flue gas cleaning (FGC) efforts
will contribute to characterization of fine particulates,
hazardous pollutants such as trace materials from coaL
combustion and metallic acid sulfates.
NOx Control Technology
This R&D will identify, assess and promote development
of cost-effective, commercially viable methods for control
'of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) from both existing and new
stationary combustion sources. NOx emissions have been
large in amount and could have widespread, adverse health
and ecological effects. EPA1s Maximum Stationary Source
Technology (MSST) strategy places increased emphasis on
controlling emissions from stationary sources. Because of
the lack of such control technology, this R&D is designed
to increase the degree and effectiveness of NOx control
from stationary sources.
EPA's overall program for control of stationary source
NOx emissions relies primarily on development and
demonstration of Combustion Modifications (CM) processes
for utility, industrial, commercial and residential
boilers. These processes minimize formation of nitrogen in
the combustion zone. Such control measures should not
reduce efficiency of combustion heat recovery nor increase
emissions of other pollutants.
An alternative approach that is being explored is "flue
gas cleaning" involving flue gas treatment.
Particulate Control
Fine-particulate control technology to meet present and
future emission reduction requirements is being developed
by EPA. The emphasis of the fine particulate control R&D
is on controlling emissions from direct combustion of low-
sulfur or cleaned coals. Although particulate control
technology has been used on combustion gases from high-
sulfur content coals, low-sulfur content coal use presents
a different problem.
In electrostatic precipitators--the most common control
method used in utility boilerslower sulfur content flue
gas can degrade electrical properties of the precipitator
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and consequently, its performance. Injection of sulfur
trioxide to improve electrical properties aggravates the
secondary sulfate emission problem.
The fine particulate control R&D includes efforts to:
(1) improve precipitator performance on low sulfur coals
and (2) develop other devices for conventional and advanced
coal use.
Potential health effects of metallic acid sulfates,
trace materials and other fine particulates, may limit coal
use in the future unless control processes are understood
and technology developed to meet emissions standards.
Cooperative efforts with EPA, ERDA and TVA, are underway to
fully characterize particulate emissions from conventional
and advanced coal combustion systems.
Thermal Control
Power plants discharge large amounts of heat into
receiving water. Even if energy demand decreases somewhat
in the next few years, construction of new coal-fired and
nuclear electrical power plants will magnify the problem of
how to dispose of waste heat with little environmental
damage.
'Under the Federal Water Pollution Act of 1972, EPA is
required to regulate thermal effluents. EPA's research for
FY 1975 and FY 1976 is a response to its own statutory
requirements. Objectives of the thermal control area
include:
Providing design and performance data for improved
cooling systems.
Reducing the dependence on use of rivers and lakes
as heat sinks.
Assessing the potential for waste heat reuse in
agriculture greenhouses, aquaculture and cyclical
storage.
FY 1976 tasks that will be under way include: (a)
advanced waste heat control using cooling towers; and (b)
advanced waste heat control through waste heat and water
use.
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Conservation
Improved efficiency in fuel use is a potentially
attractive way to help achieve energy self-sufficiency.
But work is needed to assess potential environmental
impacts of improved or advanced energy systems. Research
efforts will concentrate in four areas:
Industrial Processes: Energy-saving industrial
process changes resulting from increased energy
costs or governmental regulations or incentives may
produce unanticipated pollutant emissions.
Accompanying environmental assessment work is needed
in this area. And environmental R&D on energy-
saving industrial processes will expand in the next
few years.
Advanced Power Cycles: Work on advanced power
cycles such as gas turbines, magnetohydrodynamics
and fuel cells must be accompanied by
identification, measurement and analysis of health
and ecological effects of pollutants emitted.
Energy from Wastes:: Several methods of using waste
materials as energy sources have been investigated.
It is now technically and economically feasible to
use municipal solid waste (MSW) as a fuel substitute
in coal-fired-power plants. As a result, this R&D
has new projects that include: (1) co-firing MSW
with coal in a smaller (stoker) boiler and (2) co-
firing MSW with residual oil. If successful, these
two projects will demonstrate that energy recovery
from MSW is feasible throughout the country for
smaller cities. Pollutant characterization studies
are also being made to ensure that potential
environmental problems are defined.
An alternative to direct combustion of MSW is
conversion to synthetic gases, liquids, and solid
fuels. Pyrolysis of MSW is now being demonstrated
in Baltimore (Monsanto Process) and San Diego
County, California (Garrett Process).
Advanced Energy Systems: In keeping with - its
general philosophy of anticipatory R&D for energy
systems that will be developed over the long-term,
EPA has begun assessment studies to provide baseline
information about potential environmental impacts of
geothermal and solar energy systems.
