May 2010 I www.epa.gov/region10/columbia
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
SEPA
DRAFT Columbia River Basin
Toxics Reduction Action Plan
May 5, 2010
Prepared by:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 10
& The Columbia River Toxics
Reduction Working Group
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region 10

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Columbia River Toxics Reduction Working Group Steering Committee
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10
Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
Columbia Riverkeeper
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
Idaho Department of Environmental Quality
Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership
Nez Perce Tribe
NOAA Science Center
Northwest Power and Conservation Council
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Oregon Department of Human Services
Oregon Environmental Council
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. Geological Services
Washington Department of Ecology
Washington Department of Health
Yakama Indian Nation

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1.0
Introduction
The Columbia River Basin, in both United States and
Canada, is one of the world's great river basins in
watershed size, river volume; and environmental and
cultural significance. However, public and scientific
concern about the health of the Basin ecosystem is
increasing, especially with regard to adverse impacts
on the Basin associated with the presence of toxic
contaminants found in fish, wildlife, water and
sediment. Understanding and addressing the toxics
problem is essential because the health of the Basin's
ecosystem is critical to the approximately 8 million
people who reside in the Basin and depend on its
resources for their health and livelihood; and to the
survival of the hundreds of fish and wildlife species
that inhabit the Basin. Many threats exist in the basin
to the overall ecosystem health and restoration of the
Columbia River Basin will require a broader range of
issues than just toxics. However, toxics are a critical
issue and while there are many other efforts underway,
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and
key partners recognized that there must be increased
attention on toxics reduction in the Columbia River
Basin.
Columbia River salmon and steelhead runs were once
the largest runs in the world, but are now threatened
and endangered in large part due to habitat and water
issues including toxics. The tribal people of the
Columbia River have depended on these salmon and
lamprey for thousands of years for human, spiritual,
and cultural sustenance. Salmon restoration together
with toxics reduction in the Columbia River Basin
is a key environmental justice issue for EPA. There
is a major salmon recovery effort underway in the
Columbia River Basin, however there is little attention
to toxics reduction or toxics assessment, although
many scientists believe that salmon recovery cannot
be achieved without reducing toxics in water and
sediment. EPA and others feel that toxics reduction and
the associated human health protection is an important
role for EPA leadership and facilitation and consistent
with the goals of the Clean Water Act. In 2005,
EPA joined federal, state, tribal, local, industry and
nonprofit partners to form the collaborative Columbia
River Toxics Reduction Working Group (Working
Group)to focus on toxics and identified a goal to
reduce toxics in the Columbia River Basin and prevent
further contamination. This group was established
by EPA modeled on collaborative efforts underway
throughout the U.S. including the Chesapeake Bay and
the National Estuary Program.
The Columbia River Basin State of the River Report
for Toxics was identified as a priority by this multi-
stakeholder group and was completed in January
2009 under the leadership of EPA Region 10 with
the support and guidance of the Working Group. In
the State of the River Report for Toxics, the Working
Group described the risks to the Basin's human
and animal communities from toxics and set forth
current and future efforts needed to reduce toxics.
The report focused primarily on four contaminants:
mercury, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and
it breakdown products, polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE)
flame retardants. These four contaminants were chosen
as focal points because they are found throughout the
Basin at levels that could adversely impact people,
fish, and wildlife. Many other contaminants are found
in the Basin, including arsenic, dioxins, radionuclides,
lead, pesticides, industrial chemicals, and "emerging
contaminants" such as pharmaceuticals found in
wastewater. The prevalence of these contaminants in
the Columbia River Basin are of great concern since
they can have moderate to severe impacts on human
and ecosystem health.
In 2006, EPA designated the Columbia River Basin
as a priority Large Aquatic Ecosystem in the same
class as the Chesapeake Bay, Great Lakes and Puget
Sound. These partner ecosystems each have designated
funding sources to protect and restore the water
quality within their defined ecosystems. Columbia
River Basin toxics reduction work is currently being
done through coordination and partnerships without
designated funding sources, with the exception of
work done in the estuary through the Lower Columbia
River National Estuary Program. The Working Group
believes that toxics reduction for the Columbia River
Basin will only be accomplished through work efforts
achieved through sustainable resources, which requires
designated funding.
