Use of a water effect ratio to develop an estuarine copper site-specific standard
- New York City Department of Environmental Protection, NY (United States)
Development of a copper site-specific standard in New York Harbor involved several steps: (1) EPA`s Indicator Species Procedure was used to develop a Water Effect Ratio (WER), which produces a biologically-based adjustment to the existing criteria. Samples from seven stations were collected during high and low river-flow conditions in 1992--93. Toxicity testing included embryo-larval development tests on two bivalves, an urchin, and a shrimp. A red algae was used for a sexual reproduction test. This testing yielded WER`s of 1.33 2.1 7, with an average of 1.49. When multiplied by the existing EPA criteria of 2.9 ug/L (total recoverable), this yielded a preliminary acute site specific standard of 4.3 ug/L (total recoverable); (2) Further analysis of these data, combined with a literature search of similar data, resulted in a recalculation of the original national acute criteria value, from 2.9 ug/L (total recoverable) to 5.3 ug/L (dissolved). Multiplying the WER by the recalculated national criteria yielded a final acute site, specific criteria of 7.9 ug/L (dissolved); (3) Finally, EPA`s original criteria indicated that achieving the acute criterion would be protective of chronic effects (i.e. the acute:chronic ratio (ACR) was 2). However, EPA, recently decided that an ACR of 2 was no longer valid, and decided to use the freshwater ACR of 2.8. This resulted in a recalculation of the national chronic criteria to 3.75 ug/L (dissolved). Combined with the WER of 1.49, this yielded a final chronic site specific standard of 5.6 ug/L. The new standard eliminated ambient violations in most of the harbor, and removed the need for wasteload allocations at 12 of NYC`s 14 sewage treatment plants.
- OSTI ID:
- 203647
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9511137-; ISBN 1-880611-03-1; TRN: IM9614%%159
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) world conference, Vancouver (Canada), 5-9 Nov 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Second SETAC world congress (16. annual meeting): Abstract book. Global environmental protection: Science, politics, and common sense; PB: 378 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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