Download or read book Development of a Total Maximum Daily Load for Mercury in the Savannah River Basin written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 5 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A lawsuit was brought against Region IV of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA-IV) by the Sierra Club and others when EPA-IV and the State of Georgia failed to write Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for Georgia in a timely manner. The lawsuit resulted in a consent decree that required EPA-IV to write TMDLs for Georgia on a specific timeline. One of the TMDLs EPA-IV developed was for mercury in the Savannah River Basin (SRB). The SRB runs southeast to the Atlantic Ocean and is bordered by both Georgia and South Carolina. Although SRB waters do not exceed aquatic life water quality criteria for mercury, existing fish advisories for mercury were considered by EPA-IV to be a violation of Georgia's ''fishable'' narrative standard, thus requiring inclusion of the SRB in Georgia's 303(d) list of impaired waters under the Clean Water Act. EPA-IV issued a proposed target concentration for mercury in the SRB of 1 part per trillion (ppt, also designated as nanograms per liter, or ng/l) in February 2000. A lengthy period of discussion with stakeholders resulted in site-specific research by EPA and a more palatable final TMDL. The final TMDL gives affected dischargers the option of meeting end-of-pipe limits for mercury of 2.8 ppt or implementing a mercury minimization plan.
Download or read book Influences on Mercury Bioaccumulation Factors for the Savannah River written by and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 5 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mercury TMDLs (Total Maximum Daily Loads) are a regulatory instrument designed to reduce the amount of mercury entering a water body and ultimately to control the bioaccumulation of mercury in fish. TMDLs are based on a BAF (bioaccumulation factor), which is the ratio of methyl mercury in fish to dissolved methyl mercury in water. Analysis of fish tissue and aqueous methyl mercury samples collected at a number of locations and over several seasons in a 118 km reach of the Savannah River demonstrated that species specific BAFs varied by factors of three to eight. Factors contributing to BAF variability were location, habitat and season related differences in fish muscle tissue mercury levels and seasonal differences in dissolved methyl mercury levels. Overall (all locations, habitats, and seasons) average BAFs were 3.7 x 106 for largemouth bass, 1.4 x 106 for sunfishes, and 2.5 x 106 for white catfish. Inaccurate and imprecise BAFs can result in unnecessary economic impact or insufficient protection of human health. Determination of representative and precise BAFs for mercury in fish from large rivers necessitates collecting large and approximately equal numbers of fish and aqueous methyl mercury samples over a seasonal cycle from the entire area and all habitats to be represented by the TMDL.
Download or read book FINAL REPORT ON THE AQUATIC MERCURY ASSESSMENT STUDY written by and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In February 2000, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4 issued a proposed Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for total mercury in the middle and lower Savannah River. The initial TMDL, which would have imposed a 1 ng/l mercury limit for discharges to the middle/lower Savannah River, was revised to 2.8 ng/l in the final TMDL released in February 2001. The TMDL was intended to protect people from the consumption of contaminated fish, which is the major route of mercury exposure to humans. The most bioaccumulative form of mercury is methylmercury, which is produced in aquatic environments by the action of microorganisms on inorganic mercury. Because of the environmental and economic significance of the mercury discharge limits that would have been imposed by the TMDL, the Savannah River Site (SRS) initiated several studies concerning: (1) mercury in SRS discharges, SRS streams and the Savannah River, (2) mercury bioaccumulation factors for Savannah River fish, (3) the use of clams to monitor the influence of mercury from tributary streams on biota in the Savannah River, and (4) mercury in rainwater falling on the SRS. The results of these studies are presented in detail in this report. The first study documented the occurrence, distribution and variation of total and methylmercury at SRS industrial outfalls, principal SRS streams and the Savannah River where it forms the border with the SRS. All of the analyses were performed using the EPA Method 1630/31 ultra low-level and contaminant-free techniques for measuring total and methylmercury. Total mercury at National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) outfalls ranged from 0.31-604 ng/l with a mean of 8.71 ng/l. Mercury-contaminated groundwater was the source for outfalls with significantly elevated mercury concentrations. Total mercury in SRS streams ranged from 0.95-15.7 ng/l. Mean total mercury levels in the streams varied from 2.39 ng/l in Pen Branch to 5.26 ng/l in Tims Branch. Methylmercury ranged from 0.002 ng/l in Upper Three Runs to 2.60 ng/l in Tims Branch. Total mercury in the Savannah River ranged from 0.62 ng/l to 43.9 ng/l, and methylmercury ranged from 0.036 ng/l to 7.54 ng/l. Both total and methylmercury concentrations were consistently high in the river near the mouth of Steel Creek. Total mercury was positively correlated with methylmercury (r = 0.88). Total mercury bound to particulates ranged from 41% to 57% in the river and from 28% to 90% in the streams. Particulate methylmercury varied from 9% to 37% in the river and from 6% to 79% in the streams. Small temporary pools in the Savannah River swamp area near and around Fourmile Branch had the highest concentrations observed in the Savannah River watershed, reaching 1,890 ng/l for total mercury and 34.0 ng/l for methylmercury. The second study developed a mercury bioaccumulation factor (BAF) for the Savannah River near SRS. A BAF is the ratio of the concentration of mercury in fish flesh to the concentration of mercury in the water. BAFs are important in the TMDL process because target concentrations for mercury in water are computed from BAFs. Mercury BAFs are known to differ substantially among fish species, water bodies, and possibly seasons. Knowledge of such variation is needed to determine a BAF that accurately represents average and extreme conditions in the water body under study. Analysis of fish tissue and aqueous methylmercury samples collected at a number of locations and over several seasons in a 110 km (68 mile) reach of the Savannah River demonstrated that BAFs for each species under study varied by factors of three to eight. Influences on BAF variability were location, habitat and season-related differences in fish mercury levels and seasonal differences in methylmercury levels in the water. Overall (all locations, habitats, and seasons) average BAFs were 3.7 x 106 for largemouth bass, 1.4 x 106 for sunfishes, and 2.5 x 106 for white catfish. This study showed that determination of representative BAFs for large rivers requires the collection of large numbers of fish and aqueous methylmercury samples over at least one complete seasonal cycle from the entire area and all habitats to be represented by the TMDL. The third study concerned the use of clams as an indicator of the influence of SRS discharges on mercury levels in Savannah River biota. Mercury levels were compared in Asiatic clams (Corbicula fluminea) collected from the discharge plumes and just upstream of the mouths of SRS creeks and two creeks located downstream from the SRS. Asiatic clams were selected for study because their relatively sedentary behavior made them a better indicator of local mercury exposure than mobile organisms.