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2.0
Action Plan Background and Goals & Objectives
To ensure a more coordinated effort for toxics
reduction in the Columbia River Basin, EPA and the
Columbia River Toxics Reduction Working Group
partners met in Toppenish, Washington, on the
Yakama Indian Nation Reservation, in September
2008 to develop a set of broad initiatives needed to
reduce toxics in the Basin. The discussions led to
six initiatives that were presented in the State of the
River Report for Toxics http://vosemite.epa.gov/rlO/
ecocom m. nsf/Columbia/SoRR/ (see Section 8.0 of
the Report - Toxics Reduction Initiatives). Since that
time, the Working Group has worked together to
scope out a more detailed action plan focusing on five
initiatives detailed below, and the actions that can be
accomplished in the next five years by citizens and
government, through 2015, to better understand and
reduce toxics in the Columbia River Basin.
This action plan identifies two tiers of actions for each
initiative: first, coordination efforts and other efforts
that are already underway; and second, new efforts
to reduce toxics in the Basin, based on additional
resources. Any partner in the Basin, whether federal or
state agency, tribal government, municipality, nonprofit
organization, industry group, or citizen, should be able
to look at this Action Plan and identify one or more
recommendations that they could implement given
existing resources. With additional resources, partners
should be able to engage in an increased level of toxic
reduction activities across the Columbia River Basin.
The scope of this Action Plan is on the entire U.S.
portion of the Columbia River Basin including most of
Oregon, Washington and Idaho and parts of Montana,
Nevada, and Utah, with a priority focus on the EPA
Region 10 portion of the Basin (ID, OR, WA). In
1996, EPA convened the National Estuary Program
(NEP) in the Lower Columbia River estuary with
the states of Oregon and Washington, through Clean
Water Act Section 320. The Lower Columbia River
National Estuary Program issued a Comprehensive
Conservation and Management Plan for the estuary
portion of the Basin (approximately 5% of the
Basin) in 1999 which serves as the action plan for
implementation and monitoring activities in the
estuary. EPA, the Columbia River Toxics Reduction
Working Group and the Lower Columbia River NEP
will continue to work closely together on toxics
monitoring and toxics reduction throughout the Basin.
Columbia River Basin Toxics Reduction
Action Plan Goal and Initiatives:
The Working Group identified the goal to: Reduce
human and ecosystem exposure to toxics in the
Columbia River Basin
Exposure to toxics will be reduced through the
following initiatives:
•	Increase public understanding and political
commitment to toxics reduction in the Basin
•	Increase toxic reduction actions
•	Conduct monitoring to identify sources and then
reduce toxics
•	Develop a regional, multi-agency research
program
•	Develop a data management system that will allow
us to share information on toxics in the Basin
The State of the River Report for Toxics and
this Action Plan both represent great strides in
collaboration and coordination of toxics reduction
in the Columbia River Basin. The Working Group
believes that the recommendations identified for
each initiative, when implemented, will create a
common framework for toxics reduction and make the
Columbia Basin ecosystem healthier for all who live,
work, and play in the Basin.
To a great extent, success in reducing toxics in the
Basin will depend on a commitment by all levels of
government, the United States and Canada, tribal
governments, nongovernmental organizations, industry
groups and the public to work together. The problems
are too large, widespread, and complex to be solved by
only one organization or country.
Goal: Reduce human and ecosystem
exposure to toxics in the Columbia
River Basin.
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3.0
Initiatives
Initiative #1:
Increase understanding and political
commitment to toxics reduction in the
Columbia River Basin
Political support and public awareness and engagement
are critical to toxics reduction success in the Columbia
River Basin. Additional resources for toxics reduction
and assessment will only be accomplished through
high level political support and an engaged and
informed public.
The Columbia River Toxics Reduction Working
Group intends to partner with Basin stakeholders to
coordinate outreach to the public (municipalities,
schools, business/industry groups, nonprofit
organizations, farm groups, and watershed councils).
