## MEMORANDUM

TO: Steam Electric ELG Rulemaking Record

FROM: Lydia Lambert, ERG

DATE: April 19, 2013

SUBJECT: Wildlife and Human Health Models Supporting Documentation (DCN SE03889)

1.0 S UMMARY OF 

### S UPPORTING 

### D OCUMENTATION



### ERG is providing technical support to the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for development of revised effluent limitations guidelines and standards (ELGs) for the Steam Electric Power Generating Point Source Category. In support of the development of revised ELGs, ERG developed the following resources to evaluate the impact that sediment concentrations pose to aquatic life; calculate pollutant con centrations in exposed fish populations; evaluate the potential adverse effect s to minks and eagles from the consumption of fish; and calculate non-cancer and cancer risks to human populations from the consumption of fish under the current prof ile and future profile 1 

### for the baseline and five regulatory options (Options 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5):

 Wildlife and Human Health Models;

 Wildlife and Human Health Mode ls Comparisons Database;

 Wildlife and Human Health Models Summary Tables Database; and

 Wildlife and Human Health Models Summary Tables Spreadsheet.

The methodology of the wildlife and human h ealth models under the current profile and future profile is presented in the following documentation:

 Environmental Assessment (EA) Model Validation and Calibration Memorandum (DCN SE01986) – This memorandum presents the validation measures performed for receiving water concentrations used to estimate fish tissue concentrations, the validation methodology used to evaluate the fish tissue concentrations calculated by the wildlife model, and the cal ibration methodology used to set calibration factors for the mercury fish tissue concentrations a nd subsequent human exposure doses from fish consumption.

1 Current profile includes waste streams generated by air pol lution controls that will likely be in operation at steam electric plants at the time EPA takes final action on this rulemaking. Future profile includes waste streams generated by future installations of air pollutio n controls at steam electric power plan ts that may result from some recently promulgated Clean Air Act requirements.

### Memorandum April 19, 2013 Page 2

 Fish Consumption Rate for Cohorts Memorandum (DCN SE01963) – This
memorandum documents the de velopment of the fish consumption rates used for human receptors (cohorts) in the human health model.

 Water Quality Model Supporting Documentation Memorandum (DCN SE03888) – This memorandum identifies the supporting do cumentation used to calculate the total and dissolved pollutant concentrations in the water column and total pollutant concentration in the sediment, which are used as inputs in th e wildlife and human
health models.

 Final Environmental Assessment for the Pr oposed Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Steam Electric Po wer Generating Point Source Category (EA Report) (DCN SE01995) – Section 4.1.2 (Asse ssment of the Surface Water Exposure Pathway) of this report provides an over view of the wildlife and human health models. Appendix D (Wildlife Model Met hodology) and Appendix E (Human Health Model Methodology) of this report presen t the model equations, input values, pollutant benchmarks, and methodology limitations/assumptions.

ERG did not calculate pollutant concentra tions in exposed fish populations of the immediate receiving water for Options 3a, 3b, and 4a using the wildlife and human health supporting documentation listed above. The meth odology used for these three regulatory options is presented in Appendix G (Methodology fo r Non-Modeled Options) of the EA Report.

1.1 Current Profile Analyses

The results of the wildlife and human h ealth models under the current profile are presented in the following sections of the EA Report:

 Section 5.3.2 (Wildlife Impacts);

 Section 5.3.3 (Human Health Impacts);

 Section 6.2 (Key Environmental Improvements);

 Section 6.3 (Pollutant-Specific Improvements); and

 Section 7 (Conclusions).

A comprehensive listing of the wildli fe and human health models supporting documentation for the current profile is presente d in Table 1-1 below. This table provides the document control number (DCN), title, and abstract of each record item, and identifies whether
the record item contains Confiden tial Business Information (CBI).

### Memorandum April 19, 2013 Page 3

Table 1-1. Current Profile Wildlife and Human Health Record Items

DCN Title (Date) Abstract CBI a

SE03511 Wildlife and Human Health
Model - Current Profile - Baseline (082212) Database used to quantify potential impacts to aquatic life, wildlife, and human health in the immediate discharge zone for baseline under the current profile. Generates inputs for Fish Tissue Comparison Database. Yes

SE03512 Wildlife and Human Health
Model - Current Profile - Option 1 (082212) Database used to quantify potential impacts to aquatic life, wildlife, and human health in the immediate discharge zone for Option 1 under the current profile. Generates inputs for Fish Tissue Comparison Database. Yes

SE03513 Wildlife and Human Health
Model - Current Profile - Option 2 (082212) Database used to quantify potential impacts to aquatic life, wildlife, and human health in the immediate discharge zone for Option 2 under the current profile. Generates inputs for Fish Tissue Comparison Database. Yes

