United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Issue No. 10
Sept. 13, 1982
Page 37
EFW TIMES
A PUBLICATION FOR EPA EMPLOYEES
Pollutants - A Scientific Challenge
scientists at Environmental
Research Lab at Narragansett
studying marine life
Personnel	
YOUR OCTOBER APPRAISAL
INTERVIEW
(Editor's note: This is the
third in a series dealing
with performance appraisal
and management issues at
EPA. )
As October draws near, SES
and Merit Pay (GM) employees
approach the time for their
required, annual performance
appraisal under the Agency
Performance Management
System. What should occur
during such an interview?
Continued to page 39
(Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of articles
on EPA's Office of Research and Development.)
•	What are the major pollutant effects on the ecosystem?
•	How do the pollutants move through the air, water and
land environments, and what chemical and biological changes
take place during the process?
•	Do the pollutants dissipate rapidly, or do they remain in
the environment for long periods of time?
Answering many of these key questions, and a host of others
similar to them, is the mission of EPA's Office of Environ-
mental Processes and Effects Research (OEPER), within the
Office of Research and Development, and its seven labora-
tories .
A substantial amount of OEPER's research effort is directed
toward determining the exposure and effects of pollutants on
crops and other vegetation; soils; domestic animals and
wildlife; plant and animal life in oceans, lakes and streams
and on concrete, steel paint and other building materials.
The underlying goal is to enable EPA to assess the exposure
(movement, persistence, transformation) and hazard of chem-
ical pollutants to the ecosystem and to provide a basis for
establishing thresholds at which we might expect environ-
mental risk. It is all part of the difficult task of
weighing the cost and benefits of a clean environment and
carrying out the responsibilities assigned to EPA.
The Acting Director of OEPER is Donald J. Ehreth. The seven
OEPER laboratories are located at Ada, Oklahoma; Athens,
Georgia; Corvallis, Oregon; Duluth, Minnesota; Gulf Breeze,
Florida; Narragansett, Rhode Island; and Research Triangle
Park, North Carolina.
RSKERL-Ada
The Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Laboratory is the
Agency's center of expertise for investigation of the soil
and subsurface environment, and conducts research to define
and demonstrate the limitations of using natural processes
to treat waste products from municipal and industrial
sources.	Continued to page 39

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REGIONAL PROFILES (This is another in a series of profiles of the Agency Regional offices and
A Report on Region 9
by Sonia F. Crow,
Regional Administrator
More than 28 million people make their
homes in EPA's -Region 9, which combines .
the diversity of the Old West with island
paradises and major entertainment centers
The Region encompasses over 1,0.percent of
the total land area, 18 percent of all
Federally owned land, and 28 percent of
all Indian lands in the United States, and
contains 12 percent of the Nation's
population.
The Region includes California, Arizona,
Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Guam, the
Northern Mariana Islands, and Micronesia.
California contains the bulk of the
Region's population with 24 million
people, and is the third largest State in
America. It is noted for its mild climate
and scenic beauty. Region 9 is head-
quartered in beautiful San Francisco.
Although Arizona is the second fastest-
growing State in the Nation and the sixth
largest in area, urban growth has not
overshadowed its pioneer history. The
State contains approximately 33 percent of
the National Indian population and MO
percent of all Indian reservation land.
Hawaii's uniqueness begins with its basic
geography. The State of Hawaii consists
of eight major and 116 minor islands and
extends over 1,700 miles of the North
Pacific Ocean. The islands are part of a
submerged volcanic mountain range. A
number of large peaks at the highest "part
of the range protruding above sea level
constitute the eight major Hawaiian Islands.
Nevada is the seventh largest State in the
Nation, but 87 percent of the land is
owned or controlled by the Federal Govern-
ment, which is the largest Federal holding
in any State except Alaska. Despite its
desert setting, Nevada's economy is based
largely on the gaming and recreation
industries in Las Vegas and Reno.
The unincorporated Territory of American
Samoa is the southernmost possession of
the United States and consists of a group
of five volcanic islands and two coral
atolls located in the South Pacific.
These islands comprise 76 square miles and
are about 2,276 nautical miles southwest
of Hawaii.