This initiative is centered on four main objectives
to: (1) formalize the Working Group and expand
Federal, State and Tribal Executive Collaboration,
(2) improve communication with Basin residents; (3)
raise awareness of toxics issue and reduction efforts/
opportunities; and (4) provide recognition for toxics
reduction work.
Formalize Working Group and Expand
Federal, State and Tribal Executive
Collaboration
The Columbia River Basin is one of EPA's Large
Aquatic Ecosystems (LAE) http://www.epa.gov/owow/
oceans/partnerships/large aquatic.html.
Many of the other LAEs were authorized and endorsed
through Congressional action, leading to formal
governance structures. An executive body comprised
of Federal, State, and Tribal executives to guide toxics
reduction work in the Columbia River Basin through
collaborative decision-making will provide needed
political support and leadership for toxics reduction.
The Working Group will also need to maintain and
increase its partnership with key regional partners
including the Northwest Power and Conservation
Council and the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish
Commission. The Working Group will also continue to
work closely with the Lower Columbia River National
Estuary Program.
Improve communication with Basin residents
The Columbia River Toxics Reduction Working
Group has increased the interest and knowledge of
Federal agencies, States, Tribes, local government,
nonprofit organizations, and citizens concerning
Recommendations (current resources)
•	Continue the Columbia River Toxics
Reduction Working Group to coordinate work
and collaborate on toxics monitoring and
reduction actions.
•	Publish quarterly Columbia River Toxics
Reduction Newsletter.
•	Work more closely with Canada.
•	Continue using Web 2.0 tools such as Twitter.
•	Continue 2-3 /year watershed workshops.
•	Provide recognition for toxics reduction
activities (River Hero Award) and increase
events to honor the River.
•	Connect with public through EPA's Columbia
River website and Twitter feed.
Recommendations (with additional resources)
•	Increase toxic reduction information to Basin.
•	Engage and educate government and public on
connection between toxics reduction & salmon
recovery.
•	Establish executive collaboration and decision
making group and formalize working group.
•	Increase basin-wide watershed toxic reduction
workshops.
•	Share information on toxics and green
chemistry curriculum to schools.
•	Share success stories.
•	Provide increased recognition for toxics
reduction work - industries, municipalities,
schools, etc.
•	Expand Columbia River Basin influence to
affect national decision makers.
•	Establish international liaison with Canada
•	Develop targeted outreach campaigns to
special river users such as fishers, boaters, and
surfers.
toxics in the environment and reduction strategies.
The Working Group plans to actively engage Canada
as our international partner. The Working Group
has put a high priority on information sharing; EPA
has made efforts to improve basic email and Web
communication including a Columbia River Basin
website: www.epa.gov/regionlO/columbia. EPA's
Columbia River program is using Twitter and Web 2.0
technology to reach out to new and existing audiences:
https://twitter.com/EPAcolumbia. With regular
"tweets" and group email blasts, real-time news and
information can be shared with stakeholders, creating
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and sustaining a community of toxics reduction
partners. And, many tools exist such as fact sheets,
web pages, brochures, annual events, and recognition
opportunities, as well as potential public service
announcements. These tools can be used to educate the
public and allow citizens to tell their story about the
impact toxics have had on their lives.
In addition to Working Group meetings, EPA and
partners worked together in 2009 and 2010 to host
a series of watershed workshops on toxics reduction
efforts in different parts of the Basin. Two workshops
focused on agriculture were held in 2009 in Pendleton,
OR, and in Wenatchee, WA. Two workshops in
Portland, OR, focused on specific pollutants, a PCB
workshop in July 2009 and a PBDEs and flame
retardants workshop held in 2010. Workshops should
be continued and increased as a tool to facilitate
community based dialogue, educate the public on
toxics issues, provide information on toxic reduction
actions , and engage additional partners in reduction
efforts. In addition, the Working Group is striving to
hold meetings and workshops in different parts of the
Basin in order to provide everyone an opportunity to
participate; local groups are key to help with these
meeting and workshops. Working group meetings were
held in 2009 and 2010 in Portland, OR; White Salmon,
WA; Longview, WA; The Dalles, OR; and Astoria,
OR.