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Integrated Assessment
Environmental, economic and social consequences of
energy alternatives together must be used as a basis for
EPA policies. Projects are designed across entire
technologies and fuel cycles to multi-faceted effects on
natural and human-modified environments of energy
development and related activities. The alternatives for
controlling environmental pollution associated with those
activities are also examined. Studies will focus on
environmental, economic, social and institutional impacts
of various technologies under alternative environmental
management approaches.
FY 1976 Plan
Complete the FGC evaluation phase of Louisville Gas
and Electric test program. The objective is to
understand and apply the unique chemistry of this
successful installation to other installations.
Complete the pilot and prototype double-alkali FGD
test program and publish a final report. This
process has potential cost, reliability and sludge
disposal advantages over lime and limestone
scrubbing systems.
Initiate a Wellman-Lord regenerable FGD test program
at coal-fired utility sites. This process has been
proven reliable and effective on oil-fired units in
Japan and will now be demonstrated on this full-
scale unit.
Issue a final report on sludge conversion
(regeneration) pilot studies. Successful technology
development would help solve FGD sludge-disposal
problems by allowing conversion and reuse of sludge
as an alternative to disposal.
Document application of staged combustion NOx
control technology for tangentially coal-fired
utility boilers.
Issue an annual report on assessment of Japanese
flue gas treatment technology for NOx control. Such
technology, capable of high efficiency NOx removal,
is advancing rapidly in Japan and is being applied
to several large installations.
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Complete the fine particulate charge droplet
scrubber demonstration. Such technology has
potential for enhanced fine particulate removal from
a variety of combustion and industrial sources.
Five-Year Plan
Emphasis in the early part of the five-year plan is on
obtaining the outputs from the flue gas desulfurization
(FGD) work. Data from test programs for nonregenerable FGD
systems are expected to indicate improved reliability and
lower costs. In addition, test programs for regenerable
FGD systems will provide data for evaluation as will
supporting studies involving by-product marketing and
wastewater utilization from FGD systems. These efforts
should be near completion in FY 1977. All data generated
from the FGD R&D is expected to be given to regulatory
groups and user industries through the technology transfer
program.
As the FGD R&D peaks and tails off, emphasis and
resources of the energy program will shift to NOx control,
fine particulate control, thermal control and combustion
pollution assessment.
The NOx control program will include field testing and
characterization studies and development of control
technology for gas turbines and utility, industrial and
commercial boilers. NOx control for residential heating
systems will also be considered. Simultaneous removal of
SOx/NOx by way of FGD technology will also receive
attention.
The fine particulate control program will also
accelerate as effort is made to determine the effectiveness
of available control equipment, to improve existing control
equipment capability and to demonstrate the efficiency of
novel devices.
The expectation is that environmental assessment of
conventional combustion systems will allow for an informed,
orderly identification and ranking of pollutants and their
potential impact according to pollutant media (e.g. air,
water, solid waste). This approach will guide EPA and its
R&D program in determining adequacy .or inadequacy of
existing and planned programs.
The effort for thermal pollution control work will also
increase. Studies to optimize dry cooling systems, for
site-specific wet and dry cooling systems relative to fog
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control and water conservation and for waste heat
utilization, will also be in progress.
Conservation studies and demonstrations should continue
at a relatively constant rate. Demonstrations of use of
wastes as fuel, assessment of advanced cycles, assessment
of advanced energy systems and industrial conservation are
expected to provide data on potential environmental impacts
of those technologies to guide R&D program planning.
Additional milestones to be achieved in the five-year
plan include:
Complete the Shawnee/RTP advanced lime and limestone
test study and publish a final report. This test
activity is aimed at identifying improved process
alterations capable of improving sulfur dioxide
removal, economics, reliability and sludge
characteristics.
Complete the Shawnee sludge demonstration evaluation
program. This involves a pilot test of three
commercially offered sludge-fixation processes and
follow-up environmental evaluations.
Complete the Bahco test study for lime scrubbing on
a coal-fired industrial boiler and publish a final
report. This will evaluate a sulfur control option
for smaller combustion sources.
Complete a final report on the Wellman-Lord FGD
demonstration. This report will summarize
operational performance of the first application of
this FGD technology to a coal-fired power plant.
Sulfur will be produced as the end product.
Issue a final report on Louisville Gas and Electric
lab and field FGD waste-disposal studies. The
objective here is to: (1) understand and apply the
unique chemistry of this successful unit to other
applications and (2) improve sludge-disposal
technology.
Prepare annual reports summarizing the EPA-sponsored
FGD sludge effort encompassing evaluation studies
and pilot and prototype-scale testing.
Complete preliminary studies assessing the impact of
gas, water and waste streams from a variety of
combustion sources.
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Perform a comprehensive application testing activity
aimed at identifying means to control NOx through
operational modifications for a wide variety of
combustion source's.