Download or read book Fishes of the Middle Savannah River Basin written by Barton C. Marcy and published by University of Georgia Press. This book was released on 2005 with total page 506 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book also discusses the Savannah River, tributary streams, reservoirs, and ponds from the 1950s to the present detailing ecological changes, habitats, and associated fish assemblages."--BOOK JACKET.
Download or read book Sampling Plan for FY2001 Aquatic Mercury Assessment at the Savannah River Site written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 5 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The State of Georgia has declared that seven segments of the Savannah River, including the reach adjacent to the Savannah River Site, are impaired for fish consumption due to high levels of mercury (U.S. EPA 2000). The Clean Water Act requires states to determine a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for pollutants that are responsible for impairment. The TMDL is the total amount of pollutant that can be assimilated by the receiving water body while achieving the water quality target that is protective of fish consumption. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) Region 4 issued a proposed TMDL for mercury in the Savannah River on February 8, 2000. The TMDL process establishes the allowable loading of pollutants for a water body, based on the relationship between pollution sources and in-stream water quality conditions, so that states can establish water-quality based controls to reduce pollution and restore and maintain the quality of their water resources (U.S. EPA 2000). The first phase of the proposed TMDL specifies a target mercury concentration of 1 ng/L for the Savannah River and point source discharges. The rationale for this target concentration is to protect human health from mercury toxicity caused by the consumption of contaminated fish. Due to the complexity of mercury cycling, inadequate data and difficulty in quantifying nonpoint source loads of mercury, nonpoint source loads are not considered in this first phase of the TMDL.
Download or read book Proceedings and Summary Report written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Advances in Marine Biology written by Charles Sheppard and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2018-11-21 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Advances in Marine Biology, Volume 81, the latest release in this acclaimed series published since 1963, updates on many topics that appeal to postgraduates and researchers in marine biology, fisheries science, ecology, zoology and biological oceanography, with this release presenting chapters on The Impact of Hydrocarbon Contamination on the Scallop Fishery in Port au Port Bay, Newfoundland, Pharmaceutical and personal care products in marine and coastal environments: facts, challenges and opportunities, Modeling of the Marathassa Oil Spill in the Vancouver Harbour, Characterization of Nitrogen Containing Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Crude Oil and Refined Petroleum Products, and much more. Reviews articles on the latest advances in marine biology Authored by leading figures in their respective fields of study Presents materials that are widely used by managers, students and academic professionals in the marine sciences
Download or read book Total Maximum Daily Load for Mercury in the Walker Creek Watershed written by Jill Marshall and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 113 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Mercury TMDL Development for the Willamette River Basin Oregon Technical Support Document written by Jonathan Butcher and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Willamette Basin Mercury Total Maximum Daily Load written by and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Nonpoint Source Pollution written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Mercury Loads in the South River and Simulation of Mercury Total Maximum Daily Loads Tmdls for the South River South Fork Shenandoah River and Shenandoah River written by U.S. Department of the Interior and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2014-03-04 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Three rivers in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia are contaminated with mercury and have been designated as “impaired” on Virginia's 303d list of contaminated waters due to fish consumption advisories issued by the Virginia Department of Health. These rivers, the South River, South Fork Shenandoah River, and the Shenandoah River between Front Royal and the confluence with Craig Run (fig. 1), are regulated by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) under the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Program, which develops plans to restore and maintain water quality for impaired waters.
Download or read book Decision Rationale written by and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 14 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Final Revised Willamette Basin Mercury Total Maximum Daily Load written by and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Rivers of North America written by Michael D. Delong and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2023-04-20 with total page 1109 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rivers of North America, Second Edition features new updates on rivers included in the first edition, as well as brand new information on additional rivers. This new edition expands the knowledge base, providing readers with a broader comparative approach to understand both the common and distinct attributes of river networks. The first edition addressed the three primary disciplines of river science: hydrology, geomorphology, and ecology. This new edition expands upon the interactive nature of these disciplines, showing how they define the organization of a riverine landscape and its processes. An essential resource for river scientists working in ecology, hydrology, and geomorphology. Provides a single source of information on North America’s major rivers Features authoritative information on more than 200 rivers from regional specialists Includes full-color photographs and topographical maps to illustrate the beauty, major features, and uniqueness of each river system Offers one-page summaries help readers quickly find key statistics and make comparisons among rivers
Download or read book Technical Guidance Manual for Developing Total Maximum Daily Loads written by and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 1997 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Northeast Regional Mercury Total Maximum Daily Load written by and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