The Columbia River continues to receive media
attention for water quality issues. No one person
or group is responsible for following the media or
analyzing public concerns. A coordinated media
approach is a needed tool to share information on
successes and increase the public's understanding of
toxics.
Raise awareness of toxics issue and
reduction efforts/opportunities
The working group intends to coordinate outreach to
the public including schools, business/industry groups,
nonprofit organizations, and watershed councils.
Examples of targeted and focused outreach include:
•	Schools: Curriculum on toxics and green
chemistry, including alternative products that do
not require the use of chemical products.
•	Business/industry: Information and funding
opportunities for stormwater management, green
chemistry, and other actions.
•	Nonprofits and watershed councils: Educational
information and fact sheets on toxics, which can
encourage increased volunteer involvement and
support for collection programs to remove toxics
from potential environmental contamination.
•	Agricultural community: Technical information on
best management practices.
•	Municipal governments: Municipal toxic reduction
success stories.
Provide recognition for toxics reduction work
Awards and recognition should be increased building
on the annual River Hero Award, first presented in
September 2009. Long-term, the Working Group
would like to be involved in the establishment of
recognition and partnership programs with industry
and agriculture to encourage leadership and innovation
in toxic reduction. We should all look for opportunities
to have events to honor the Columbia River and the
people who work hard to protect and restore the River.
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Initiative #2:
Increase toxic reduction actions
The Columbia River Toxics Reduction Working Group
is committed to provide leadership to federal, state,
tribal, local and other partners to coordinate, leverage
and increase toxic reduction actions.
Expand Toxics Reduction Efforts
Federal, state, tribal and local agencies have multiple
regulatory mechanisms available to reduce toxics.
Such mechanisms include watershed plans known
as Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), NPDES
permits, storm water controls, water quality standards,
contaminated site cleanup, wetland restoration,
Clean Air Act regulation and programs to control
pesticide usage. These programs need to be expanded.
For example, additional TMDLs for toxics and
implementation plans are needed, and additional
work is needed to identify contaminated sites so
cleanup actions can proceed. Partnerships with Natural
Resource Conservation Service, Extension Service
and others can provide technical assistance to increase
erosion prevention and sediment control on urban,
agricultural and forest lands to limit toxic runoff of
toxic chemicals and erosion of naturally occurring
soils that may contain toxics, such as mercury in
volcanic soil types.
Assist in Revising Clean Water Act Criteria
EPA will continue to provide leadership for regulatory
programs to reduce toxics. Currently EPA is working
with the State of Oregon, and the Confederated Tribes
of the Umatilla Indian Reservation to develop Clean
Water Act human health criteria that should increase
protection for Oregon populations, especially tribal
members, who consume high amounts of fish. The new
human health criteria is expected to be final in 2011.
The current Oregon human health criteria are based on
a 17.5 grams per day fish consumption rate. The new
criteria will be based on 175 grams per day, about 23
fish meals a month, thus lowering the human health
criteria by an order of 10. These criteria should result
in reduced toxics in point sources, nonpoint sources,
hazardous waste clean ups, water quality improvement
plan (TMDL) implementation and other tools. The
toxics reduction tools developed from this water
quality standards work will serve as a national and
regional model for increased toxics reduction actions
and human health protection.
Recommendations (current resources)
•	Better use existing funding to increase toxic
reduction actions.
•	EPA, local governments, state and tribes,
should reduce discharge of toxics through
more protective water quality standards,
approval and implementation of TMDLs,
increased stormwater controls, and increased
inspections and enforcement.
•	Implement Integrated Pest Management
on private and public lands throughout the
Columbia River Basin.
•	Coordinate with Washington Ecology's Toxics
Threat Initiative focused on prevention to
control toxics: http://www.ecv.wa.gov/toxics/
index.htm.
Recommendations (with additional resources)
•	Expand collaborative, watershed-based toxics
reduction activities throughout the Basin
linked directly to monitoring data, such as
Pesticide Stewardship Partnerships to reduce
pesticide loadings to streams.
•	Expand pesticide take back, legacy collection
programs, household hazardous waste
collection, and other collection activities such
as mercury in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and
on tribal lands.