SE03514 Wildlife and Human Health
Model - Current Profile - Option 3 (082212) Database used to quantify potential impacts to aquatic life, wildlife, and human health in the immediate discharge zone for Option 3 under the current profile. Generates inputs for Fish Tissue Comparison Database. Yes

SE03515 Wildlife and Human Health
Model - Current Profile - Option 4 (082212) Database used to quantify potential impacts to aquatic life, wildlife, and human health in the immediate discharge zone for Option 4 under the current profile. Generates inputs for Fish Tissue Comparison Database. Yes

SE03516 Wildlife and Human Health
Model - Current Profile - Option 5 (082212) Database used to quantify potential impacts to aquatic life, wildlife, and human health in the immediate discharge zone for Option 5 under the current profile. Generates inputs for Fish Tissue Comparison Database. Yes

SE03517 Wildlife and Human Health Model Comparisons
Database - Current Profile - Option 1 (082212) Database used to compare the Wildlife and Human Health Model results between baseline and Option 1 under the current profile. Generates inputs for Wildlife Model Summary Tables Database and Human Health Model Summary Tables Database. Yes

SE03518 Wildlife and Human Health Model Comparisons
Database - Current Profile - Option 2 (082212) Database used to compare the Wildlife and Human Health Model results between baseline and Option 2 under the current profile. Generates inputs for Wildlife Model Summary Tables Database and Human Health Model Summary Tables Database. Yes

SE03519 Wildlife and Human Health Model Comparisons
Database - Current Profile - Option 3 (082212) Database used to compare the Wildlife and Human Health Model results between baseline and Option 3 under the current profile. Generates inputs for Wildlife Model Summary Tables Database and Human Health Model Summary Tables Database. Yes

SE03520 Wildlife and Human Health Model Comparisons
Database - Current Profile - Option 4 (082212) Database used to compare the Wildlife and Human Health Model results between baseline and Option 4 under the current profile. Generates inputs for Wildlife Model Summary Tables Database and Human Health Model Summary Tables Database. Yes

### Memorandum April 19, 2013 Page 4

Table 1-1. Current Profile Wildlife and Human Health Record Items

DCN Title (Date) Abstract CBI a

SE03521 Wildlife and Human Health Model Comparisons
Database - Current Profile - Option 5 (082212) Database used to compare the Wildlife and Human Health Model results between baseline and Option 5 under the current profile. Generates inputs for Wildlife Model Summary Tables Database and Human Health Model Summary Tables Database. Yes

SE03528 Wildlife Model Summary
Tables Database - Current Profile (082812) Database used to summarize the Wildlife Model results for baseline and options under the current profile. Generates the Wildlife Model Summary Tables Spreadsheet. No

SE03530 Wildlife Model Summary Tables Spreadsheet - Current Profile (082812) Spreadsheet that summarizes the Wildlife Model results for baseline and options under the current profile. No

SE03529 Human Health Model Summary Tables Database - Current Profile (082812) Database used to summarize the Human Health Model results for baseline and options under the current profile. Generates the Human Health Model Summary Tables Spreadsheet. No

SE03531 Human Health Model Summary Tables Spreadsheet - Current Profile (082812) Spreadsheet that summarizes the Human Health Model results for baseline and options under the current profile. No

a – Record items containing CBI have been removed from the public record.



### 1.2 Future Profile Analyses

The results of the wildlife and human health models under the future profile are presented
in the Flue Gas Desulfurization Future Prof ile Sensitivity Analysis Memorandum (DCN SE01989). A comprehensive listing of the wild life and human health models supporting documentation for the future profile is presented in Table 1-2 below.

Table 1-2. Future Profile Wildlife and Human Health Record Items

DCN Title (Date) Abstract CBI a

SE03532 Wildlife and Human Health
Model - Future Profile – Questionnaire and IPM (091112) Database used to quantify potential impacts to aquatic life, wildlife, and human health in the immediate discharge zone under baseline future profile. This scope includes plants with predicted future air pollution control installations identified in the Integrated Planning (IPM) projections for the final Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule and EPA’s Questionnaire for the Steam Electric Power Generating Effluent Guidelines. Generates inputs for Fish Tissue Comparison Database. Yes

### Memorandum April 19, 2013 Page 5

Table 1-2. Future Profile Wildlife and Human Health Record Items

DCN Title (Date) Abstract CBI a

SE03533 Wildlife and Human Health
Model - Future Profile - IPM Only (091112) Database used to quantify potential impacts to aquatic life, wildlife, and human health in the immediate discharge zone under baseline future profile. This scope includes plants with predicted future air pollution control installations identified in the Integrated Planning (IPM) projections for the final Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule. Generates inputs for Fish Tissue Comparison Database. Yes

a – Record items containing CBI have been removed from the public record.