Guam is the largest and southermost
island in a chain known as the Mariana
Islands. It is bounded to the west by
the Philippine Sea and to the east by
the Pacific Ocean. The island is about
30 miles long and 4 to 8 miles wide.
Formerlyl'German "possessions, the Northern
Mariana Islands- came under Japanese mandate
following World War I. After World War
II, they we're placed under United Nations
trusteeship, with the United States as the
administering authority. The Commonwealth
of the Northern Mariana Islands consists
of over 14 islands extending along a 400-
mile chain in the Western Pacific Islands.
The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands,
commonly referred to as Micronesia, covers
a rectangular area of 3 million square
miles with over 2,000 islands and atolls
in the Western Pacific Ocean.
Despite such diversity, Region 9 is com-
piling impressive accomplishments in
environmental planning towards clean air,
clean water and responsible management of
toxics and waste disposal.
As part of Region 9's management and
control of toxic wastes, the Region has
been actively involved with a number of
Superfund sites, including EPA's first
major expenditure, about $1.3 million for
emergency response. Last fall an
abandoned hazardous waste site in Santa Fe
Springs, California, containing hundreds
of drums of paints, solvents and chemicals
exploded, threatening the surrounding
residential area and nearby water sources.
Region 9 coordinated the cleanup effort,
and our on-scene Emergency Response Coor-
dinator, Christopher Vais, earned the
Bronze Medal for Commendable Service for
his many weeks of service at the site.
The Region's most recent Superfund action
was for immediate removal at an uncontrolled
hazardous waste site in Angeles National
Forest. The dump site was a PCP factory.
PCP, or "Angel Dust," contains a number of
compounds, some of which are toxic and
flammable. The primary chemical hazard at
the site was Grignard reagent which was
contaminated with cyanide used in the
preparation of PCP. The Region acted
promptly because of the risk of contamina-
tion of a reservoir and of possible direct
contact by hikers.
Seeking ways to achieve air quality goals

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laboratories that EPA Times is presenting.)
39
and provide for economic growth, the
Region's air division staff coordinated an
Emissions Trading Conference in Los Angeles
several weeks ago. The goal of the confer-
ence was to encourage dialogue among reg-
ulatory agencies, public interest groups,
and the industrial community in connection
with the application of emission trading
alternatives as a method of dealing with
the competing issues of growth and
emission reductions.
Region 9 has achieved several major mile-
stones in its air programs—over 90 percent
of the applicable New Source Performance
Standards/National Emission Standards for
Hazardous Pollutants delegations, as
defined by the Administrative account-
ability system, have been achieved and the
Region's SIP backlog has been reduced by
97 percent.
An excellent example of the cooperative
working relationship Region 9 shares with
its State partners is its operating agree-
ment with the California State Water
Resources Control Board, which defines
policy for the joint issuance of 301(h)
certification and permits. This agreement
establishes procedures for work sharing
which minimizes duplication of resources
and ensures consistency of requirements.
Region 9 is also pleased with the success
of the Orange and Los Angeles counties
Water Reuse Program, a three and one-half
year study funded by EPA ($3 million) and
State and local agencies ($1 million),
which identifies 3^ reuse projects in the
area which are economically feasible.
Construction of these projects will help
to alleviate expected water shortages.
Projects will be constructed as joint
ventures between the Metropolitan Water
District and local water agencies, thus
avoiding dependence on State or Federal
funding. The study is a fine example of
the way Federal funding has stimulated
local control of projects for conserving
and improving water.
The achievements mentioned here are just a
beginning. The future promises additional
successes as Region 9 works towards EPA's
goals of environmental management and
regulatory reform. Leadership towards
clean water, clean air, and toxics waste
management, the vital concerns of all our
citizens, will continue to be a responsi-
bility of EPA and Region 9-
PERSONNEL (Continued)
First, the supervisor should
establish a problem-solving
atmosphere-one m which the
employee has an opportunity
to participate in the
disucssion and note specific
events and circumstances
affecting performance.
Notations made in the
"Performance Highlights"
section can be particularly
helpful in stimulating such
a discussion about each
specific standard. Both
individuals should be open
to any new information that
will clarify the basis for
evaluation of actual accom-
plishments against those
planned m the Performance
Agreement, established at
the start of that past
fiscal year.