•	Integrate toxics reduction with salmon and
lamprey recovery efforts.
•	Promote industry leadership on green
chemistry and transition to safer alternative
products.
•	Expand erosion prevention and sediment,
stormwater and runoff controls, and clean-up
programs in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and
on tribal lands.
•	Increase public and business education and
technical assistance on toxics reduction
options and opportunities.
•	Facilitate and promote eco-certification
programs for consumer products that do not
contain priority toxics.
•	Increase cross-media and cross-program
coordination to develop and implement
TMDLs that address and reduce discharges
from air, land and water sources.
•	Increase technical assistance to farmers
and ranchers to increase best management
practices, provide eco-certification, application
technology training to decrease pesticide
use, and Spanish language training to help
farmworkers decrease pesticide use.
•	Increase opportunities throughout the Basin to
share successful toxics reduction efforts.
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In addition to affecting the numerical limits in
discharge permits, revised water quality standards will
also set goals for cleanup projects for contaminated
areas, form the foundation for TMDLs, and while
the regulatory mechanisms are not as firm, they can
establish goals for non-point source control efforts, as
well. Standards themselves will not solve the problem
of toxic chemical contamination in the environment.
Abroad-based effort will be needed to deal with the
spectrum of toxic chemical concerns, from legacy
pollutants in river sediments to emerging contaminants
such as flame retardants, pharmaceuticals, and
personal care products.
Increase Resources and Support to Reduce
Toxics
Some of the greatest successes in reducing toxics
in the Columbia River Basin have been from
improvements in agricultural practices. There have
been tremendous successes in sediment reduction
efforts, Pesticide Stewardship Partnerships and
Pesticide Take Back programs in OR, WA, and ID.
Oregon's Pesticide Stewardship Partnership programs
have demonstrated great success in reducing current
use organophosphate pesticides in fish and water
through the use of basic best management practices
and monitoring analysis. In 1999, Oregon DEQ
set up two Pesticide Stewardship Partnership pilot
projects in Oregon's Hood River and Mill Creek,
to work collaboratively with local stakeholders to
reduce organophosphate pesticides. In the Walla Walla
Basin, best management practices have shown a 70%
reduction in organophosphate pesticides from 2006 to
2008.
In May 2009, the Washington Department of Health
lifted the DDT fish advisory for the Yakima River
Basin which had been in place for many years and
was the result of decades of DDT use for agricultural
production in the Basin. DDT, which binds to soil
particles, was dramatically reduced in fish and water
through the use of best management practices put in
place by a cooperative effort of irrigation districts,
farmers, the Washington Department of Ecology and
the Yakama Tribe.
Increased support to local soil and water conservation
districts and watershed groups is needed to support
the continued collection of legacy pesticides from
businesses and private citizens, to ensure proper
disposal of pesticides and other hazardous wastes
such as solvents, batteries, electronics, and materials
containing PBDEs, to licensed hazardous waste
facilities. Previous programs in OR, WA and ID
have recovered toxic chemicals, including thousands
of pounds of DDT, banned in the 1970's. By 2009,
the Idaho State Department of Agriculture has
collected close to one million pounds of pesticides
through collection programs. Growers, homeowners,
and applicators often have pesticides that have
been unusable because of expiration, cancellation,
deterioration, or crop changes. Permanent collection
points are established throughout the state and
materials are taken to licensed facility for incineration
or disposal. Increased funding and technical assistance
is needed to support and expand these successful
collaborative agriculture based toxics reduction work
efforts throughout the Columbia River Basin.
Efforts to integrate toxics reduction with salmon
recovery efforts should be increased. Recovery efforts
need to acknowledge that salmon habitat restoration
and population increases are dependent on water
quality and a reduction in toxic chemicals in rivers
of the Columbia Basin. More partnerships should be
developed with nongovernmental partners who carry
out volunteer monitoring efforts, such as Columbia
Riverkeeper, and those who work with industry and
agriculture to reduce the impacts of toxics on the
environment through training and eco-certification
programs, such as Salmon Safe.
