Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 247 / Friday, December 23, 2016 / Notices 94371 

DC 20460; telephone: (202) 564–5939; or 

email: flaherty.colleen@epa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. General Information 

A. How can I get copies of this 

document and other related 

information? 

1. Docket: All documents in the 

docket are listed in the 

www.regulations.gov index. Although 

listed in the index, some information is 

not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other 

information whose disclosure is 

restricted by statute. Certain other 

material, such as copyrighted material, 

will be publicly available only in hard 

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materials are available either 

electronically in www.regulations.gov or 

in hard copy at the Water Docket, EPA/ 

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II. Information on the Draft Field-Based 

Methods for Developing Aquatic Life 

Criteria for Specific Conductivity 

EPA has developed a set of draft 

methods that states and authorized 

tribes may use to derive field-based 

ecoregional ambient aquatic life criteria 

for ionic mixtures measured as specific 

conductivity, a measurement of ionic 

concentration, in flowing waters. 

Elevated ionic concentration measured 

as specific conductivity has been shown 

to impact aquatic life in a range of 

freshwater resources. Different mixtures 

of ions that increase specific 

conductivity are associated with natural 

and anthropogenic sources. 

EPA’s draft methods provide flexible 

approaches for developing sciencebased conductivity criteria for flowing 

waters that reflect ecoregional- or statespecific factors. Once final, states and 

authorized tribes located in any region 

of the country may use the methods to 

develop field-based conductivity criteria 

for flowing waters. The document does 

not impose binding water quality 

criteria on any state, but instead 

provides methods to assist states and 

tribes that seek to develop such criteria 

for adoption into their water quality 

standards. The draft document provides 

a scientific assessment of ecological 

effects and is not a regulation. 

EPA’s draft methods are based on 

effects observed in streams with 

different levels of specific conductivity 

and take into account natural variation 

in background specific conductivity and 

the aquatic species adapted to it. The 

draft document describes how to derive 

protective field-based aquatic life 

criteria for specific conductivity, 

including how to estimate a criterion 

continuous concentration for chronic 

exposures, how to estimate a maximum 

exposure concentration protective of 

acute toxicity, how to assess geographic 

applicability and potential confounding 

factors, and how to determine duration 

and frequency parameters. 

EPA is also providing four case 

studies to illustrate how states and 

tribes may use the draft field-based 

methods to develop criteria in 

ecoregions with different background 

ionic concentrations measured as 

specific conductivity and demonstrate 

how to assess the applicability of 

criteria developed for one ecoregion to 

a different ecoregion. The case studies 

use field data to demonstrate how to 

apply the methods to derive example 

criteria for specific conductivity for 

flowing waters dominated by sulfate 

and bicarbonate salts but not for flowing 

waters dominated by chloride salts. 

EPA typically relies on laboratory 

toxicity test data for surrogate species as 

defined in the Agency’s Guidelines for 

Deriving Numerical National Water 

Quality Criteria for the Protection of 

Aquatic Organisms and Their Uses 

(1985) for aquatic life criteria 

development. The draft field-based 

methods for specific conductivity were 

adapted to be consistent with the 

Agency’s traditional approach to derive 

aquatic life criteria. The draft fieldbased methods rely on geographically 

referenced, paired observations of 

specific conductivity and the presence 

and absence or abundance of freshwater 

benthic macroinvertebrate genera from 

wadeable perennial streams. An 

analysis of data for fish from a 

composite of case study ecoregions 

demonstrates that the example criteria 

based on macroinvertebrates are also 

protective of fish. 

This document underwent an internal 

EPA review and two independent 

contractor-led external peer reviews. 

III. Solicitation of Scientific Views 

EPA is soliciting additional scientific 

views, data, and information regarding 

the science and technical approach used 

in the derivation of the draft field-based 

methods. EPA is also soliciting 

suggestions from the public for 

additional ecoregional case studies for 

future consideration. 

Dated: December 16, 2016. 

Joel Beauvais, 

Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of 

Water. 

[FR Doc. 2016–31049 Filed 12–22–16; 8:45 am] 

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Weekly receipt of Environmental Impact 

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Pursuant to 40 CFR 1506.9. 

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EIS No. 20160309, Final, BOEM, AK, 

Cook Inlet Planning Area Oil and Gas 

Lease Sale 244, Review Period Ends: 

01/23/2017, Contact: Sharon Randall 

907–334–5200 

EIS No. 20160310, Final, FRA, NAT, 

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668–2282 

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Missouri River Recovery Management 

Plan, Comment Period Ends: 02/24/ 

2017, Contact: Aaron Quinn 402–995– 

2669 

Dated: December 20, 2016. 

Dawn Roberts, 

Management Analyst, NEPA Compliance 

Division, Office of Federal Activities. 

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