Develop and apply NOx control technology employing
modifications to utility, commercial and industrial
boilers, residential heating systems, stationary
engines and advanced combustion processes.
Develop promising flue gas cleaning methods for NOx
control at the small pilot level. Such systems
offer potential for enhanced NOx emission control
from a variety of combustion sources.
Enhance the effectiveness of conventional
particulate control devices for fine particulate
removal including electrostatic precipitators, bag-
houses and scrubbers.
Select, test and evaluate one promising, novel fine
particulate control device at the pilot level.
Demonstrate wet-and-dry and dry cooling tower
technology capable of dissipating waste heat from
steam-electric plants at the prototype level while
minimizing water pollution and water supply problems
associated with wet cooling towers.
Conduct feasibility studies aimed at evaluating use
of waste heat for agricultural and aguacultural
purposes.
Perform economic, technical and environmental
evaluations of resource recovery systems and refuse-
derived fuel-processing and energy-recovery
equipment and systems.
Identify and characterize various waste streams and
perform emissions and residuals studies on
pollutants already in wastes or produced in resource
recovery and energy conversion processes.
Develop pollution control techniques for waste re-
use processes.
Complete development of the "St. Louis" system for
combined firing of refuse and coal in a large
utility boiler.
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Develop systems for co-firing wastes and coal in
industrial.-sized boilers and for co-firing wastes
and oil in large utility boilers.
Assess the air quality inside various types of
buildings in relation to energy conservation
approaches and outdoor air quality.
Evaluate the potential environmental impacts of the
following advanced cycles: high-temperature open-
and closed-cycle gas turbines; MHD; potassium
topping cycles and thermionics.
Conduct environmental assessment studies and
evaluate environmental control technology needs for
geothermal and solar energy systems.
Perform studies to evaluate the cost, risk and
benefit trade-offs of e'nergy production,
conservation and pollution control alternatives.
Conduct technology assessments that evaluate
alternative energy technologies and approaches to
implement energy development and conservation to
prevent environmental damage and secure related
benefits.
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APPENDIX A
Environmental RSD in Other
Federal Agencies
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is but one of
many agencies with environmental research and development
(R&D) programs. Environmental R&D is defined by EPA as R&D
that concerns itself with some aspect of environmental
pollution. This could include emissions, transport
processes and fate, impacts or effects and control
technologies and management methods for pollutants. Such
research covers air and water pollution, pesticides, solid
waste, wa'ter supply, noise, radiation and toxic and
hazardous substances.
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) required
federal agencies to consider environmental consequences of
their actions. Such a demand led to an increase in
environmental R&D in many areas. While EPA is clearly
mandated to be the lead Agency in environmental R&D, the
missions of other federal agencies necessitate
environmental R&D. Therefore, EPA has the responsibility
to make sure that environmental R&D capabilities in other
agencies are not unnecessarily duplicated but are
recognized and utilized as efficiently as possible.
The largest and most formalized example of EPA-
coordinated interagency R&D is in the energy program where
EPA has the responsibility of administering a five-year
$100 million plus-per-year program with 18 other federal
agencies. Under this program, about 40 percent of EPA1s
energy budget is given to other federal agencies under
formal interagency agreements that produce research and
development in all aspects of energy and environmental
interactions.
The remainder of this appendix tells what each federal
agency with a sizable environmental R&D program does. It
gives: (1) a brief description of that program; (2)
estimated FY 1976 budget; and (3) examples of relationships
with EPA/ORD.
Much of the following information on program
descriptions and FY 1976 budgets has been extracted from:
"Report on Federal R&D Program FY 1976," by the Federal
Council for Science and Technology. This report analyzes
environmental R&D in a broad range of federal activities.
It includes earth resources, monitoring, mapping and
surveying, land-use planning and land management, oceans
and climate and atmospheric research. This is in addition
to the more commonly defined "environmental" categories of
ecology, pollution control and abatement and environmental
health. Obviously, all of these areas are closely related
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and often overlap. For this reason, environmental R&D will
be viewed in a broad sense in this section.
Summarized below are the other major FY 1976 federal
R&D programs related to environmental understanding,
protection and health. In addition to the Agency-specific
cooperative research, EPA/ORD often participates informally
in various interagency scientific and technical committees,
panels and task forces.
Department of Commerce
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) has planned $87 million in environmental R&D in FY
1976. This includes:
Great Lakes research,
Marine ecosystems analysis and ocean dumping
problems,
Effects of marine environmental alternatives, i.e.,
deep water ports,
Fisheries ecological investigations,
Environmental impact analysis.
To assure coordination of efforts, ORD participates with
NOAA on the Great Lakes Basin Commission, Interagency
Commission on Marine Science and Engineering and
International Association for Great Lakes Research.