Ongoing work efforts that should continue are
Oregon's Toxics Use and Hazardous Waste Reduction
Program: http://www.deq.state.or.us/lq/hw/tuhwr.htm.
This program mandates certain businesses to develop
a toxics reduction plan or use an environmental
management system (EMS) to reduce toxic chemicals
and hazardous wastes. Washington Department of
Ecology has a Toxic Threat Initiative focused on
prevention to control toxics: http://www.ecv.wa.gov/
toxics/index.htm.
Implement Previously Identified Priority
Actions for Mercury Reduction
In 2008, EPA Region 10 developed a Mercury Strategy
Framework which identified priority actions for
reducing mercury in the Northwest: http://vosemite.
epa.gov/rlO/homepage.nsf/webpage/mercurv. Many of
those actions are critical for reducing mercury in the
Columbia River Basin.
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Initiative #3:
Conduct monitoring to identify sources
and then reduce toxics
The State of the River Report for Toxics identified
two initiatives critical to further success in reducing
toxics in the Basin. The first was to identify, inventory,
and characterize the sources of toxics in the Basin.
The second was to develop a regional, multi-agency
long-term monitoring plan for the Columbia River
and its tributaries. After further discussion with
the Working Group it was decided that these two
initiatives should be combined as the efforts are
difficult to separate. In addition, it was decided
that due to the size, complexity, and jurisdictional
interests of the Columbia River Basin and because of
the lack of funding, it was unrealistic to develop and
implement a monitoring plan at the scale of the entire
Basin. Finally, it was recognized that governmental
(Federal, State, and Tribal) agencies and non-
governmental organizations are already conducting
monitoring at some locations in the Basin and any
additional resources should be targeted to supplement
these organizations' resources and to work towards a
common monitoring framework.
Develop Tools to Prioritize Work Efforts
To assist these governmental and non-governmental
organizations, the Working Group decided to develop
a tool that would aid in prioritizing where monitoring
should occur. The purpose of the tool is to develop
an objective process for identifying and prioritizing
additional or supplementary monitoring needed
to locate sources of toxics and to target reduction
actions. In addition, the prioritization tool will provide
consistency in monitoring methods, quantitation limits
and media selection, and allow for networking among
agencies conducting monitoring or formulating plans
for monitoring in the Basin.
The Working Group has compiled data for each
tributary and the Columbia and Snake River on factors
that may contribute to contamination (e.g., number
of wastewater treatment plants on a tributary or flow
of tributary). This information will be used with data
already collected on contaminant levels to assist
in identifying areas where additional monitoring is
needed.
Recommendations (current resources)
•	Identify the contaminants of concern to focus
on in the Basin.
•	Use the prioritization tool in one area of the
River to assist in developing a monitoring plan
and modify the tool based on the results of the
pilot project.
•	Assist other partners throughout Basin
on using the prioritization tool to develop
monitoring plans.
•	Continue to seek and leverage resources to
supplement existing monitoring by agencies,
organizations, and Tribes in the Basin.
Recommendations (with additional resources)
•	Expand monitoring to the highest priority
areas in the Basin as identified by the
prioritization tool.
•	Support watershed-based targeted monitoring
efforts that link directly to reduction efforts,
such as TMDLs, source assessments and
Pesticide Stewardship Partnerships.
•	Identify sources of contamination and
establish toxic reduction efforts which include
effectiveness monitoring.
•	Identify opportunities to integrate land, air,
sediment and water monitoring.
Next Steps
There are several next steps. First, the Working Group
will identify the contaminants likely to present the
greatest ecological and human health concern for the
Columbia Basin ecosystem. The Working Group will
start with the four contaminants identified in the State
of the River Report (i.e., mercury, PCBs, PBDEs, and
DDTs) and identify other contaminants of concern.
The Working Group will convene a group of experts to
assist in this process.
Second, the Working Group will develop a pilot
project in one geographic area of the Basin to test
the utility of the prioritization tool and modify the
tool if necessary. As a part of this pilot project, the
Working Group will compile the existing contaminant
information for that area and identify any data
gaps. The purpose of the pilot project is to assist in
developing a monitoring plan for that specific area of
the Basin.
