SEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Water
4303T
EPA-820-F-11-015
December 2011
Methods Update Rule - Notice of Data Availability
Summary
EPA is publishing a notice of data availability
(NODA) for the methods update rule which was
proposed in the Federal Register on September
23, 2010. The proposed rule would approve
several new or revised analytical methods (test
procedures) in wastewater regulations.
EPA periodically updates analytical methods
and generally includes new and revised methods
published by EPA, commercial entities, and
voluntary consensus organizations (e.g.,
American Society for Testing and Materials
(ASTM) International, Standard Methods
Committee) for use in water quality monitoring
programs. These changes and additional
methods will provide increased flexibility to the
regulated community and laboratories in their
selection of analytical methods for use in Clean
Water Act programs.
The NODA includes additional data received
since the proposal on a new ASTM method for
the determination of oil and grease.
Why is EPA publishing this Notice of Data
Availability?
EPA described but did not propose the new
ASTM method for oil and grease in the
September 23, 2010 Federal Register notice.
This method was not initially proposed because
it uses a different extractant (a membrane rather
than a solvent) and a different measurement
technique (infrared absorption rather than
gravimetry) from the extractant and
measurement technique of currently approved
methods for oil and grease.
Oil and grease is a method-defined parameter
which means that the analytical results obtained
are dependent on the particular method used.
EPA generally docs not approve alternative
methods for method-defined parameters based
on different extraction and/or measurement
techniques because it is unclear how to translate
measurements using these alternative methods to
those obtained under existing methods for
purposes of comparison.
However, EPA is considering revising its
regulatory requirements for oil and grease based
on comments and additional data received on the
new ASTM method for oil and grease (ASTM
D7575-10).
After evaluating the new data, EPA finds that
ASTM D7575-10 is a good stand-alone method
for the measurement of oil in grease in
wastewater for the applicable reporting range (5-
200 mg/L), and that it produces results that are
generally very close to results using Method
1664A for those matrices tested. Further, it has
certain advantages over the approved method.
EPA is particularly persuaded by the substantial
advantages associated with the green aspects of
this membrane technology (e.g., it does not use
an extraction solvent and, therefore, there is no
solvent waste and no analyst exposure to the
solvent).
In the NODA. EPA solicits comment for a 60-
days period on the new data and on EPA's
consideration of ASTM D7575-10 as an
alternative choice for the determination of oil
and grease in Clean Water Act programs.
For more information
You can view the Federal Register Notice at
http://www.epa.gov/scitech/methods. In
addition, the NODA will be available at
http://www.regulations.gov under Docket ID:
EPA-HQ-OW-2010-0192.
You may also contact Maria Gomez-Taylor at
Gomez-Taylor.Maria a epa.gov.
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