PRESS PACKET PROPOSED WATER QUALITY GUIDANCE FOR THE GREAT LAKES SYSTEM For Publication in the Federal Register on April 16, 1993 ------- United Slates Communications. Education. Environmental Protection And Public Affairs Agency (A-107) VEPA Environmental News EPA ISSUES GREAT LAKES WATER QUALITY GUIDANCE WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31 1.993 Sean McBlbeay 202-260-1387 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today proposed water quality guidance for the Great Lakes ecosystem. The guidance would require the eight Great Lake states and certain Indian tribes to establish consistent, scientifically-based controls on toxic pollutants in the Great Lakes Basin. "Today's action illustrates the Agency's commitment to ecosystem protection — where we address environmental problems from a broad, fully integrated approach," said EPA Administrator* Carol M. Browner. "This initiative will result in the clean-up, control and prevention of pollution in the Great Lakes basin." Pollutants entering the Great Lakes can be retained in the ecosystem for long periods of time. Certain chemicals also tend to bioaccumulate in the food chain, becoming concentrated at much higher concentrations than in open waters of the lakes. Toxic pollutants originate from various sources, including municipal and industrial discharges, wet weather runoff and air deposition. States have identified toxic substances as the most extensive cause of water quality damage in the Great Lakes basin. "The special nature of the Great Lakes Ecosystem requires our full attention. The lakes are extremely vulnerable to persistent pollutants that accumulate in'the food chain. As a result, the ecosystem's wildlife have reproductive defects and tumors. Human health is threatened through consumption of fish and shellfish," Browner said. The Great Lakes Water Quality Guidance (GLWQ6) is the result of a cooperative effort by EPA and the eight Great Lake states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wisconsin). The guidance will establish minimum water quality standards, antidegradation policies, and implementation procedures for waters of the Great Lake System under the jurisdiction of the Great Lakes states and Indian tribes. R-72 (more) Pnm«j c'- ----- ------- —2— “This proposed guidance will give Great Lakes states and tribes scientifically and technically sound water quality criteria, anti- degradation policies and implementation procedures needed to protect the Great Lakes ecosystem from the discharge of toxic pollutants. It will help ensure clean water there for generations to come,” Browner said. The guidance will result in consistent, basin—wide water quality standards designed to protect human health, aquatic life and wildlife. The guidance proposes human health criteria for 20 pollutants, aquatic life criteria for 16 pollutants, and wildlife criteria for 4 pollutants. The guidance also contains methodologies for developing additional criteria and values for the protection of human health, aquatic life and wildlife. These will serve as the basis for limits on dischargers. The Guidance also includes proposed detailed provisions on Antidegradation. These provisions would require that any significant increase in a pollutant discharge to a waterway must be shown to be necessary and to support important social and economic benefits. The guidance also contains detailed requirements for establishing or implementing important elements of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits and water quality programs. Today’s proposal marks the culmination of a four—year effort between the eight Great Lakes states and the Agency. The proposed Great Lakes Water Quality Guidance is the result of a cooperative venture involving the Great Lakes states and Indian tribes, the environmental community, academia, industry, municipalities, and EPA. “The open process used in this effort has been exemplary and is a model for the future,” Browner said. “We are very proud of the cooperative nature of this proposal.” The Great Lakes are a unique natural resource with unparalleled economic, recreational and environmental values. They provide habitat for thousanda of plant and animal species. They contain 20 percent of the world’s ax .95 percent of the United States’ fresh surface water. More than 40 11lion people live in the Great Lakes basin and one- quarter of U.*. industry is located there. More than 23 million people depend upon the lakes for drinking water. Development of today’s proposed guidance began as a voluntary, cooperative effort between EPA and the Great Lakes states to ensure consistency among their water quality standards, particularly those standards used in NPDES permitting. In 1989, the Council of Great Lakes Governors unanimously agreed to participate in this process under the lead of EPA region 5 (chicago, Ill). R—72 (more) ------- —3— In 1990, Congress passed the Great Lakes Critical Programs Act, which incorporated a schedule for completion of the GLWQG. Today’s proposed guidance fulfills the requirements of the Act. The Great Lake states and tribes must adopt water quality standards, antidegradation policies and implementation procedures consistent with the guidance within two years after the guidance is published in final form. The Great Lakes Water Quality Guidance is one critical element of a broad, comprehensive effort underway in the region to protect and restore this ecosystem. Today’s initiative focuses on the federal, state, tribal and local commitments to reduce loadings of toxic pollutants in the Great Lakes system. “The 164 fish consumption advisories issued by the Great Lake states are evidence that we are not yet meeting the goals of the Clean Water Act or the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Today’s guidance proposes stringent regulation of persistent, bioaccumulative chemicals to help prevent additional long—term environmental damage,” Browner said.. The proposed guidance will soon be published in the Federal Register followed by a 150-day written public comment period. EPA will also hold a public hearing on August 4 and 5 at its regional office in chicago, Ill. EPA seeks broad public comment on the guidance and encourages all interested parties to submit their views during the public comment period. EPA will review all public comments before issuing the final Great Lakes guidance. * * * R-72 ------- Proposed Water Quality Guidance for the Great Lakes Xarch 31, 1993 Statement by Carol X. Browner, Administrator United States Environmental Protection Agency I am pleased to announce an innovative ecosystem approach to protecting the Great Lakes basin. Signing the proposed Water Quality Guidance for the Great Lakes basin reflects the Clinton Administration and EPA’s commitment to broad, integrated ecosystem approaches for addressing environmental problems. This initiative marks the culmination of a four—year cooperative effort among the eight Great Lakes States and Indian Tribes, the environmental community, academia, industry, municipalities, and EPA. The open dialogue used in this effort has been exemplary and is a model for the future. This proposal sets water quality goals for the Great Lakes which, for the first time, will ensure consistent protection of humans, wildlife and aquatic life throughout the Great Lakes basin. Once implemented, this initiative will result in the clean—up, control and prevention of pollution in the Great Lakes basin. I am particularly pleased to be here with Senator Levin. He and his colleagues recognized the Lakes’ importance and were instrumental in passing the Great Lakes Critical Programs Act in 1990. This Act directed EPA to develop consistent water quality standards for the Great Lakes System. The significance of the Great Lakes as a national and international resource has been one of the major forces behind this proposal. Collectively, the Great Lakes contain nearly 20 percent of the world’s fresh water and 95 percent of the fresh ------- water of the United States. The Lakes and their tributaries provide a source of drinking water for over 23 million people. They also are home to 25 percent of U.S. industry. The Lakes serve as habitat to hundreds of species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and plant life. They provide recreation and beauty for millions of Americans. Toxic pollutants in the Lakes originate from a multitude of sources, including municipal and industrial discharges, wet weather runoff, and atmospheric deposition. These pollutants place this great natural- -resource and the residents of the region at risk. States have identified toxic substances as the most extensive cause of water quality damages in the Great Lakes basin. The Great Lakes are extremely vulnerable to persistent pollutants that accumulate in the tissues of fish and wildlife. As a result, the ecosystem’s wildlife have reproductive defects and tumors. Human health is threatened through consumption of fish and shellfish. I might add that we recognize and understand all too clearly that our water quality goals for the Great Lakes cannot be achieved, alone. I commend our Canadian partners for their support in binational water quality improvement objectives. This innovative approach not only gives guidance to the Great Lakes but also gives guidance for better ecosystem protection in the future. 2 ------- - -. ------- |