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Third, the Working Group will work with other
governmental and non-governmental groups to use
the prioritization tool in other areas. The purpose
is to assist these groups to identify the areas where
additional or supplemental monitoring is needed.
Fourth, the results from the refined monitoring will be
analyzed to identify specific contaminants of concern
by catchment. Once the toxics are spatially identified
by catchment, the Working Group would identify
specific target geographic areas and source types for
needed reduction strategies.
Fifth, the Working Group will work to leverage
resources for additional monitoring in these data gap
areas including the Snake River. The Snake River, as
the largest tributary to the Columbia River, is integral
in the overall reduction of Columbia River Basin
Toxics. The prioritization tool will assist in designing
any additional monitoring.
Finally, the Working Group will assist its partners in
the analysis of this new monitoring data. The goal will
be to link certain toxics or classes of toxics to specific
catchments or to common land uses. This will assist to
identify sources of contamination and further inform
the toxics reduction strategy.
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Initiative #4:
Develop a regional, multi-agency
research/monitoring program
While limited research on the effects of toxics in
the Basin ecosystem is being conducted by different
agencies, there is no coordinated effort to identify the
highest research/monitoring priorities or gaps in our
knowledge in the Basin. The Working Group believes
a collaborative effort to develop a research plan is
necessary to effectively leverage limited resources
among agencies and to further our understanding of
the Basin's contaminant problems and their relation
to the food web. A collaborative effort will enable the
development of an integrated approach that focuses on
issues specific to the Columbia River Basin.
Unanswered Questions
Some of the questions that need to be addressed in a
research strategy include, but are not limited to:
•	What are appropriate indicators/measures of
success that could be used in evaluating the health
of the ecosystem?
•	What data must be collected to evaluate the
indicators/measures of success?
•	Why are mercury and PBDEs increasing in
osprey?
•	What are the main factors that are controlling
mercury methylation in the Region?
•	What are the trends in mink and otter populations
in the Basin and what factors are contributing to
their increase or decrease?
•	What are the health effects to fish and wildlife
including listed species from toxics, especially
from emerging contaminants?
•	What are appropriate biological markers to
measure the health impacts to fish and shellfish?
•	What are the appropriate standards and criteria for
fish, wildlife, and humans from toxics, especially
from emerging contaminants?
A specific outcome from convening scientists from
throughout the Region would be to further refine and
add to the questions above and develop plans on how
to address these questions. The hope is that many
of these questions can be addressed by scientists
within the region (NOAA Fisheries, EPA Corvallis
Laboratory, USGS Science Center, and others). This
will likely require additional resources.
Recommendations (current resources)
•	Identify and inventory in a database existing
toxics research being conducted in the Basin.
•	Using this research, convene scientists to assist
in developing a Regional research plan for the
Basin.
•	Establish connections with researchers from
other large aquatic ecosystems to better
understand their research and its application to
the Basin.
Recommendations (with additional resources)
•	Conduct research based on priorities identified
in research plan.
•	Develop indicators of ecosystem health
•	Visit other regional centers to learn more about
research programs.
•	Conduct "Control Studies" to evaluate
effectiveness of Best Management Practices,
toxics reduction efforts, and emerging
reduction strategies.
Build on Previous Work
The initiative will also take advantage of the large
body of existing research on the impacts of toxics and
the best methods for conducting research based on
monitoring work already done by the Lower Columbia
River National Estuary Program and similar activities
in other ecosystems in the United States, such as the
Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay. This information
may inform research efforts in the Basin. Control
studies to evaluate effectiveness of emerging toxics
reduction strategies and existing toxics reduction
efforts will also be helpful. An example study could
include controlling general water quality parameters
such as sulfate and total organic carbon to reduce
mercury exposure of Columbia River Basin fish.
EPA and USGS plan to convene a group of scientists
in 2010 to begin discussion on developing a research/
monitoring program that is relevant to the region,
performed by regional scientists and supports toxics
reduction in the Basin. The goal of the meeting will
be to develop a list of recommendations for high
priority research based on current resources and
also recommendations for other research should
further resources become available. We anticipate
participation from a wide range of Federal and
State agencies along with Tribes, non-profits, and
Universities.
