Updated Water Quality Standards for Human Health in Alaska
In a significant development, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) are working together to update Alaska's water quality standards, with a focus on copper water standards. This collaboration, under the Clean Water Act framework, seeks to improve protections for Alaska's aquatic life.
The proposed update aims to adopt the Biotic Ligand Model (BLM) statewide. This scientifically advanced tool is designed to predict copper toxicity more accurately in diverse freshwater ecosystems, thereby enhancing the protection of Alaska's aquatic life.
Despite adopting the BLM, the existing hardness-based copper criteria are set to remain unchanged. This decision ensures no disruption to current permits and ongoing protections. The performance-based approach allows for a streamlined water quality management system tailored to Alaska’s unique ecological conditions.
Key details of this initiative include:
- The ADEC's proposal to integrate the Biotic Ligand Model (BLM) statewide allows for enhanced, science-driven predictions of copper toxicity, improving protections for Alaska's aquatic life.
- Maintaining the existing hardness-based copper criteria statewide avoids permitting upheavals and sustains effective protections already in place.
- The BLM adoption introduces a performance-based methodology designed to facilitate consistent, repeatable water quality evaluations across Alaska’s variable environmental contexts.
- This initiative aligns with Clean Water Act goals by providing a more nuanced regulatory framework that better safeguards water quality against copper pollution risks.
Recently, on June 5, 2024, the EPA determined that new and revised human health criteria in Alaska are necessary to meet Clean Water Act requirements.
Additionally, there are petitions for the revision of Alaska's Fish Consumption Rate from the Chickaloon Native Village (dated December 16, 2015, 1.62 MB) and the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council (dated November 12, 2015, 293.02 KB).
Various letters and response letters regarding Alaska's Human Health Criteria have been exchanged between the EPA and ADEC, including letters dated May 19, 2023, September 6, 2022, September 30, 2022, September 28, 2023, and July 3, 2023. These documents, along with their respective attachments, are available for public viewing.
More information about the EPA's determination can be found at Water Quality Standards to Protect Human Health in Alaska. Further details about ADEC's Human Health Criteria and Water Quality Standards, ADEC's Triennial Review, and Human Health Water Quality Criteria and Methods for Toxics are also available.
For questions or more information, contact Rachael Renkens at renkens.rachael@our website or 206-553-1580.
[1] Source: Collaborative Effort to Update Copper Water Standards in Alaska Aims to Enhance Aquatic Life Protection, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, 2023. [2] Source: Water Quality Standards to Protect Human Health in Alaska, Environmental Protection Agency, 2023. [3] Source: EPA Region 10 Reports, Environmental Protection Agency, 2023.
