Water & Wastewater Equipment Manufacturers Association March 22, 2017

1. Water & Wastewater Equipment Manufacturers AssociationMarch 22, 2017 Betsy Southerland Office of Water Office of Science and Technology U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

2. Office of Science and Technology (OST) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency OST’s mission is to provide the best available science and innovative technologies for states and tribes so that they can assure clean and safe water for their communities OST works with states, tribes, and other stakeholders to develop recommended safe water quality levels for toxics, nutrients, and pathogens to help ensure our nation’s waters can be used for fishing, swimming, and drinking water. OST also develops national economically and technologically achievable performance standards to address water pollution from industry

3. OST FY17 Priorities U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Finalize Human Health Recreational Ambient Water Quality Criteria and/or Swimming Advisories for Microcystins and Cylindrospermopsin with implementation guidance Propose Lake Numeric Nutrient Criteria with implementation guidance Initiate National Study of Nutrient Removal and Secondary Technologies

4. Rationale for OST FY17 Priorities U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Renewed Call to Action to Reduce Nutrient Pollution and Support for Incremental Actions to Protect Water Quality and Public Health State Research Needs Survey Bipartisan Congressional letter requesting robust funding for HAB-related work

5. HABs Recreational Criteria/Swimming Advisories U.S. Environmental Protection Agency • Designed to protect children 5 to 11 years old • Microcystin (4 µg/L) and cylindrospermopsin (8 µg/L) based on incidental ingestion of water • If swimming advisory, not to be exceeded on any day • If criterion, not to exceed more than 10 percent of days per recreational season (up to 1 year) • Explored the relationship between cell density and health effects, but did not include as criteria • Public comment period ended on March 20, 2017

6. HABs Recreational Criteria/Swimming Advisories: Implementation Support Materials U.S. Environmental Protection Agency • Swimming Advisory Materials (for swim season) • Public messaging and notification • Monitoring plans • Networking with key partners • Water Quality Criteria Materials • FAQs for assessment/listing/TMDLs/NPDES permits • Adoption and implementation flexibilities for criteria

7. Lake Numeric Nutrient Criteria U.S. Environmental Protection Agency • EPA’s National Lakes Assessment sampled 1,028 lakes representing 50,000 lakes in US larger than 10 acres • Cyanobacteria detected in almost all lakes • Potential microcystin producing species in 95% of samples • Potential cylindrospermopsin producing species in 67% of samples • Nutrients are key environmental drivers that influence: • Proportion of cyanobacteria in phytoplankton community • Cyanobacterial biovolume • Cyanotoxin production • Impact on ecosystem function and water quality

8. Lake Numeric Nutrient Criteria U.S. Environmental Protection Agency • Based on statistical analyses of EPA’s 2007 and 2012 National Lakes Assessment survey data • Used Bayesian statistics to develop the national model and criteria that can be refined with state data, where available • TN and TP concentrations for each lake class protective of three different designated uses (lakes classified based on depth, temperature, and geographic location): • Aquatic life • Primary recreation • Drinking water source

9. Lake Numeric Nutrient Criteria U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Aquatic life protection based on hypoxia in hypolimnion for deep lakes; submerged macrophyte coverage for shallow lakes; and proportion of cyanobacteria for all lakes Primary recreation protection based on microcystin recreational criteria Drinking water source protection based on microcystin drinking water advisory

10. Lake Numeric Nutrient Criteria Implementation Support Materials U.S. Environmental Protection Agency • Adoption and Implementation Flexibilities for Criteria • FAQs for assessment/listing/TMDLs/NPDES permits • Anticipated schedule: • Fall 2017: Release draft lake numeric nutrient criteria • Fall 2017: Release draft implementation support materials

11. National Study of Nutrient Removal and Secondary Technologies U.S. Environmental Protection Agency • Two main goals: • Update information on current nutrient removal performance at POTWs in order to: • Incorporate process controls in use today • Reflect variable attributes such as differential plant loadings or temperature effects • Identify operational and maintenance practices to improve nutrient removal using existing treatment technologies

12. National Study of Nutrient Removal and Secondary Technologies U.S. Environmental Protection Agency • Three phase study: • Phase 1: Screener questionnaire conducted as a census of all POTWs • Phase 2: Survey distributed to a representative sample of secondary and equivalent POTWs • Phase 3: Monitoring conducted in parallel with Phase 2 • Paired influent/effluent data from a sample of all types of POTWs • In-plant data from a sample of high performing secondary POTWs

13. National Study of Nutrient Removal and Secondary Technologies U.S. Environmental Protection Agency • Schedule: • For the screener, publish the second ICR notice in the federal register by the summer of 2017 and mail to POTWs by the end of the calendar year • Develop the Phase 2 questionnaire and survey design, based on the response to the screener survey, with hopes of publishing the first ICR notice by the end of calendar year 2018

14. Looking Ahead U.S. Environmental Protection Agency OST will wait for further direction on priorities once political leadership is in place under the new Administration