ORD personnel, along with representatives from NOAA,
Fish and Wildlife Service, Energy Research and Development
Administration and others, meet regularly in the
Interagency Coordinating Committee on Contaminants in
Aquatic Organisms and the Aquatic Environment to share
information. ORD also works with NOAA in the Regional Air
Pollution Study (RAPS) in St. Louis.
In FY 1976, EPA will transfer $3 million to NOAA to
study effects of petroleum hydrocarbons on marine and
estuarine ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico and Northern
Puget Sound. NOAA will also make atmospheric and
meteorological measurements and analyses of power plant
generated pollutants in the Western United States.
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The National Bureau of Standards (NBS) conducts almost
$3 million in environmental R&D related to:
Improving air quality measurement techniques useful
in enforcement of air quality standards.
Improving techniques for measuring low-level or
trace pollutants, including radioactive substances,
in water.
Development of standard methods for measuring noise
levels, including techniques for calibrating
monitoring equipment.
In FY 1976, EPA will transfer $1 million to NBS to
develop energy-related water pollutant analysis
instrumentation for the purpose of detection of
hydrocarbons from power plants" and effluents from coal
gasification and liquefaction plants and oil shale and
petroleum operations. NBS will also develop standard
reference materials for energy-related pollutants in the
atmosphere, freshwater and estuarine ecosystems.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
NASA has approximately $132 million for environmental
R&D in FY 1976. The major environmental effort of NASA is
the Earth Resources Technology Satellite program (LANDSAT).
LANDSAT applies space technology to data-gathering about
earth's resources to improve resource management. More
specifically, the following efforts are under way:
Applications Airborne Research Program that includes
analysis of environmental quality.
Climatic research that will improve atmospheric
measurements, remote-sensing capability related to
the earth's radiation balance and atmospheric
pollutants and climatic modeling.
Several ongoing and planned nimbus flight projects
for all-weather atmospheric sounding, pollution
monitoring and climate and ocean research.
In addition to some joint EPA/NASA remote-sensing
interests, EPA/ORD works with NASA on the International
Joint. Commission in the Great Lakes. EPA will also
transfer $500 thousand to NASA in FY 1976 for overhead
monitoring support -to 50 sites associated with Western
energy resource development.
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Department of the Interior (DPI)
The DOI will spend about $160 million in FY 1976 for,
R&D directly and tangentially related to environmental
understanding and improvement. This R&D includes:
Environmental studies in -support of energy R&D,
i.e., siting, operation and waste disposal for
nuclear power plants.; abatement of pollution from
metallurgical processes and wastes; petroleum
development of the . Outer Continental Shelf; and
application of environmental resources data to urban
decision-making.
Baseline hydrologic data will also be collected to
provide the basis for continued monitoring of
environmental impacts on water resources systems and
use efficiencies.
Environmental observations and measurements by the
Geological Survey related to quality and quantity of
water supplies.
Research in irrigation management, wastewater
reclamation and reuse and development of predictive
models for salinity and nitrogen.
Conducting mining research to maximize mining
production with minimum pollution and damage to the
environment.
Conduct research with the Fish and Wildlife Service
(FWS) on effects and residues jof pesticides in
animals.
EPA will transfer $3 million to DOI in FY 1976 to study
the effects of energy resource development on wildlife and
wildlife habitats and to monitor both surface and
groundwater quality next to Western energy development
sites.
To make use of more coal with minimum environmental
degradation, EPA through interagency agreements, is working
with the DOI in - studying physical and chemical coal
cleaning. Specific subjects of interest include: (1)
improving or developing techniques for mechanical de-
watering of fine-size coal, (2) evaluating new concepts for
chemical coal cleaning, (3) R&D to eliminate coal refuse
ponds and (4) coal washing demonstrations. EPA funding of
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coal cleaning projects through interagency agreements with
the DOI in FY 1976 will be about $930 thousand.
In addition - to ,these cooperative energy and
environmental studies, EPA/ORD has an interagency agreement
with the Geological Survey on research of methods to
estimate "natural" water quality in streams. EPA/ORD also
participates with DOI on the International Joint Commission
on the Great Lakes in a study to test validity of indexes
for water quality and to select a standard array of
reporting methods. EPA/ORD also participates with the FWS
on various studies on pesticide effects.
Department of Agriculture (USDA)
The Department of Agriculture will conduct about $120
million of environmental R&D in FY 1976. The research is
directed at maintaining stable and productive agriculture
through soil, water and crop management practices that
reduce: soil erosion and water runoff, wind erosion losses
from agricultural lands and soil salinity. Research to
make efficient use of irrigation water and improve soil
drainage is also included.
1 pther research is conducted on control of pollution
from animal and agricultural processing wastes, including
possible pesticide contamination. Large programs are
conducted on insect, plant disease and weed control
employing integrated pest management practices and
conventional pesticide use.
