ORSANCO Announces Expedited Water Quality Standard Review

The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO), which sets standards for water quality on the Ohio River, has announced that it will be considering four changes to its Pollution Control Standards, the equivalent of water quality standards in WV. These are issues that are deemed to be of sufficient importance that they merit consideration before the regular triennial review commences in March of 2011. Here are the 4 issues:

Design Flow for Human Health Criteria – In an apparent oversight, the Standards do not currently specify a design flow for criteria in Sections IV.C.1, IV.C.2, and IV.C.3.
This presents difficulties for NPDES permit writers in deriving limits. Use of the seven
day ten year low flow would be proposed.

Total Dissolved Solids- Criteria for total dissolved solids were omitted from the
Standards in a previous review when the criteria were rearranged to differentiate
between those adopted to protect human health and those adopted to protect aquatic
life. Elevated levels of total dissolved solids on the upper Ohio River the past two years
have suggested a need to restore the criteria. Restoration of the drinking water criteria
(500 mg/L monthly average; 750 mg/L maximum) would be proposed. Criteria for
aquatic life protection might also be considered.

Selenium- Criteria for selenium in the current Standards were adopted by US EPA in
the 1980s, but are now considered out of date. US EPA is in the process of adopting
new criteria; the revised criteria are expected to be available in 2010. Adoption of the
US EPA criteria (assuming that they are available and acceptable to the Commission)
would be proposed.

Use of Variance Procedure- Currently, the Variance Procedure established in Section
VIII of the Standards applies only to requirements in Section V. Meanwhile, the
prohibition of mixing zones for Bioaccumulative Chemicals of Concern in Section VI sets
a requirement that may not be consistently attainable with current control technology.
The NPDES Subcommittee has suggested that temporary variances to this requirement
be considered; this would require a revision of the Standards to allow variances to
Section VI. Such variances would be for the life of the current permit, and would
include alternative limits that would be attainable by current technology


The review will begin with a public comment period. Comments on the specified portions of
the Standards will be accepted from now until April 16, 2010. All comments received on the
specified matters will be considered by the Commission; any comments received on other
portions of the Standards will be deferred for consideration in the next regularly scheduled
review, which will begin in March, 2011. After considering all comments received, the
Commission will determine whether or not to go forward with any proposed revisions at its
June, 2010 meeting. Proposed language for any revisions to be considered for adoption will
be presented for public comment at workshops and hearings in August, with final action by
the Commission anticipated in October. Should the Commission not elect to go forward with
proposed revisions at that time a notice to that effect will be posted on this web site