POLLUTANTS - A SCIENTIFIC CHALLENGE (Continued)
ERL-Athens
The Environmental Research Laboratory at Athens studies the
behavior of chemical contaminants in freshwater systems,
focusing on the analytical chemistry of pollutants; their
movement, transformation and fate in water, sediment and
soil; and water quality management with emphasis on
assessing potential exposures to chemical contaminants.
Dr. David Duttweiler is the Director of ERL-Athens. The
laboratory has about 130 employees and a FY 82 budget of
approximately $6 million.
ERL-Corvallis
The Environmental Research Laboratory at Corvallis develops
methods for evaluating and assessing the biological con-
dition of environmental systems; the cause, extent and
ecological/economic importance of biological change; the
effectiveness of pollutant control strategies in achieving
beneficial biological changes; and hazards from discharging
chemicals to the terrestrial, freshwater and marine
environments.
Continued to page 40
Continued to page 40

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40
PERSONNEL (Continued)
This discussion should
eventually lead to the
employee's clear under-
standing of the rating
received for each standard--
whether it is Outstanding,
Exceeds Expectations,
Satisfactory, Minimally '
Satisfactory, or Unsatis-
factory. The supervisor
should then explain the
scoring process in which the
weight previously assigned
to each standard is multi-
plied by the numerical rating
which corresponds with the
level of performance attained
by the employee for that
standard. Individual perform-
ance standard scores are
then totalled to yield the
employee's overall score and
summary adjective rating.
The supervisor should
further explain what
specific steps, if any, need
to be taken to improve
performance, and also
explain the consequences if
performance does not improve.
The supervisor and employee
should discuss the employee's
knowledge, skills, and
abilities needed for the
position, the employee's
strengths, plans for develop-
ment of those strengths
during the coming year, and
employee weaknesses.
POLLUTANTS - A SCIENTIFIC CHALLENGE (Continued)
Clinton Hall is the Director of the Kerr Laboratory, which
has 93 employees and a FY 82 budget of approximately $10
million.
Dr. Thomas A. Murphy is the Director of ERL-Corvallis. The
laboratory has 118 employees and a FY 82 budget of approx-
imately $13-2 million.
ERL-Duluth
The Environmental Research Laboratory at Duluth is the
Agency's center of expertise for research development and
technical support on freshwater aquatic toxicology including
quantitative screening models than can be used to predict or
assess the impact of toxic materials on aquatic organisms
based on structure-activity relationships.
Dr. Norbert A. Jaworski is the Director of ERL-Duluth. The
laboratory has about 90 employees and a FY 82 budget of
approximately $9-2 million.
ERL-Gulf Breeze
The Environmental Research Laboratory at Gulf Breeze con-
ducts research on the exposure-effects relationships of
hazardous pollutants on marine, coastal, and estuarine
ecosystems including the impact of petroleum extraction and
dredged materials on marine life.
Dr. Henry F. Enos is the Director of ERL-Gulf Breeze.
The laboratory has 80 employees and an FY 82 budget of $5.9
million.
ERL-Narragansett
The Environmental Research Laboratory at Narragansett
studies the impact of toxic substances and "dumping"
practices on marine ecosystems, including the build-up of
pollutants, chemical and physical behavior of pollutants in
ocean life systems, and responses of marine organisms to
environmental stress.
Dr. Tudor T. Davies is the Director of ERL-Narragansett.
The laboratory has 75 employees and a FY 82 budget of
approximately $5.8 million.
ESRL-RTP
The Environmental Sciences Research Laboratory determines
the effects of air pollution on the atmosphere, water quality
and land use. It also assesses the effects of pollution on
weather and climate; and develops*mathematical models for
relating pollution emissions to air quality and helping
forecast potential pollution crises.
Dr. Alfred Ellison is Acting Director of ESRL. The labora-
atory has 65 employees and a FY 82 budget is approximately
$18.5 million.
The EPA Times is published every two weeks by EPA's Office of Public Affairs, A-107,
Washington, D.C. 20460, to provide current information for all EPA employees. It is
punched with three holes for binding for future reference.

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