Still other research is directed to development of
economical farming and land use practices that prevent
environmental contaminiation by fertilizers, pesticides,
agricultural and municipal wastes and sediments; ensure
long-term availability of land for maximum production of
food and fiber, water supplies and recreation; reclaim
mined lands; protect soil against erosion; and conserve
fertilizer and energy supplies.
In addition, research by the Economic Research Service
(ERS) focuses on the impact on food and fiber supplies and
prices of alternative environmental quality standards or
restrictions. The costs of new technology and management
practices related to agricultural production are also being
assessed.
ORD cooperates with the USDA in the following areas:
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Salinity reduction programs in the Colorado River
Basin, Rio Grande River Basin and sediment reduqtion
programs in the Northwest.
Investigations of environmental consequences of
alternative silvicultural practices, including cost-
effectivenss of alternate control practices (with
U.S. Forest Service).
Research involving land application of municipal
wastewater and sludges.
Principles, strategies and tactics for pest
population regulation and control in major crop
ecosystems.
Studies on pasture and rangeland runoff.
Research on runoff from land application of animal
wastes and development of control methods.
Research involving uses and reuse of animal wastes
other than as fertilizers.
Research on effects of air pollutants on crops.
Development of a predictive model for runnปff of
pesticides and nutrients from croplands.
Development of regional reports on current land and
water use and agricultural economic implications for
future resource use, resource competition and
environmental quality from various levels of coal
and oil shale development.
Determination of the impact of energy development in
the Northern Great Plains on employment, income,
population and local government finances and
services.
Evaluation of reclamation costs and alternative
technologies and uses for reclaimed land on selected
sites.
Development of analytical systems to evaluate inter-
regional economic implications and trade-offs for
agricultural and rural areas produced by coal
development.
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Development of plant species and lagoons for
revegetation of Western energy-resource areas.
In FY 1976, EPA's Energy/Environment Program will transfer
$1.3 million to the USDA.
Energy Research and' Development: Administration ^ERDA)
ERDA -will incorporate environmentally-related R&D
programs from the former Atomic Energy Commission and the
Department of the Interior into its program for FY 1976.
In the area of environmental and safety research, ERDA is
requesting $178 million in FY 1976. Continued emphasis
will be given to studies in the biomedical and
environmental sciences on effects of energy production on
living systems to assess, control and envaluate the effects
of exposures to man and his environment. Specific
activities include increases in such priority areas as:
Biomedical and environmental effects of transuranic
isotopes.
ซ Biological effects of low doses of radiation.
Thermal effects.
Offshore siting.
Evaluations of the impact of nuclear and other
energy-producing systems on a regional, national, or
other geographical scale.
Health and environmental consequences of pollutants
from non-nuclear energy sources, especially fossil
fuels.
Research and development will also be strengthened on
transportation and long-term management of radioactive
materials and wastes from chemical and ERDA operations.
Much of the other R&D of ERDA now separately defined as
"Environmental and safety R&D" is also environmentally-
related. This is particularly true of fossil fuel and
electric power transmission R&D to provide energy with
fuels and processes that meet environmental quality
standards. Such R&D includes impact measurement and
evaluation, collection of data on effluents from facilities
using new conversion processes and work on new
environmental control technologies.
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Research motivated by environmental concerns draws on
the physical research program for knowledge of radiation
chemistry and photochemistry of pollutants and aerosol
formation and pollutant effects on the upper atmosphere;
tritium and other radioactive waste removal; and better
techniques for analysis of pollutants, especially those
produced in energy processes.
EPA is currently supporting research through
interagency agreements with ERDA in serveral areas.
In the physical and chemical coal cleaning area, work
is under way to characterize trace elements in coal
cleaning wastes and to evaluate at laboratory scale new
physical and chemical processes to remove and recovery
trace elements.
In the fluidized bed combustion (FBC) area, work is
under way at bench and laboratory scale to determine: (1)
techniques for reduction of nitrogen oxide emissions, (2)
sorbent performance for control of sulfur dioxide
emissions, and (3) the fate and control of trace element
emissions. Other efforts in the FBC area include modeling
of sulfur dioxide capture rates, characterization of
particulate emissions, techniques for reduction of nitrogen
oxide emissions and combustion studies comparing limestone
to dolomite over a broad range of temperatures, coals and
particle sizes.
EPA is also involved with ERDA in technologies to
develop synthetic fuel from coal. Specifically, test
programs of processes supported by ERDA are of interest in
that process and effluent streams can be identified and
monitored and analytical methods developed. The
effectiveness of control technology from operating data
will also be evaluated.
EPA will get data through ERDA for cost, risk and
benefit tradeoff analysis of nuclear, oil, shale,
geothermal and coal use for power production in the Western
United States.