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Initiative #5:
Develop a data management system
that will allow us to share information
on toxics in the Basin
The ability to access information is critical to
effectively and efficiently identifying sources of
toxics and then designing and implementing reduction
actions. Currently, no single database contains all of
the data from monitoring efforts within the Columbia
River Basin. Many agencies and organizations are
involved in monitoring and reporting environmental
conditions in the Basin and have developed data bases
unique to their specific needs. Some of the data are not
publicly accessible or are often available only in hard
copy records, with the records of unknown quality,
and most in differing formats. While a single database
would be useful, its development would be very
expensive and require dedicated resources to operate
and maintain.
Develop an Inventory of Existing Data
The Working Group believes it is important to build on
work that has already begun or completed to develop
and inventory of existing data. A first step will be to
identify all the potential data sources and data bases
for toxics information in the Columbia Basin. This
was started as part of the State of the River Report
where data on PCBs, mercury, DDTs, and PBDEs
was compiled. The data came from various sources
including USGS, EPA, Northwest States, Tribes,
NOAA, FWS, Columbia River Keeper, and numerous
other sources generated over the last 20 years. In
2006, the Northwest Environmental Data Network
(NED) developed an inventory of publicly available
environmental data sources in the Northwest. The
inventory lists about 80 web sites with Northwest
data and other information related to environmental
information. Large amounts of data will also be
available from the EPA cleanups in Portland Harbor
and the Upper Columbia River. Also, toxics data was
compiled from Grand Coulee dam to the Pacific as a
part of the Hanford cleanup. This data will be entered
into EPA's Water Quality Exchange in 2010.
Recommendations (current resources)
•	Convene a group to discuss different options
for managing toxics data in the Region.
•	Evaluate how other large aquatic ecosystems
manage data.
Recommendations (with additional resources)
•	Create a data stewardship program, hosted and
managed by a single entity.
•	Survey all relevant existing data management
systems in the Region.
•	Verify that all data has a spatial component
(latitude, longitude). Include a spatial
component to the data available in order to
view and create maps, and conduct spatial
analysis.
Build on Success
A second step will be to evaluate how other multi-State
large aquatic ecosystems, like the Chesapeake Bay
and Great Lakes, manage data. These programs could
provide some direction to our effort. And finally, a
third step will be to discuss how to work with existing
efforts such as the Northwest Data Exchange Network
and the Pacific Northwest Aquatic Monitoring
Partnership. In order to do this, EPA plans to convene
a group in 2010 to discuss the different options for
managing toxics data in the Region. At this meeting,
we will develop a list of recommendations on how to
move forward with developing a process for sharing
toxics information, and what resources are needed in
order to accomplish these recommendations.
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4.0
Summary
There is increasing societal awareness and concern
about toxics in our environment. EPA estimates that
there are between 80,000 and 100,000 chemicals in
use in commerce. Many of these chemicals are making
their way into the magnificent Columbia River Basin
and affecting the ecosystem and the fish that tribal
people have consumed for 10,000 years or more. If we
want to preserve the Columbia River Basin ecosystem
for future generations, we must make important
changes and take actions to reduce toxics.
This action plan represents a blueprint for immediate
and short term actions to restore the Columbia River
Basin over the next five years. As more information
becomes available and partnerships develop, additional
actions will likely be identified, especially if increased
and sustained resources become available. The
Columbia River Toxics Reduction Working Group,
under EPA leadership, presents this action plan to the
region, from decision makers to citizens, to serve as
a catalyst for action and to recognize that the time is
now to step forward and restore the Columbia River
Basin. As described in the action plan, increased
coordination can help some toxic reductions.
However, accountable and measurable success will
only happen with increased resources and an engaged
and informed public. We can all then work together
to increase toxics reduction actions, to foster a better
understanding of toxics and to increase public and
political engagement and leadership in decisions that
can affect the future human and ecosystem health of
the Columbia River Basin.
We look forward to working together to restore this
ecosystem and preserving its importance and culture
for generations to come.
DRAFT EPA Columbia River Basin Toxics Reduction Action Plan

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