EPA funding of these projects with ERDA in FY 1976 will
be about $2 million.
In FY 1976, EPA will transfer $5 million to ERDA to
study the fate and effects of petroleum hydrocarbons in
Arctic ecosystems, Lake Michigan and coastal areas of
Puerto Rico. ERDA will also do terrestrial ecosystem
impact studies for the Four Corners Region and parts of the
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Southeastern U.S. Improved instrumentation and methods to
measure and analyze air pollutants produced by energy
developments will also be studied.
EPA/ORD participates on various advisory boards and
panels of the Nevada Operations Office. ORD also provides
support to ERDA through an interagency agreement in the
Regional Air Pollution Study (RAPS) in St. Louis.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
NRC has responsibility for reactor safety research ($72
million), nonreactor confirmatory research ($8 million) and
safeguards research on physical protection and materials
control and accountability ($7 million) . Of these, the
most environmentally-related is the nonreactor confirmatory
research program that includes four main concerns: (1)
health and environmental impact for licensed nuclear
facilities; (2) fuel-cycle safety assessment research, (3)
waste management, and (4) transportation.
The health and environmental impact research includes
projects related to:
Defining the biological and ecological effects of
radioactive, chemical and thermal discharges.
Development of environmental pathway and related
predictive models.
Dose conversions and measurements.
Development of cost and benefit and social-value
assessment methodologies.
Fuel-cycle safety assessment attempts to verify from
actual operating experience the predicted performance of
nonreactor plant processes and effluent control systems.
This is done to provide more precise estimates of plant
performance and environmental impacts for licensing and
standard-setting activities.
Waste management research supports NRC's responsibility
in licensing nuclear facilities to assure that radioactive
wastes remain nonhazardous. The research is directed at
analysis of costs, risks and benefits of various waste
management techniques and development of data necessary to
establish licensing requirements for waste storage.
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Research on transportation of radioactive materials
develops methodology for reviewing proposed transportation
systems, predicting'performance arid verifying relationships
between tests and actual transport conditions. Research
supports establishment of transport standards for new types
of materials. Studies are also made of characterizations
of radiation exposures and accident probabilitites and
consequences.
Department of Defense (DOD)_'
& primary objective of the $56 million R&D program of
the Department of Defense in environmental sciences
(atmospheric, oceanographic and terrestrial) is to provide
the basic technology to enable DOD to "tailor"
environmental information to system designers, developers
and operators. In addition to addressing operator-
identified requirements for better environmental
information, the R&D program attempts to assist designers
in developing tomorrow1s weapon systems so that all
immediate environmental factors and total environmental
impact can be accommodated at each stage of system design
and development. DOD also conducts research on the
application and disposal of pesticides.
'Important to EPA is the Corps of Engineers R&D program
concerned with determining effects of engineering projects
on the environment. Investigations are conducted on
coastal processes and ecosystems, flood control, hydrology
of cold regions, water resources planning and management,
wastewater management and environmental quality and impact
assessment.
EPA/ORD has a commitment to the States .to conduct a
National Eutrophication Survey in cooperation with DOD.
Also, ORD participates with the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers in the International Joint Commission on the
Great Lakes and on a committee to coordinate dredge-
material ecological research activities.
National Science Foundation (NSF)
The NSF conducts environmentally-related R&D programs
related to climate, oceans and arctic resources and basic
research related to specific, current problems under the
Research Applied to National Needs (RANN) program. These
programs will total in excess of $120 million in FY 1976.
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The Arctic Offshore Resources Program ($2 million) is a_
multidisciplinary, international effort to develop an
understanding of arctic environmental factors important to
the solution of problems identified with offshore resource
development and transportation.
The International Decade of Ocean Exploration (IDOE) is
a major program that includes investigations and
experiments to provide the scientific basis for improved
oceanographic and atmospheric forecasts. Another $5
million under the IDOE will be concerned with environmental
quality, with studies of the marine environment, the
effects of pollutants on that environment and the
scientific basis for marine preservation policies.
Other NSF national and international programs that are
in part environmentally-related include some basic and
applied environmental research under the Special Foreign
Currency Program and International Cooperative Science
Activities. NSF also supports basic atmospheric and other
research of National Center for Atmospheric Research
(NCAR).
In the biological sciences, there is a special focus on
properties and interrelationships of natural ecosystems.
Such studies provide the basis for development of
predictive models showing the effects of varying land use
and environmental cha-nges. Basic research related to
ecosystems in lakes and ponds has been used by various
federal agencies in applied programs related to
eutrophication and other effects of pollution problems.
Similarly, basic research on terrestrial ecosystems has
been applied in research related to forest management, crop
ecosystems, energy development, etc.
Fundamental engineering research relating to the
environment includes that concerning erosion, groundwater
contamination, mining and excavating, wind effects on
pollution transport and structures and engineering
considerations associated with natural disasters.
Basic research in the environmental sciences
(atmospheric sciences, earth sciences and oceanography)
includes approximately $5.7 million for pollution problems.
In the RANN program, environmental research is of major
importance. The program level for FY 1976 is about $27
million. The RANN program effort is closely coordinated
with other federal agencies to ensure complimentary and the
early use of results.
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RANN1s environmental program emphasizes environmental
effects of energy ($1.5 million), trace contaminants ($5.8
million), regional environmental systems ($6.7 million),
weather modification, and disasters and natural hazards
($13.2 million). A wide variety of research is conducted
in these general areas,. Additional research relates to
regional ecol6gy; land use planning and management;
regional environmental management; coastal engineering and
coastal zone management, and environmental modeling,
environmental data and policy and cost-benefit studies;
solid waste management and disposal water quality and
waster use; wastewater treatment; thermal pollution; air
quality and air pollution control; content and variability
of atmospheric gases; transport, fate and effects of trace
contaminants; and effects of energy, industrial processes
and agricultural chemicals and wastes.
RANN's fossil-energy program of $3.8 million includes
research related to environmental impacts of coal
conversion, gas liquefaction and tertiary oil recovery.
EPA/ORD has numerous working agreements with the NSF.
Among these are: evaluation of costs and effects of
alternative patterns of metropolitan development; and study
on principles, strategies and tactics of pest population
regulation and control in major crop ecosystems. ORD also
coordinates work on sulfates and organics with NSF.
Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (PHEW)
The concern of DHEW is with effects of the environment
oh man rather than environmental effects per se. Research
in environmental health is directed at identifying
potentially harmful environmental agents, assessment of
their effects, understanding of their mechanisms of actions
and methods to ameliorate resulting hazards. Such research
gives the health basis for federal regulatory agencies to
evaluate impact of alternative environmental control
options. DHEW research also gives health-oriented agencies
and personnel the basis for efforts to mitigate or prevent
diseases with environmental origins.
Research is ' conducted through the National Cancer
Institute ($69.6 million), the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences ($31.1 million), the National
Institute of Occupational Safety and Health ($2.5 million)
and the Food and Drug Adminstration ($46 million).
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Research conducted under the environmental
carcinogenesis program of the National Cancer Institute is
directed at discovery and ranking of the contribution of
environmental agents (mostly chemical) to the causes of
cancer, bioassays on the chemicals and epidemiological
studies. The National Istitute of Environmental Health
Sciences (NIEHS) links fundamental research, both that
conducted at NIH and in universities, with applied
environmental problems related to air pollution, water
pollution, industrial chemicals and pesticides. _ Research
focuses on biochemical mechanisms by which environmental
chemicals affect people and gathering of data necessary to
determine dose-response relationships.
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and
Health (NIOSH) acts as the research arm of the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration located in the Labor
Department. It conducts and supports research on
biological effects on people of industrial hazards to
provide the Labor Department with recommendations for
setting of standards.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducts
research to devise and improve chemical and instrumental
analytical methods, biological assay methods, methodology
to detect hazardous or potentially harmful biological
products, microbiological testing procedures and rapid-
screening methods to detect animal drug residues in foods.
Toxicological reviews are made on foods, colors and animal
seed additives, chemicals, cosmetics and drugs. Studies
are also conducted on the bioeffects of light and sonic
radiation.
EPA/ORD provides partial support to the National Center
for Toxicological Research (NCTR) for research on the long-
term effects of low levels of chemical toxicants. ORD has
developed working agreements with DHEW (NIOSH, NPEHS) to do
health effects research, especially for pollutants
associated with increasing energy production. In FY 1976,
EPA will transfer $5.5 million to DHEW to study human
health effects of air, water and multiroute exposure to
pollutants associated with energy development. DHEW will
also develop instrumentation and devices for measurement of
hazardous agents associated with energy usage in
occupational environments. EPA/ORD research with
environmental carcinogens is done in cooperation with DHEW.
Also, in cooperations with the Communicable Disease Center
(CDC) , ORD conducts population studies for investigating
the health impacts of toxic material emitted from smelters.
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Department of Transportation
Research by DOT in environmental protection related to
transportation will total approximately $18 million in FY
1976. These programs include investigation and testing of
ways to reduce noise and decrease adverse effects of noise
associated with aircraft and surface transportation. Noise
prediction and reduction techniques developed by DOT are
used by localities and industry.
Other work is related to development of technical tools
to plan for and implement environmental protection
associated with transportation systems and. facilities.
This includes highways and airports operations, controlling
stream sedimentation (erosion) and oil spills and other
pollution at sea.
An assessment of possible climatic changes produced by
disturbing the upper atmosphere by stratospheric air travel
and other flight operations will be continued.
DOT is supported by EPA/ORD in the Regional Air
Pollution Study in St. Louis and jointly funds a study of
health costs associated with automobile-related air
pollution. ORD also has an interagency agreement with DOT,
HUD, NSF, and CEQ to evaluate costs and effects of
alternative patterns of metropolitan development.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
In FY 1976, HUD will conduct about $14 million of
research and development .related to environmental
protection.
HUD utility systems research is concerned with
encouraging the development and use of more efficient
utility systems, including waste management systems, that
conserve natural resources and protect the environment.
EPA/ORD has an interagency agreement with HUD, DOT, NSF
and CEQ to evaluate the costs and effects of alternative
patterns of metropolitan development. Expected funding in
FY 1976 is about $100 thousand.
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
Research undertaken by CEQ reflects its nature as an
advisory body. The Council staff supervises research that
is planned and funded in conjunction with other federal
agencies.
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The Council's first obligation in environmental
research is to weigh issues and draw attention to those
which most urgently require improved knowledge to make
intelligent decisions. Much of CEQ's research is oriented
toward issues perceived as having immediate importance
where CEQ can best exercise a policy advisory role. A
second important duty is to inspire and coordinate
environmental research in neglected areas.
The Council's research efforts, budgeted at less than
$1 million for FY 1976, may be grouped into four principal
categoriesenergy, land use, pollution and trends.
ORD works with CEQ in the following areas: energy R&D;
study to test the validity of indexes for water quality;
development of an air quality index; and study to evaluate
costs and effects of alternative patterns of metropolitan
development.
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
EPA/OPD provides support to the Tennessee Valley
Authority (TVA) primarily for RD&D on reliability and
efficiency of sulfur-dioxide control operations.
In addition to the substantial flue gas desulfurization
test program at Shawnee, work with TVA also involves: (1)
assessment of water and waste streams from coal-fired power
plants, (2) ash disposal problems, (3) coal-pile drainage
problems, (4) characterization of air pollutants for toxic,
carcinogenic and mutagenic materials, (5) thermal pollution
control by application and evaluation of wet and dry
cooling tower technology, and (6) economic modeling to
assess an area's sensitivity to various national parameters
and to evaluate the impact of expanding energy-generating
systems on population, labor force, employment, etc.
In FY 1976, EPA will transfer $1.5 million to the TVA
to study effects of energy-related atmospheric pollutants
on terrestrial ecosystems, primarily in the Southeastern
U.S. and to study effects of waterborne pollutants from
steam-electric power generation.
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4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE
Environmental Research Outlook
FY 1976 through 1980
TECHNICAL REPORT DATA
(Please read Instructions on the reverse before completing)
1. REPORT NO.
2.
6. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION CODE
3. RECIPIENT'S ACCESSION-NO.
5. REPORT DATE
February 1976
7. AUTHOR(S)
8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NO.
9. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
Washington, D.C. 20460
10. PROGRAM ELEMENT NO.
11. CONTRACT/GRANT NO.
12. SPONSORING AGENCY NAME AND ADDRESS
13. TYPE OF REPORT AND PERIOD COVERED
Report to Congress
Same
14. SPONSORING AGENCY CODE
EPA-ORD
15. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES
16. ABSTRACT
This report represents the first attempt by the Office of Research and
Development (ORD) to present a 5-Year overview of ORD's research program,
priorities and trends. The report will be updated annually. This overview is
programs which are: Health and Ecological Effect;
Service Activities; Monitoring and Technical Support;
s working agreements with other Federal Agencies
In the near-term ORD has given priority to
Ecological Effects Program. Another priority area is
the Industrial Processes Program where pollution control technology R&D is needed
if the 1985 Water quality goals are to be more closely met. Emphasis will also
be placed on monitoring and quality assurance R&D which support Agency regulatory
actions.
broken into ORD's five major
Industrial Processes; Public
and Energy/Environment. ORD1
are also briefly described.
strengthening the Health and
17.
KEY WORDS AND DOCUMENT ANALYSIS
DESCRIPTORS
b.IDENTIFIERS/OPEN ENDED TERMS
COS AT I Field/Group
Project Planning; Water Pollution,
Air Pollution; Wastes; Pesticides;
Water Supply; Public Health
Research Planning
Environmental Research
Health Effects
Ecological Effects
Pollution Control Tech.
Environmental Processes
Pollution Monitoring
13 B
18. DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT
RELEASE TO PUBLIC
19. SECURITY CLASS (This Report)
Unclassified
21. NO. OF PAGES
20. SECURITY CLASS (Thispage)
I Inr* 1 ace n-fio/H
22. PRICE
EPA Form 2220-1 (9-73)
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